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Teaching kindness and shaping your child’s character

Team AckoFeb 8, 2024

Parents know how quickly toddlers and preschoolers pick things up. They will copy almost anything and everything they see, the good and the not-so-good. Healthy habits can often be passed down by mere imitation. Teaching toddlers the language of values and creating games around character building themes can help establish these character traits into everyday work and play even more.

Contents

10 easy character building activities for children

1. You should practice the virtue of service by helping your child prepare a meal for other family members. You should teach gratitude by playing the Thank You Game. You can simply take turns giving things to each other such as toys or pieces of food while saying thank you each time.

2. You should always help your kid to understand his responsibility by giving him something to be responsible for, like putting dishes away or transferring laundry from the basket to the machine. You should teach him to show respect by watching insects and showing how you can be careful not to disturb them.

3. You can role play kindness by taking your child's stuffed toys and giving them some tender love and care. You can set up a home for them, feed them some food, bathe them, and care for them if they get hurt somehow.

4. You can also put on some soft music and do stretches while taking deep breaths, having your child copy you. You can explain to him about how calming your minds and bodies are acts of practicing peacefulness.

5. You can also make your kid learn courtesy by feeding him a special treat, one piece at a time, and then requesting him to say ‘please’ as he asks for new bites. You can add ‘thank you’ and ‘you are welcome’ as your kid masters each word.

6. You can help your child understand and show gentleness by giving him a set of delicate items to hold. These could be anything like a precious jewelry, a glass frame, etc. When he holds these, you ought to tell him how these objects are super fragile and hence, need extra care and gentleness, so they don't get hurt.

7. You should give your toddler the opportunity to practice generosity. You can do this by baking a dozen cupcakes and taking half of it to a neighbor. Ideally, you should let your little one carry this treat over to the neighbor. But in case he gets shy and prefers not to go, don't force him. He will gradually become more confident as he becomes more generous, inviting accolades from people.

8. You should encourage your child to show courage with a new experience you have set for him. This could be something as simple as climbing a ladder in the house or playing with the pet dog of a friend. It is both essential and amazing to give the little ones the opportunity to try out new things. However, there's no mandatory rule to push them for it if they are not ready. You ought to be on the same page with them on this.

9. Based on your child’s personality, courage may be something that would or would not come naturally to him.

Teaching kindness to your little one

Children learn values by observing what you do and drawing conclusions about what you think is important in life. The little kids will grow up with clear views on what their parents really value regardless of what you teach them.

To encourage you on how to help make your child kind and of a caring nature, here are a few examples of teaching kindness to your little one:

Manners

You should practice manners. The first baby sign language words that your child should learn are "please" and "thank you." You should remind your kid even before he can speak that using manners is common and expected.

Empathy

You should introduce empathy. It is never too early to help guide your child into recognizing other people's feelings. You can start this lesson through playtime with his siblings and friends. You should make a rule that if his playmate starts to cry or says "no" while playing, your kid should immediately stop what he is doing and ask the other child whether he or she is okay. You must remind your kid to first check and see if the other kids are okay before resuming playtime and if not, he should get help.

Grandma’s Tip: Encourage waving and smiling. A smile and a wave can be the difference in a bad day sometimes for some people. You should encourage your kid to smile and wave at people around him. Having a friendly face towards others is a small but impactful way to convey to others that one has a kind soul. You should teach the little one to approach frustration with patience.

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Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.

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