Helping Children Learn Through Effective Feedback

When it comes to supporting children's development—especially in
​therapy settings—how we give feedback can make a big difference.
The right kind of feedback not only guides learning but also builds
confidence, encourages persistence, and fosters a sense of ownership
in their progress. In this post, Dr. Bassem will   explain   different
types  of   feedback that can help children grow and succeed, with
practical examples to use during therapy sessions.

Types of Feedback To Help Children Learn:
1. Formative Feedback: Given throughout a therapy session to guide and encourage the
child’s progress.
Example: Offering immediate feedback during a therapy session, like “Let’s try that
again, but keep your knee straight.”

2. Summative Feedback: Provided after a therapy session or set of sessions to evaluate
the child’s progress toward their goals.
Example: Reviewing the child’s ability to complete specific activities or achieve
milestones, like walking a certain distance or improving muscle strength.

3. Self-Assessment Feedback: Allows children to reflect on their own therapy goals and
progress. It encourages ownership of their improvement and builds awareness of their
abilities.
Example: After completing a task, ask the child how they think they did and what they
feel they could improve.

4. Positive Feedback: Reinforces good behaviors and accomplishments with compliments
or small rewards to encourage continued effort.
Example: Saying, “I’m so proud of you for completing the obstacle course! You worked
hard and made great progress!”

5. Constructive Feedback: Helps children understand where they need to improve and
provides specific guidance on how to correct it.
Example: Gently pointing out that the child needs to correct their posture during an
exercise and showing them how to adjust.

6. Balanced Feedback: Combines praise with specific suggestions for improvement,
ensuring the child feels encouraged but also understands what to focus on next.
Example: “You did an awesome job with your squats today! Let’s work on bending our
knees a little more next time.”

7. Timely Feedback: Providing feedback right after a task or exercise helps children
connect their actions with the suggestions for improvement.
Example: Offering encouragement right after a child completes a challenging task, like
climbing steps: “Nice job! You almost made it to the top! Let’s try again and see if we can
get there together.”

8. Action-Oriented Feedback: Helps children know exactly what they need to do next to
improve and makes the process of learning new skills clear and achievable.
Example: Suggesting a new activity or challenge that the child can work on to build
strength, such as adding resistance bands to an exercise to increase difficulty.