4 Ideas for Celebrating Your Child’s Accomplishments

According to Merriam-Webster, an achievement is simply something that has been accomplished through effort – the result of hard work. For children, an “achievement” could refer to any number of things.

Whether it’s acing a test, nailing an audition or tryout, making the honor roll, or meeting any other goal, it’s important to take the time to recognize and celebrate your child’s accomplishments.

Here are four ways to acknowledge achievements, big and small, in your child’s life:

“Officially” recognize the achievement with a certificate.

Larger accomplishments such as making the honor roll are usually accompanied with a certificate of achievement. Why not acknowledge the smaller accomplishments with your own certificates, too? After all, it’s usually after a series of smaller accomplishments that your child is able to attain the larger ones. Recognizing the smaller wins along the way will help keep your child motivated for long-term success.

Let your child choose a celebratory meal.

In honor of your child’s hard work, let them choose what’s on the menu for the night. Whether this means allowing your child to select a restaurant or request that you make his or her favorite dish is completely up to you. Make the night extra special by encouraging other family members to dress up for the occasion. During the meal, be sure to let your child know how proud you are of them.

Decorate your child’s bedroom door or car.

For bigger, milestone accomplishments such as graduation, decorate your child’s bedroom door once he or she has gone to sleep. Waking up to see your recognition can inspire them to keep working hard.

Consider going a step further and decorate your car (or your child’s car if they are of driving age) with washable window markers to let the whole neighborhood know what your child has achieved.

Reward with a gift or small trinket to commemorate the accomplishment.

A reward doesn’t have to be large or expensive. A gift can be a simple item that will remind your child of their accomplishment in the future. For example, you could frame your child’s team picture to commemorate that they made the school team. Tailor the reward to compliment the achievement earned.