Helping Build Character in Kids

There is a quote from John Wooden that says, “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”

Our character is who we are mentally and morally, it is how we act in different situations, the traits we carry with us throughout our lives, and something that can be learned. While your child may learn some of these positive character traits on their own, there are ways to teach them and help them develop these characteristics. Helping your child grow to be compassionate, peaceful, confident, responsible, and empathetic people is easier than you may think, but may take some work.

By teaching your child these traits and helping develop these characteristics, you can help them become the person you and God hope they become. You want your child to be caring, loving, and thoughtful. There are different ways to help your children develop these characteristics and grow with them, helping them be a caring person throughout their lives. Resurrection Christian School also does a lot of work in helping your child find their Christ-like path in life, developing characteristics that reflect our values. To learn more about our mission or who we are, contact us today.

There are many important characteristics that we need to teach to our children and help them develop. We want them to be kind to those who need it, to be confident in their own abilities, and to stand up for what they know is right. At Resurrection Christian School, we encourage these character traits and push our students to build their character and work on these positive characteristics. Peers, staff, family, and everyone else your child is surrounded by can influence their character and who they become, but when your child is surrounded by a supportive, compassionate, and thoughtful atmosphere, they will be more likely to build and develop characteristics that help them become a good person.

There are many characteristics that we want to help our children develop. In this blog, we will go over some of these character traits and how to teach your children about each, as well as how to help your child develop positive traits overall.

 

Kindness

Being kind can make all the difference in the world and teaching your child to be kind to everyone can help them to build friendships, to make a difference in their community, and can help spread the kindness. Over time, your child will understand what kindness looks like and how they can show kindness to others, but to get them to recognize this easier, iMom suggests giving them tasks that they can begin to recognize as kind. Tell your kids to find a person at recess or at lunch that is alone and ask them to eat or play with you. This can help a lonely child feel as though they belong and help your kid learn more about kindness and find other ways to be kind to others.

Volunteering can also help your children develop kindness. They will be able to see the difference they can make and how their kindness can spread to others. Kindness and compassion are characteristics that everyone should develop and learn, and teaching your children at a young age can help to spread the love.

Responsibility

Teaching your children how to be responsible at a young age can help them throughout the rest of their lives. There is a lot to teach a child about responsibilities. Start by giving them chores around the house, have them clean up after themselves, help load the dishwasher, get their younger siblings a snack, and other small tasks. This can help them to realize that they will have to put others before themselves and their own wants. Teaching them responsibilities within the family will help them to understand their responsibilities within society as they get older as well.

You also must teach them how to take responsibility for their own actions and accept the consequences. Character Ed mentions that parents should never make excuses for their children’s behavior or shield them from the consequences. Children need to learn from their actions, take responsibility, and accept the consequences.

Manners

Teaching your child manners can help them to develop and grow into polite adults. Manners are important things to teach your children. Teach them how to properly greet someone, the interrupting is rude, and how to act politely in public. Start by helping your little ones learn how to do polite introductions, with eye contact, a firm handshake, a smile, and a name. It is easy to be impolite when meeting someone for the first time and many adults to it all the time, even by accident.  Whether they have something on their mind, have had a bad day, or are rude by accident, it happens all the time. Teaching children how to be polite and working with them on it can help them to develop polite behaviors which they will hopefully use for years to come.

Patience

A patient child is not something we see often. Whether they are tagging along for a shopping trip, sitting through church with you, or waiting for you to catch up with your friend, kids are terrible at practicing patients. But patients is important and can help people throughout all of life. Teaching your child the importance of patience and how to be patient can help them develop this trait and carry it throughout the rest of their life. Challenge them to make it through a shopping trip without complaining. Allowing your child to doodle or participate in some other quiet activities while you are shopping or in church can help them stay distracted and quite so you can pay attention or finish shopping quickly. But as they grow older, teach them to be patient without a distraction.

There are many different character traits that you can teach your children to help them become a person with strong morals and compassion. Teaching your child these characteristics may be easier than you think, besides telling them to be kind to others, giving them responsibilities, and teaching them manners.

Lead By Example

As parents already know, children learn a lot by watching and observing the people around them. This could be you, their siblings, their friends, a teacher, or just other people in public. But since you are around your child a majority of the time, they will probably pick up more habits from you than anyone else. Make sure you are showing your character so that they know how they should act. If they see you lose your temper with a waitress for bringing the wrong food, they will think it is acceptable to treat others like that. They will see the way you act and follow your lead. Even if you tell them to act a certain way, they are more likely to copy your actions than listen to your words.

When you are out in public with them, think hard about how you are acting. Even if it means you have to refrain from speeding through a red light, stop yourself from shouting at the car in front of you, or control your emotions while standing in a long line. It is important to make sure you are being a good example for your child and showing what it means to have good character.

Challenge Their Morals

When you are teaching your child about morals and character, challenge them and make them think about what these things mean. Ask them why they acted a certain way and how they would feel if someone treated them like that. When they have a difficult choice to make ask them what they think the right choice is and why. Let them explain their answer and then give them your opinion and talk about the other perspective. As you challenge them and force them to think about their moral choices and characteristics, they will be able to understand them better, why they matter, and what they choices we make can change how people see us.

Talk About Character

Even talking with your children about character and morals can help them understand them better and learn what is right. They will be able to hear your opinions, make their own, start to think about their own character and moral beliefs. While your young children may not be the ones you want to have this conversation with, your older kids are perfect to talk with. Have them tell you how they think they should act, what they believe is right, how they think they should treat others, and so on. Your older children will gain new insight from talking about this with you.

Helping your child build character can help them in every stage of life. They will learn how to be compassionate, kind, polite, patient, and so much more. They will understand how they should treat others and how they should respond in different situations. Building character may come naturally for some, but others need to learn how to be caring, kind, and honest. Your children will learn a lot from watching you, so make sure you stay true to your character and follow your moral compass and try to refrain from reacting negatively to situations.

You children can also learn a lot about character and morals when they attend Resurrection Christian School. We push our students from elementary to high school to be more caring and kind to their peers, to be honest, and patient, and to be polite and respectful to everyone they meet. Building character isn’t tough, but it is easy for someone to get it wrong. Contact us today to schedule a visit and learn more about our schools.