Words to describe a preschooler

A Giant List of Adjectives to Describe Kids

ByLauren @ Simply-Well-BalancedJune 22, 2021July 30, 2021

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Words are powerful. This is especially true when you consider the words that you choose to describe your child – or children you work with. Today we are sharing a huge list of adjectives about kids to increase self-confidence and esteem in children.

Adjectives About Kids: Using the Power of Words to Increase Confidence

What's Inside:

As a teacher and parent, I know first hand how true that quote is.

I have seen behaviors, attitudes and self-esteem completely transformed in my classroom just by carefully choosing words to describe kids in a positive light. 

You see, if a child repeatedly hears someone describe them using positive words, eventually they start to believe what they are hearing.

Because I have seen how powerful words can be, I have become more intentional with the words I use to describe the behavior, actions and personalities of my own children – and I encourage you to do the same.

Adjectives are describing words and you can pretty much guarantee that the words kids grow up hearing are the same words they will end up using to describe themselves as adults. 

How to Use Adjectives to Describe Kids

Adjectives about kids can be used in a variety of ways:

• As a parent trying to improve the self-esteem of your own child.
• As a teacher looking for descriptions to include in report cards or progress reports.
• As a coach or counselor trying to find words to describe the positive personality traits you see in the kids you’re working with. 

No matter why you are looking for adjectives to describe children, it’s helpful to understand why being as specific as possible is very important.

Oftentimes we get in the habit of using the same generic phrases like “cute” or “smart” on repeat. 

When children hear these same terms repeated over and over they actually become meaningless.

Here are some tips on using adjectives to describe kids:

• Use phrases that are as unique and individualized as possible.

• Avoid focusing on appearance for compliments. You don’t want a child’s self-worth to be connected to the way they look.

• Consider characteristics that set them apart from others.

• Try to rephrase challenging aspects of their personality in a positive way that highlights how they can use them as strengths (ie instead of stubborn, describe them as determined).

• Use these words and phrases in everyday conversation so they frequently hear themselves being described using positive words.

• Write the words on post-it notes and leave them for your child to find in their room, on the bathroom mirror or inside their favorite book.

• Utilize them as part of a daily affirmation routine.

• Be genuine – kids can tell when you’re not being authentic. Be sure that the words you use accurately describe your child and how you feel about them – even if it’s just some of the time.

• Have your child (or students) choose words from this list of adjectives for describing kids to make a poster or collage about themselves.

When used consistently these words will become a natural part of your daily routine and your child will become accustomed to hearing themselves in a positive light every day.

Now let’s get on to the list!

150 Positive Adjectives About Kids

Adjectives to Describe a Child’s Strengths

• Determined
• Motivated
• Positive
• Trustworthy
• Artistic
• Brave 
• Creative
• Diligent
• Friendly
• Forgiving
• Imaginative
• Inventive
• Motivated
• Observant
• Persistent
• Reliable
• Resourceful
• Understanding
• Unique
• Hard-working
• Involved
• Self-starting
• Flexible
• Organized
• Structured
• Efficient
• Adaptable
• Articulate
• Clever
• Persistent
• Leader
• Self-reliant
• Detail oriented
• Tough
• Open-minded
• Industrious
• Tenacious
• Communicative
• Talented
• Skilled
• Willing to try
• Knowledgeable
• Confident
• Ambitious
• Authentic
• Original
• Enterprising
• Fierce
• Gifted
• Believable
• Meticulous

Adjectives to Describe a Kid’s Personality

• Compassionate
• Loyal
• Adventurous
• Charming
• Faithful
• Cautious
• Polite
• Magnetic
• Dynamic
• Nurturing
• Cheerful
• Practical
• Selective
• Enchanting
• Selective
• Logical
• Endearing
• Understanding
• Entertaining
• Sensitive
• Aware
• Tolerant
• Spontaneous
• Charismatic
• Attentive
• Opinionated
• Courageous
• Approachable
• Affectionate
• Easy-going
• Accepting
• Effervescent
• Funny
• Honest
• Reflective
• Hopeful
• Methodical
• Inquisitive
• Talkative
• Devoted
• Steadfast
• Patient
• Contemplative
• Insightful
• Joyful
• Loving
• Optimistic
• Passionate
• Mindful
• Aware
• Calm
• Resilient
• Self-Confident
• Witty
• Independent
• Hilarious
• Philosophical
• Logical
• Realistic
• Unconventional
• Delightful
• Modest

Words to Describe A Child’s Behavior

• Consistent
• Responsible
• Kind
• Daring
• Considerate 
• Energetic
• Fearless
• Generous
• Gentle
• Courteous
• Helpful
• Playful
• Fiery
• Social
• Spirited
• Zestful
• Thoughtful
• Confident
• Cooperative
• Spunky
• Reserved
• Exuberant
• Expressive
• Supportive
• Animated
• Focused
• Expressive
• Eager
• Intense
• Assertive
• Respectful
• Bold
• Gutsy

Conclusion

Overtime, your child will begin to integrate the words they hear you use to describe them into their own sense of self worth. Those words and phrases will become a part of their identity and form a foundation of self-confidence and strength.

