Address students respectfully: the names you call children will shape how they view themselves.

Instead of this: Hello, my duckies/kiddos/buddies/sweeties!

Try this: Hello, scholars/learners/athletes!

Name concrete, specific athletic behaviors: Naming specific behaviors provides them with practical information from which they can learn.

Instead of this: Great run!

Try this: You paced yourself today even when that meant letting your friends pull ahead. Knowing how to do that will help you build your strength and stamina.

Emphasize what the students are doing well rather than your personal approval: Describing a student’s positive behaviors keeps the focus on their learning and tells them specifically what to do to keep the learning going.

Instead of this: I really like how you set up the soccer goals!

Try this: You worked together to set up the soccer goals. That gave you a lot mroe time to play. How does that feel?

Avoid naming individual students as examples for others: If you want to reinforce individual effort or achievement, do it privately to avoid embarrassing the student or creating resentment among teammates - especially if they did the same thing but were not noticed. This also avoids elevating particular students over others, moving the group towards cooperation and collaboration and away from inter-group competition.

Instead of this: Everyone, look at how well [name] is listening to me.

Try this: I see more and more people standing straight, tall, and listening, like professional soccer players.

Add a question to your reinforcing statement: Posing an open-ended question prompts students to recognize for themselves the skills and qualities they can apply to future learning.

Instead of this: You figured out how to dribble fast!

Try this: I see you learned how to hold your body to protect the ball. What helped you do that?