Whether your little ones are taught in a traditional school environment, or they are home schooled; there are life lessons that they will need to learn outside of a classroom. Children are extremely perceptive and will become little sponges for information from a very young age. Therefore you can begin to instill various lessons from the get-go. There will be an array of things that are appropriate to teach your kids from when they’re toddlers, up until they’re teenagers and beyond; all humans continue to learn throughout their lives, and as a parent, you have a major responsibility on your shoulders. The following are some areas you might want to consider talking through with your little ones (or older kids) and ensure that they’re on the right path to becoming a well-rounded and educated adult.
Manners
Politeness and manners are appreciated by all; therefore, it’s vital that your children get a strong understanding of the importance of their please and thank yous. From an early age; it’s a smart idea to let your kids know how you expect them to behave and ensure that they’re aware of how their actions, and what they say, affect others and the situation they are in. Being consistent is the best way for your teachings to sink in; the more you repeat something, the quicker your kids will pick things up, and they’ll know what to say and do in no time (remember how they’re little sponges).
Role play and reading story books are a great way to introduce and reinforce, the idea of manners to a kid; making a teaching activity fun will ensure that the information and feelings are more likely to stay within your child. When out in social settings; continue to teach and practice what you’ve told them; ask them questions to see what they should do and say, and give them the chance to do it themselves. Always praise great manners; but, don’t berate a young child for not using manners correctly as they’ll only feel less confident to do so in the future. If a situation has not gone how you would've liked regarding your kids and how they acted or what they said; explain why to them and give them the tools to do better next time.
Lead by example; remember that your kids are likely to copy what you do, so ensure that you’re the polite adult that you want your little ones to grow up into. Gentle prompts, encouragement, and positive associations are all methods to keep your kids asking with a “please” and leaving with a “thank you.” It’s always a great idea to talk to your children’s teachers, the parents of your kid’s friends, or anyone else who’s been left in charge of your kids; you’ll get a strong sense of how they behave when they’re not under your supervision. Again, always react with advice and encouragement, over anger, to tell them when they have done something wrong and how to change it.
Safety
There are a variety of dangers, and hazardous situations that your child will (unfortunately) have to experience and deal with throughout their lifetime. However, you don’t want to raise someone that constantly lives in fear of the world around them because you’ve scared them with what could (and probably won’t) happen. Therefore, the best way to equip your little ones to handle their future is to ensure they are made aware of danger without too much fear and give them the tools they’ll need to deal with it. By ensuring that your kids will be ready to sort out, or avoid harm in a situation successfully, will give them the confidence to enjoy their life, safe in the knowledge they'll know what to do should any problems arise.
Making sure that smaller children know when to run and fetch an adult, if there’s been an accident or hazardous situation, is a great place to start; let them know that they don’t have to deal with anything alone. As kids get older; it’s worth teaching them how to call for help, and the basics of first aid and CPR; look into the American Heart Association CPR methods to get a sense of the step-by-step guide, which could help your kid save a life. Make sure your children are old enough to learn what to do in a medical emergency, so as not to overwhelm them. Ensure that your kids understand what different medical situations look like; that way they won’t be terrified should one occur in front of them, and even better, they may be able to help.
Again, role play and stories are the perfect method to introduce danger, and negative situation awareness to a child, without scaring them. As long as they understand that it’s a normal part of life; they’ll be able to handle whatever issues come their way with adept skills and confidence. You can start simple lessons like road safety and the danger of household electrics, for example, from an early age. Put the focus on the remaining safe aspect, rather than filling a young mind with scary stories of what the results could be. Word association for tots is an excellent method to keep them away from fire, kettles, and stoves; using vocabulary like “hot” and “ouch”, when your kids experience pain, will stick in their minds. You can then point out the items to stay away from in the family home and use those words that they’ve learned previously.
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Morals
When it comes to your morals as a parent; they can be very personal within your family home. However, there are certain ideals, which are associated with a good person, that will relate to any growing child. For some children; kindness and respect for others come as second nature. However, some little ones will struggle with certain concepts at first, like any human being, so it’s your job to help them see the importance and encourage their beliefs. Teaching values will take time; nothing will sink in straight away, and very often it takes a real-life situation for an idea to really hit home. Therefore, leading by example, as you do with your manners, will help a child to understand dependability, discipline, generosity, compassion, and a variety of other traits that lead to a positive way of life.
As a parent; you can’t expect to be perfect all of the time; therefore, your kids will see you make mistakes in life. Instead of brushing your mistakes under the carpet, or trying to shelter your little ones what you may have said or done; apologize for your behavior and let them know that you understand that it was wrong. Letting your kids know that you’re just as human as they are, but as an adult, you should’ve known better, will teach them accountability and the importance of acknowledging something and apologizing. Check out Aha Parenting tips on ways to raise a child with great values for some inspiration.
To help to reinforce your child’s concept of morals; tell them your personal experiences with them and how they affected the outcome. Explaining things that you’ve been through to your kids is a step up from a story book; it will resonate more deeply in their mind and thoughts of your children, as they trust you and it’s not fiction. Consistency is vital; be the adult that you want your children to grow into, and you’ll help to nurture their development. Help them to process their feelings, and they’ll begin to react in a suitable fashion in all personal and social situations (on the whole; remember they’re kids), and will be a pleasure to be around and a credit to your teachings.
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