Lauren @ Simply-Well-Balanced

Hi, I'm Lauren Tingley; a working, teacher-mom of two who tried to "do it all" and ended up losing myself in the process. Determined to find joy in modern motherhood I discovered simplifying was the answer. Now I share tips for fun family activities, minimalist homemaking and simple parenting advice on Simply Well Balanced for families looking to create more balance in their homes. My ideas and advice has been shared by Parents Magazine, Good Housekeeping and Women's First.Read more about me! Or follow me on Pinterest or Instagram

100+ Positive Adjectives to Describe a Child - With Free Printable Poster!

Today I’m sharing a list of 100+ positive adjectives to describe a child with a free printable poster of positive adjectives. I hope you enjoy and find it helpful!

You won’t find phrases like “well behaved” or adjectives like cute, handsome, or intelligent in this list. They’re all unique, positive ways to describe a child’s personality. The free printable poster has a cheerful rainbow background and is perfect for classrooms or home use.

Have you ever noticed that the qualities we claim to value in adults are the same things we try to discourage in children?

We praise children for being quiet, coloring inside the lines, and standing still. Then we say we value innovation, determination, and authenticity.

We also tend to praise children’s appearance constantly but don’t really mention their personalities and actions in positive ways. This list of positive adjectives to call a child will help you change that!

This post may include affiliate links, which means I may make a commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. 

Table of Contents

How to describe a child

Hearing the words people use to describe my child has made me very aware of the adjectives I use to describe her.  Their descriptions have made me really stop and think about the messages our word choices unintentionally send our children.

Frequently we use kind of milk-toast adjectives like “great,” focus on physical characteristics (“cute” or “pretty”), or praise a child for being so “smart.”

There are a couple problems with always praising a child’s appearance or constantly calling them “good” or “smart.”

For one, girls are already bombarded with messages from society that their appearance matters, maybe more than anything else about them.

Although no one means harm when they tell their daughter how cute she is or that she has a nice outfit, it helps reinforce the idea that how they look is more important then who they are. This can cause a lot of problems and confidence issues down the line!

Virtually everyone who talks to us when we’re out tells us how pretty, beautiful, or cute our LG is. They tell us how my husband is going to jealously guard her from would-be boyfriends. Muñeca (doll) and princesa are favorite adjectives from our Miami family.

A few people do comment on how observant she is, but typically only after they’ve called her cute half a dozen times.

Related read: Printable gratitude journal for kids

I know it’s super hard not to call your little one cute all the time. I’ve tried since day 1 to say other things to LG, but “cute” still slips out frequently because she is cute! But I consciously try to mention her other attributes, like her strength and determination, whenever possible.

Constantly praising a child’s intelligence can also backfire. Although it’s obviously fine to mention their smarts in moderation, a child may become afraid of doing anything that might make them look “stupid” if they’ve tied their identity to being “smart.”

This kind of thinking can lead “talented” students to take less challenging classes and tasks because they’ve tied their identity to being a “good student” and are afraid of making less than straight A’s (If you’re a new reader – I have a Masters in Teaching and this is a topic we studied in developmental psychology and educational theory classes. It’s fascinating stuff!)

It’s also really important to read the research on how praise can backfire in the long run. Read Conditional Parenting – it’s a game changer.

Sale

Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and...

• Raising Kids
• Kohn, Alfie (Author)
• English (Publication Language)

By using more diverse adjectives to describe your child and mentioning their personality traits more than their appearance, you can help your child develop a more healthy and wholistic self-image and greater confidence!

How to use this list of positive adjectives

These adjectives are great for introducing new words to your child. Some of them are more advanced than others, which makes them the perfect way to introduce new words.

They’re also useful for expanding your own repertoire of complements and descriptions.

Additionally, you can use these adjectives if your child has a school assignment to come up with a list of words to describe themselves.

Challenge your children to describe themselves and others in new, different ways each day of the week! See if you can all go an entire week without simply describing someone as nice, pretty, or great.

Make sure to grab the free printable poster (at the bottom of the post) with all 100+ positive adjectives so you can post it in your home or classroom for reference! 

