JULY 2026
“Positive reinforcement” is a term we hear often in early childhood. Any online search will provide you with an adequate insight into the concept. For me, positive reinforcement usually involves providing positive feedback to a child for a behaviour that is desired, that I want them to keep performing. I regard the term “positive reinforcement” as a very general term that encompasses a broad variety of strategies. In this blog, I will explore three of my most-used strategies.
My introduction to using positive reinforcement was on my first student-teacher practicum placement. I was told by my supervising teacher about “parallel acknowledgement”, which she had found worked particularly well for this group of children that she had at this time. She demonstrated, consistently throughout each day, how to use parallel acknowledgement. When leading the children through a transition, she would say, “Child A is lining up nicely, waiting with their hat and water bottle.” During group time, circle time or carpet time she would say, “I can see that child B is putting their hand up before speaking,” or, “Child C is showing me their best listening skills right now, well done.”
The aim of this parallel acknowledgement is to bring the attention of all the children to the desired behaviour, with the intention of reinforcing it. This strategy intends to encourage all the children to also participate in the same desired behaviour. Does it work? In my experience, most of the time. It is important to keep in mind that one desired behaviour may need to be reinforced many times, within a variety of circumstances, in order for children to take the behaviour on.
Another positive reinforcement strategy is the use of “I” statements. These are similar in concept to the parallel acknowledgement strategies, the main difference being that the particular desired behaviour addressed in the statement is being reinforced for one particular child, rather than being aimed at the whole group of children. When using “I statements,” the wording that is used is of great importance.
When completing Thomas Gordon’s Teacher Effectiveness Training, I was taught to use particular wording for implementing “I” statements, such as “I love how you are helping to tidy up,” or “I feel so happy to see you sharing that toy,” to effectively and positively reinforce any given behaviour. I would highly recommend the Thomas Gordon training for anyone who works with children of any age. I found the training useful as soon as I started using the strategies for a child that I was nannying. This child responded almost straight away to the use of “I” statements, and life suddenly became so much easier with her, she was far more willing to cooperate with me and began making safer decisions for herself during play.
I rarely use physical rewards for positive reinforcement such as stickers, stamps or treats when trying to affirm or encourage a particular behaviour. Although they might be appropriate when used within an ABA approach (Applied Behavioural Analysis), I feel they are inappropriate in general, for the early years environment. One exception may be for neurodiverse children that may be difficult to communicate with in any other way. Otherwise, I avoid physical rewards.
In my research, I have come to understand that physical rewards trigger a dopamine release for children, and the focus becomes on the external reward, rather than the behaviour or action I am trying to teach them. In my experience, the excitement or thrill for a physical reward can wear off quite quickly, before the children have really learnt the behaviours I’m focusing on. A reward, if any, should be your attention; your acknowledgement of their effort or thoughtfulness, eye contact, a smile or praise.
I value children being intrinsically motivated to engage in a particular behaviour. This is my ultimate goal when implementing positive reinforcement strategies. These strategies lay the groundwork for establishing more positive and cooperative relationships with children, which in turn, builds a positive, cooperative and respectful classroom culture.
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