Give a compliment
Saying something kind to someone sounds simple, yet it means noticing something, choosing words and daring to say them out loud. The picture below makes that invisible action something a child can see.
♀Giving a compliment
A girl holds out a smiling star with hearts to a friend, who looks touched.
About this visual support
A compliment cannot be seen. It hangs in the air between two people for a few seconds and then it is gone. For children who learn best by seeing and doing, that is exactly what makes kindness hard to practise: there is no object to hold, no clear start and nothing to show you are done. Plenty of children like others but do not know how to show it, or freeze once they are standing there.
A picture of giving a compliment gives the action a shape. It can sit in the daily schedule as a small task, such as saying something kind to a sibling at dinner or to a friend at break time. The picture is a reminder that this is something you do on purpose, not just something that happens by chance. A concrete tip is to keep three ready-made sentences in reserve, such as you are good at building, I like your drawing and thanks for helping me, so the child does not have to invent the words on the spot. Over time their own phrases come naturally.
The visual support works just as well at home as at school. In Routined you can add the compliment as a recurring step in the day and let the child check it off when it is done. You can try the app for 14 days, and the pictures here are free to download.
Use this image in a schedule
Build your own visual schedule with this image and download it as a print-ready PDF. Completely free.
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Take the visual supports with you
In Routined you build schedules from these pictures, add timers and voice instructions, and your child follows the day on their own.
* 14-day free trial, then $2.39 a month or $20.99 a year (US pricing). Cancel anytime.