Pin this list of positive adjectives now so you don’t lose track of the post!

100+ positive adjectives to describe a child

• Adaptable
• Adventurous
• Affectionate
• Alert
• Ambitious
• Amiable
• Astute
• Attentive
• Authentic
• Aware
• Awesome
• Bold
• Brave
• Calm
• Capable
• Caring
• Compassionate
• Confident
• Considerate
• Consistant
• Courageous
• Courteous
• Curious
• Decisive
• Dependable
• Determined
• Dexterous
• Diligent
• Diplomatic
• Dynamic
• Earnest
• Encouraging
• Energetic
• Engaging
• Enthusiastic
• Fair
• Fearless
• Flexible
• Focused
• Forgiving
• Forthright
• Free-spirited
• Friendly
• Fun
• Fun-loving
• Generous
• Gentle
• Genuine
• Giving
• Graceful
• Gracious
• Happy
• Hardworking
• Honest
• Hopeful
• Humble
• Humorous
• Idealistic
• Imaginative
• Innovative
• Insightful
• Intuitive
• Inventive
• Joyful
• Just
• Kind
• Lively
• Loving
• Loyal
• Merry
• Motivated
• Motivational
• Nurturing
• Observant
• Open
• Open-hearted
• Open-minded
• Optimistic
• Organized
• Outgoing
• Patient
• Persistent
• Playful
• Positive
• Precise
• Punctual
• Purposeful
• Quick-witted
• Radiant
• Realistic
• Reflective
• Reliable
• Resourceful
• Sincere
• Sociable
• Social
• Strong
• Sympathetic
• Trusting
• Trustworthy
• Upbeat
• Vivacious
• Warm
• Welcoming
• Wise
• Zany

Free printable poster of positive adjectives

Here’s a preview of the printable poster of positive adjectives! (The image is just a low-res preview, not the printable PDF)

If you’d like to reference this list of positive adjectives to describe a child, make sure to grab the free printable!

Download your printable poster of 100 positive adjectives here

This poster of positive adjectives matches a set of the growth mindset poster printables I shared recently. Make sure to stop by and grab your free printable growth mindset posters, too.

More positive parenting resources

You can’t pour from an empty cup. These free self-care ideas for moms can help you be the positive parent you want to be! There are also some free printable affirmation cards to help you out.

Do you want to encourage your toddler’s desire to practice gross motor skills? These indoor gross motor toys for toddlers are the best!

Do you have any additional positive adjectives you’d like to see added to the list?

Formation of the vocabulary of a child of senior preschool age based on the paradigmatic connections of words

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Development and enrichment of vocabulary in preschool children

Pavlova, I. Yu. Development and enrichment of vocabulary in preschool children / I. Yu. Pavlova. - Text: direct // Pedagogical excellence: materials of the I Intern. scientific conf. (Moscow, April 2012). - Moscow: Buki-Vedi, 2012. - S. 212-215. — URL: https://moluch.ru/conf/ped/archive/22/1934/ (date of access: 10.10.2022).

Problems and the tasks of developing the speech of preschool children were relevant always. At all times, great attention was paid to the development of children's speech. Attention. The importance of speech in the development of a child's personality is so great that the tasks of its formation occupy a special place in upbringing.

Word introduces the child into the world of people, helps to understand it and get used to it, helps to realize oneself as an individual and become active participant in the life of society. The word is the main communication and form of self-expression of the child. It serves as a means regulation of his behavior. With the help of the word, the child learns the natural and subject environment.

AT At preschool age, the child must master a vocabulary that would allow him to communicate with peers and adults, successfully study at school, understand literature, television and broadcasts, so preschool pedagogy considers the development vocabulary in children as one of the important tasks of speech development.

The dictionary is the lexical composition of speech that a person uses. The dictionary is divided into active and passive. The volume of an active dictionary in any person less than passive.

Vocabulary development with the normal development of the child is given in the table:

quantitative growth vocabulary according to Stern

From data The table shows that in preschool children the development of vocabulary stock is especially fast, as in no other age.

Peculiarity vocabulary of a preschooler is a significantly smaller volume of compared with the dictionary of an adult, since the amount of accumulated information about the environment is significantly inferior to the amount of knowledge of an adult.

For vocabulary development Stock important constant communication of adults with the child. Volume and quality (accuracy, figurativeness) of a preschooler's vocabulary depend on how his communication is complete. Therefore, parents need introduce the child to new objects, phenomena, their names. It is important to talk with a preschooler, ask questions, create situations in which probable shortcomings in understanding and child's use of words. An active family lifestyle provides fertile material for expanding the vocabulary: excursions to the theater, circus, zoo, etc.

