Compliment Circles
Grades K-5
Big Idea
Directions
Once you have your circle ready, I ask for a volunteer to start. That person picks a classmate, says their name nice and loud so everyone can hear and then gives them a compliment. The friend who received the compliment says "Thank you!" and then pulls their legs up to sit criss-cross applesauce. That way the class knows who still needs to receive a compliment. You could also have students put a thumb on their knee, but that can get hard to see, so I do the legs. After that, you go around the circle, until everyone has given and received a compliment.
Tips & Tricks
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The first time we do a compliment circle, we start by complimenting each other's clothes, yes it's a little superficial, but students begin to learn what a compliment is. We use the sentence starter "I like your..." Students then fill in the sentence. "I like your blue shoes." "I like your pretty purple dress."Once students understand that a compliment is telling someone something nice about them, we move away from compliments about their clothes and move onto compliments about things they are good at. This is usually the second or third circle we do, depending on how long it takes them to get the first compliments down. This time we use the sentence starter, "You are good at..." Students say things like, "You are good at reading." "You are good at soccer."
The final step, by our fourth or fifth circle, I let the students come up with compliments on their own and that's how we continue for the rest of the year. I do have the rule that is cannot be about their clothes anymore. Those compliments are too easy. I want students to really think about their classmates and come up with something they know they do well, something they saw them do that was kind, or some time when they noticed they were working really hard. Throughout the week, I give reminders that they should be looking for good things their friends are doing so they have some ideas for compliments when we do our next compliment circle.
I use this mini-poster to help my students come up with compliment starters.
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We talk a lot about finding nice things to say and that it's always possible to find something, you just have to think hard enough. I use this quote all the time.
When to Use
Strategy Variations
Compliment Circles can also be used in a small groups (like table groups) to identify strengths in problem solving, working as a team, etc.
Compliments could be as specific or broad as you choose. The idea is to notice and build upon student strengths.