7 Ways to Encourage Kindness in Kids
We all want our kids to grow up and become beautiful people, both inside and out. To achieve this, we should try to teach them values, encourage kindness and raise them in a loving environment. Setting a good example is also key.
What does kindness mean?
Kindness is a human trait that implies a tendency to be good and empathize with others. Consequently, kind people take different factors into consideration before acting. In general, achieving a balance and the welfare of the majority is their goal.
Kind people are confident and strong enough to make the right decisions. Kind people aren’t weak, nor do they lack intelligence.
Parents often try to raise their children to be kind-hearted, but kindness in kids can also be mistaken for sluggishness or indifference. This is due to a competitive perspective where, in order to be better than the rest, one has to be strong and agile, as opposed to thoughtful and calm.
If we want to effectively encourage kindness in our children, we must teach them to be helpful and cooperative.
We must also foster their self-esteem, meaning self-assurance, confidence and proactivity. These strengths are fundamental.
7 ways to encourage kindness in children
1. Gratitude
Gratitude is fundamental in education, and one of the keys to encourage kindness in kids. It’s not only a kind gesture towards others: it also helps us appreciate when others are thankful to us.
Words like please and thank you are tools that will allow them to open many doors along the way. After all, who doesn’t enjoy hearing these polite words?
2. Solidarity
If we want to encourage kindness in kids, they need to learn how to share and help those in need. This means giving what we can, not just what have to spare.
3. Emotional intelligence
This is another important step to encourage kindness in kids. Assimilating, managing and knowing emotions is essential to build positive bonds and relationships. It benefits everyone involved, because it improves communication and values such as respect.
4. Collaboration
Generally speaking, kids are collaborative, which is crucial to developing kindness. They’re easily motivated, because participation gets them excited.
They like feeling involved, and their curiosity also encourages them. Because of this, they’re usually happy to help with tasks.
If we initiate them with house chores, they’ll slowly learn to be collaborative and responsible. This will help them view everyday chores as an activity to share, instead of a burden.
5. Questions and games
We must allow our children to explore the world, ask questions, get informed and grow up. It’s also important for them to be able to play, explore and satisfy their curiosity.
As parents, it’s our duty to accompany and guide our children, while looking after their well-being.
6. Patience
To encourage kindness in kids, we must teach them to be patient. This is one of the most difficult lessons that we’ll face as parents, but it’s key to try again and again.
A patient child will be able to listen to others without getting bored. Listening doesn’t mean agreeing or giving in to everything, though.
It’s all about waiting and assessing the situation, in order to find the right moment to speak up. This is a very rewarding quality to have.
7. Apologizing and accepting apologies
Teaching kids how to apologize is very important to encourage kindness. And we don’t mean simply saying the words.
It’s necessary to take a moment to analyze the conflict in a constructive manner. Then, we can reach out to the other person, apologize and move on.
Similarly, they have to know that apologizing can benefit them and make them feel relieved. Being able to accept their mistakes and the negative consequences they had on others allows them to start over again. If they can identify what they did wrong, next time the outcome will be positive for everyone.
Why is affection important?
Feeling valued, loved and appreciated by your loved ones is fundamental for a healthy development, both emotionally and psychologically.
In addition to these useful tips, we mustn’t forget to express affection and pride to our kids whenever necessary. This will put a smile on their faces, lighting up their world as well as ours.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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