As required development of speech and thinking gradually replenished dictionary systematized, ordered, folding into semantic fields or the formation of words united in meaning.

R.I Lalaeva identified the following directions for the development of the dictionary:

1. Dictionary expansion

2. Refinement word meanings

3. Development word meaning structures

4. Formation semantic fields and lexical consistency

5. Extension relationships between words in the lexicon.

Method development of speech by a preschooler offers a type of activity that built in the form of a game. This facilitates the assimilation of the material, develops children's auditory attention, contributes to the correct perception of speech.

material supply, aimed at enriching the vocabulary, in the form of a game teaches kids correlate a sounding word with a picture or object, clearly pronounce simple and polysyllabic words, answer questions.

Purpose when conducting There is only one such activity: vocabulary replenishment.

teachers widely used didactic games, which not only allow comprehensively develop preschoolers, but also contribute to the formation of children's vocabulary activity skills.

Didactic the game is a multifaceted, complex pedagogical phenomenon: it is also a game method of teaching preschool children age, and the form of education, and independent play activities, and means of comprehensive education of the personality of the child. Exactly at didactic game, the child gets the opportunity to improve, enrich, consolidate, activate your vocabulary.

B Depending on the material, didactic games can be divided into three type: games with objects (toys, natural material, etc.), board printed games and word games. It should be noted that all these games can be successfully used to activate vocabulary preschoolers. Games with objects are most accessible to children, as they based on direct perception, consistent with the desire child to act with things and thus get to know them, in addition, the child eagerly names the objects he sees.

Play in these games the child begins at an early age and does not lose his interest in them throughout preschool childhood. In junior preschool age, many games with toys are accompanied movements, which corresponds to the peculiarities of perception and thinking child

Most word games are complex: they are not related to direct perception subject, in them children must operate with representations. These games are of great importance for the development of the child's thinking, since in them children learn to make independent judgments, draw conclusions and inferences, not relying on the judgments of others, to notice logical errors.

verbal games are held mainly in older groups and are very important for preparing children for school, as they require and, therefore, develop the ability to listen carefully, quickly find the right answer to the question posed, to accurately and clearly articulate their thoughts, to apply knowledge.

Didactic the game as a form of teaching children contains two principles: educational (cognitive) and game (entertaining). educator at the same time is both a teacher and a participant in the game. He teaches and plays, and the children, playing, learning.

Game vocabulary building techniques for young children:

Game: "Cold “Hot.”

Purpose: Enriching vocabulary with nouns

Contents. The adult asks the children to close their eyes, then hides the object and asks question: "Where is the bear?" Children are looking for an object in the room adult's prompt: "It's cold. Colder. Warmer. Even warmer. Hot". The game with the search for a missing object helps children memorize a new word.

Game: "Describe the subject."

Targets: Expansion of the vocabulary of adjectives, formation of ideas about the subject.

Contents. An adult examines an object and points out its features. For example, an adult examines an apple. It is yellow in color. The shape resembles ball (clasps the apple with the hands), the apple is round. In size it big, big. If you stroke an apple, you feel that it is smooth. I press on the apple, nothing happens to it. The apple is hard. I sniff an apple: oh, how fragrant, fragrant it is. I'll hold it on my hand I will weigh: the apple is heavy. I'll cut a piece and taste it: apple sweet (sour, sweet and sour).

Game "Wonderful Pouch"

Targets: Expansion of the vocabulary, development of tactile perception, clarification ideas about the features of objects.

Equipment. Smart decorated bag, small toys, whose names refer to one lexical group ("Dishes", "Vegetables" or others)

Contents. Previously, children get acquainted with toys, the names of which belong to the same lexical group: consider, name, highlight their qualities. The first player puts his hand into the bag, gropes for one toy, recognizes it and calls it: "I have a cup." Only after these words can the child pull the toy out of the bag, look at it and show it to all the children. If the answer is correct, baby takes the item. Players alternately recognize by touch, call and take items out of the bag. Whoever collects the most wins number of toys.

Advanced version (for older preschoolers): required before removing an item from bag, determine its shape (round, oblong), material, from which the object is made (rubber, metal, rag, wooden, plastic), surface quality (smooth, rough, slippery, cold).

Mail game, "Decorate the Christmas Tree" "Magic Tree" "Thematic Lotto", "Domino"

Game "Package"

Targets: Expansion of the vocabulary, clarification of ideas about features objects, the development of coherent speech.

Equipment. items, boxes according to the number of players.

