The Importance Of The Right Recognition Awards Life is about competition, and that is all there is to it. A child that grows up believing otherwise is going to be poorly equipped for the real world. However, there is plenty of time to learn this, and those that are in kindergarten need to have self esteem more so than the competition skills that they need later one. They have plenty of time to learn that, and it is an important lesson. Many kindergarten teachers like to give recognition awards to each child, but it is important that this is done in the right way. A child that is praised for mediocre things throughout their childhood is not going to excel. They learn that doing things just well enough to get by is all that they need. Though parents and teachers that do this mean well, it is not helping the child. You can’t give the same recognition awards to all children, and there are times when only some should get them. However, when it comes to kindergarten graduation, each should get something, but it should be all about them and not just some vague award. When my daughter finished kindergarten this year, each child got their own recognition awards. What I liked about this was that each child felt special, but they were truly being honored for some part of their personality. There were recognition awards for those children that learned the most, those that contributed the most, those that were most helpful, and those that came the furthest in the shortest time. Each award was deserved, so the children felt special for something they knew that they did. That is the right way to give out recognition and special awards at a younger age. When it comes to older children, not all should get recognition awards if they have not earned them. This is what drives many do want to do better. There are different categories in many contests, but those are there because there are different strengths that all children have. However, giving those that didn’t try very hard recognition awards is not sending them the right message. They should know that they will be recognized for hard work, not for doing anything they want just because it was easy. These are a great way to build self esteem, but don’t let them show kids that coasting by is the way to go. They learn nothing useful that way. Summary Recognition awards are a great way to boost children's self-esteem, but only if they are given for service or work well performed. Giving every child recognition has little impact since it is not special and has no real signifigance. Working toward a goal gives more satisfaction than having something given to you. Related Articles Role Of Parent Teacher Organization Effective Teaching Strategies Related Sites