How to Teach Your Child to Be a Good Person

How to Teach Your Child to Be a Good Person
María Alejandra Castro Arbeláez

Reviewed and approved by the psychologist María Alejandra Castro Arbeláez.

Last update: 27 December, 2022

Today, more than ever, the world needs good human beings that cultivate a better environment. As parents, it’s our job to raise our child to be a good person.

The most important lifelong lesson you can give your child is to have good manners, values and integrity.

Your children have the potential to make the world a more pleasant place, and they need you in order to achieve this. Guide and teach them how to be responsible and keep their lives under control.

The most valuable title you can get in this life is that of a Good Person. Universities don’t grant this title; only your values can.

The keys to teaching your child to be a good person

Change yourself

If there is something in your children’s behavior that you want to improve, start by changing yourself and setting the example.

If you despair or irritate easily, it’s very difficult to ask children to be patient and calm. To achieve a positive attitude in your children, first you have to improve your own attitude.

Teach them the importance of exercise

Health has a very close relationship with one’s state of mind, and that’s why it’s important to take care of it.

A sedentary lifestyle leads people to have physical and emotional problems. Every cell of the body needs oxygen, and the way to obtain it is through exercise.

Exercise is also important to keep us energized and in a good mood. In this sense, playing sports or simply walking outside for at least 30 minutes allows toxins and tensions to release.

Encourage your child to find something that interests him

In addition to school subjects, invite your child to participate in an extra-curricular activity.

Of course, you shouldn’t fill up his schedule with activities. Extremes are harmful. However, an extra-curricular activity can be beneficial to clear one’s mind.

Arts, sports and science can help your child develop various life skills.

Allow your children to try different hobbies and identify which ones they really love. An activity that is enjoyable helps to forge discipline and promotes better mental health.

Show them the importance of cooperating

Activities in which children must share with their peers and with older people help teach them how to live together and understand the importance of being supportive, proactive and good.

Through socializing and developing their independence, they’ll become more tolerant and learn to respect differences in others. Another aspect that will develop in children is the ability to value and enjoy teamwork.

How to Teach Your Child to Be a Good Person

Teach them to always say “please” and “thank you”

From the first years of life, children must learn the importance of these expressions of gratitude and appreciation. The ability to recognize each other as equal will help them become a good person and practice empathy.

In addition to these basic words, teach your children other forms of honest courtesy that will help them develop better in society and feel better about themselves.

Help them establish healthy social relationships

One way to help your child become smart, confident and tolerant is to allow him to socialize frequently. At home, you must be a model of the type of interpersonal relationships you want your child to have.

Let him start building social ties with other people and tell him how he can improve in this aspect.

It will be useless to isolate him to protect him from the problems that arise during interactions. On the contrary, you must give him the tools he needs to socialize assertively. 

Emphasize the importance of hygiene and personal care

The starting point to being a good person is to learn to take care of yourself. This means taking care of your health, visiting the doctor when necessary and staying clean.

From the first stage of your child’s childhood, tell him that he should practice basic measures of personal hygiene.

Start by teaching him how to wash his hands and brush his teeth. Then you can introduce more complex habits.

Teach a love of nature

With the planet’s environmental crisis, it’s essential for children to have a lifestyle that is environmentally-friendly.

Motivate them to recycle, to care about water and to interact with the environment in a healthy way. Show them they can be part of the change that humanity needs.

How to Teach Your Child to Be a Good Person

Help them have real connections

With the invasion of technology in daily life, it’s sometimes difficult to have genuine human connections.

Day by day, remind them of the importance of giving and receiving physical affection, and of valuing other people as individuals.

Being a good person is a formative process that requires dedication on the part of the parents. However, every effort will be worth it when you see that your children make their world a better place.

The world needs well-educated people, both academically and ethically, to improve co-existence and make the world a more liveable place.

 

 


This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.