Being a parent is more than just putting a roof over your child’s head and ensuring they are well fed. Another of your responsibilities as a mum or dad is to help your child grow up to be an optimistic, kind person, with a strong moral compass. The chances are, you’re probably naturally instilling your child with various values, just by being a good role model for them. However, there are ways you can take these lessons one step further. Read on for some advice on moral values for kids from a boys’ school in London.
What Are 10 Moral Values To Teach Your Kids?
Incase you don’t have time to read the entire article, here is a super quick overview on the 10 main moral values for kids by the time they are 5 years old…
- Respect
- Family
- Adjusting and Compromising
- Helpfulness
- Respecting Religion
- Justice
- Honesty
- Never Hurt Anyone
- Theft
- Love For Education
Good Manners
Teaching your child to have good manners is a great place to start. When your child is young, they will likely forget to say please and thank you, so be sure to gently remind them until they don’t need you to prompt them anymore. Good manners will help them with their social interactions and will ensure they grow up to be considerate and respectful. Be sure to praise your child whenever you notice them using good manners.
Helpfulness
One aspect of having good manners is being helpful. So, encourage your child to offer their assistance where possible. For instance, if you eat a meal at someone else’s house, ask your child to help clean up. Explain to them that people won’t want to invite them back if they are lazy and impolite and being helpful will allow them to build stronger relationships. Teach them that actions speak louder than words.
This lesson can be taken one step further. Perhaps you have an elderly neighbour who struggles with the gardening or carrying their food shopping. Encourage your child to offer their support because this will teach them about compassion. Try and set a good example by offering your own helping hand to others from time to time, so that they recognise the importance of this caring attitude.
Honesty
Try and focus on the notion that “honesty is the best policy”. Explain to your child that cheating and lying might get them out of a tricky situation initially, but it will catchup on them later down the line and have serious repercussions. Teach them that people won’t trust them if they are dishonest, even once. Perhaps explore the story of the boy who cried wolf, to home in on your lesson.
Praise your child for their honesty when they own up to something, because this will encourage them to do the same again in the future. If you catch your child in a lie, practise calm discipline. Try and teach them the difference between a white lie and a real lie.
Equality
Teach your child that no two people are the same. They will have friends and teachers who have different opinions or religious beliefs to them and that’s perfectly ok. In fact, it’s something to be celebrated. The world would be a very boring place if we all looked and behaved in exactly the same way. Essentially, the idea is to teach your child to treat all people as equals, regardless of their differences.
Optimism
Having an optimistic attitude goes a long way. It helps youngsters to feel confident about the future and overcome challenges with a positive attitude. Try and instil a sense of optimism in your child by focussing on the good things, rather than complaining in front of them. For example, if you have lots of housework to complete over the weekend, say something like “I’m looking forward to getting this all done so that we have a lovely tidy house that we can relax in”, rather than grumbling about it.
Another way to help your child adopt an optimistic attitude is to focus on the effort that they put into things, rather than the end result. For example, if they fail a test, remind them that you are proud of them for trying their best, rather than reprimanding them for the poor grade. If they are fearful of the outcomes of certain endeavours, they will approach challenges with a pessimistic view.
Hard Work
Help your child understand that hard work is crucial to success. Some people shy away from hard work and view it as an obstacle; it’s your job to teach your child that it should be viewed as an opportunity instead. Encourage them to set goals, both short- and long-term, so that they start to appreciate the gratification that goes along with trying their best to achieve something.
You should also share your own success stories and show your child that you have a strong work ethic. Talk to them about your job and how hard you work in order to put food on the table and pay the bills. Let your child see you working hard in other aspects of life as well, such as working out or cleaning the house. This will show them, first-hand, that trying your best at something leads to a positive outcome.
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