Handling peer praise sensitively is crucial because children often experience such moments as social evaluation, which can feed comparison or self-doubt. Your actions must subtly teach them how to be genuinely happy for others without feeling diminished themselves. 

Click below to discover meaningful books that nurture strong values in your child and support you on parenting journey

Junior Adventurers
(Ages up to 7 years)

Young Explorers
(Ages 7 years and above)

Modelling Grace and Humility 

Your child instinctively looks to you for the emotional cue. Your composed response models a powerful lifelong skill: graceful appreciation. 

• Model Sincere Gratitude: When another child is praised, respond with quiet warmth: ‘MashaAllah, that was wonderful to see.’ This silently teaches that acknowledging others’ strengths doesn’t threaten one’s own value. 

• Keep Energy Sincere: Ensure your voice is calm, your expression is open, and your energy is sincere, rather than offering a tense politeness. 

• Micro-action: Whenever someone praises a peer, take a slow breath, smile, and let your child see you respond positively. Your steadiness becomes their emotional template for humility and grace. 

Validating and Redirecting Emotions 

Address any potential discomfort or envy privately to prevent it from festering into resentment or destructive comparison. 

• Validate Emotions: After the moment has passed, gently check in: ‘How did you feel when your friend was praised today?’ Validate the natural feeling: ‘It is natural to wish someone noticed your effort too.’ This dissolves tension. 

• Redirect to Purpose: Follow validation with gentle encouragement: ‘You have your own beautiful strengths that Allah Almighty has given you. Let us keep working on those quietly.’ This anchors their worth in purpose, not comparison. 

• Use Praise as a Mirror: Help your child see the peer’s success as a source of learning: ‘What did you notice about how they achieved that? Was there something in their effort you might try next time?’ This transforms the moment into a lesson in growth instead of a threat. 

Offering Quiet Reassurance 

Avoid excessive counter-praise for your own child, which risks creating dependency. Instead, offer calm, grounded reassurance of their inherent worth. 

• Grounded Reassurance: Choose words that centre on their intrinsic effort and spiritual awareness: ‘I always notice how you focus when you work hard; Allah Almighty sees that too, even when people do not mention it.’ 

• Serene Response: Model serenity yourself in social settings. When you respond with composure, your child learns that dignity lies in being at peace regardless of who is noticed. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam teaches that true honour comes from Allah Almighty alone, protecting the heart from the fragile satisfaction of human praise. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran in Surah Al Faatir (35), Verse 10: 

‘So for whoever desires respectability, so (know that) all respectability is from Allah (Almighty) in absolute terms; so all meaningful conversations are defined by Him, and all virtuous actions are given accolade by Him; and those people that scheme in an evil manner, for them is a severe punishment, and all their plotting shall disintegrate (with no outcomes).’ 

This verse teaches children to redirect their efforts from seeking validation in others’ words to finding dignity in righteous action and sincerity. 

It is recorded in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2564, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Verily, Allah does not look at your appearance or wealth, but rather He looks at your hearts and your deeds.’ 

When children internalise this truth, peer praise no longer feels like competition but becomes a reminder to purify intention and maintain good character. Your composure and guidance ensure they learn that confidence rooted in faith never wavers with external attention.