Content. Every child receives a "package" (a box with an item inside). The first the player begins to describe his item without naming or showing it. The item is presented after it has been guessed.

Game "Analogues"

Targets: Activation of nouns with a general meaning, development understanding of generic relations between words (development of conceptual component of the lexical meaning of the word)

Contents . An adult invites children to complete the word according to the model: fox - beast, crane - bird or vice versa. Adult says a word generalizing meaning, the child comes up with a word of specific meaning (or vice versa): dishes - a frying pan, flowers - a dandelion, transport - truck, fish - catfish, insects - grasshopper. The one who never fails wins.

Game "Edible - non-edible"

Targets: Development of the ability to highlight the essential features of an object (edibility, animation, etc.), clarification of the meaning of generalizing words, development auditory attention, general motor skills.

Contents . The host says the word and throws the ball to one of the players. If was a food item, fruit or other edible object is named, to the player you have to catch the ball. Otherwise, the player dodges the ball. Similarly, the games "Living - inanimate" are held, "Vegetables-Fruits", "Wild Animals - Domestic animals", "Birds - insects", "Clothes – footwear”, etc.

Game "I know five…”

Targets: Activation of words with a general meaning, development of understanding generic relations between words (development of the conceptual aspect word meanings).

Contents. Children stand in a circle. The first player with the ball in his hand starts play with the word: "I" and passes (throws) the ball nearby standing child. The second player receives the ball, says the following word: “I know” - and passes the ball further. Third player: "Five." The next child of "Insects". Further, each move is accompanied by the naming of one insect until those until five words of this group are named. The game continues farther.

Game with the ball "Associations"

Targets: Expansion of the volume of the dictionary, development of speech associations, general motility.

Contents. An adult throws a ball to a child and names a specific sign subject: "Red". The child catches the ball, adds a word, denoting an object that has this attribute (mac0, and returns ball for an adult. Similarly: heavy - truck; prickly hedgehog, cold snow, tall - a man, glass - a glass.

It is possible to play on material of a specific lexical topic (with and without pictures her). In this case, the adult agrees with the child that he you need to come up with words on a specific topic (for example, on the topic "Tableware"). At the same time, on the type-setting canvas there can be corresponding pictures are shown. Approximate lexical material: deep - plate; blue - pan; small saucer; transparent - jug.

Game “I gathered in the garden…”

Targets. Extension the volume of the dictionary, the development of auditory memory.

Contents. The adult starts the game by pronouncing the sentence: “I collected on garden .... cucumbers. The child repeats the whole phrase and adds the name of his vegetable: “I picked in the garden cucumbers and tomatoes". The next player repeats everything said the previous participant and comes up with a third vegetable: “I collected on vegetable garden cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. Players participate in the game until first mistake. The winner is the one who remains in the game last. AT Depending on the lexical topic, the sentence changes in content: "I collected in the garden ....", "I put in the closet ...", "I saw on the street ....", "He lives in the forest ....", "In the kitchen there is…." etc.

Game "Call me another word"

Targets. Formation of semantic fields, expansion of the dictionary of synonyms.

Contents . An adult calls the phrase and asks the question: “Throw the ball. How can this action be called differently, in a different word? are given examples of correct answers: “Throw the ball - throw the ball. Look out the window - look out the window. Children start to selection of synonyms only after confirming their understanding of the task.

Game with the ball "Say the opposite"

Targets . Formation of semantic fields, expansion of the dictionary of antonyms.

Contents. Children stand in a line facing the leader. Adult (leader) pronounces word and throws the ball to one of the players. The person who catches the ball must name antonym (the word is "enemy") to the given word and return the ball to the leader. If the pair word is chosen correctly, the child takes a step forward. The winner is the one who quickly approaches the conditional line, on which the leader is located. This child continues the game by inventing your words.

Literature:

1. Alekseeva M.M., Yashina V.I. Methodology for the development of speech and teaching the native language preschoolers. - M.: 2000.

2. Bondarenko A.K. Word games in kindergarten. - M.: 1974.

3. Borodich A.M. Methods for the development of children's speech. – M.: 1981

4. Kolunova L.A., Ushakova O.S. Work on the word in the process of speech development senior preschoolers // Preschool education. 1994 No. "9 .

5. Sokhin F. The development of speech of preschool children. - M.: 1984.

6. Tikheeva E.I. The development of children's speech. – M., 1992

7. Udaltsova E.I. Didactic games in the upbringing and education of preschoolers.-M .: 1976

8. Ushakov O.S. Classes for the development of speech in kindergarten. - M.: 1993.

9. Ushakov O.S. The development of the speech of a preschooler.

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