Courage is often associated with recklessness and physical danger. But there are many other situations that require courage, such as standing up to peer pressure, intervening in a bullying situation, talking to someone about personal struggles, or admitting wrongdoing.
Having courage doesn’t mean that we aren’t scared. It means being scared and doing something anyway. Children can be taught that being courageous means:
- They recognize when an action is right or wrong, even if everyone else is doing it.
- They don’t stand by and watch when someone needs help. They do what they can to help.
- They are kind and show others that they care.
- They keep moving forward, even if it is not easy and all they can do is take one step at a time.
To become brave, children need to learn to tolerate feeling scared and not let fear hold them back. Feeling scared is often a sign that kids are doing something new or challenging. If they wait until they don’t feel scared before they start, they may never get there. They could miss out on fun experiences and important learning opportunities.
There are some ways that parents can help their children to be more courageous, as this does not always come naturally and can be difficult in certain situations. Here are a few tips:
- Lead by example: Be open about your own fears and anxiety, then show your children how you work through those fears to accomplish what you set out to do.
- Teach honesty: While you’re demonstrating bravery, make sure that you are also demonstrating that it’s okay to be scared or nervous.
- Find strong role models: Point out plenty of strong role models who are exhibiting courageousness to children. These could be real people or characters in books ,or even in movies.
- Role-play: Practice different scenarios with your child in which courageousness would be needed. Practice what to do in response to scary or anxiety-inducing situations.
- Explain courage the right way: There are many different ways to have and show courage. Be sure children understand that there isn’t just one way to exhibit courage.
Let’s Practice Courageousness!
- Courage to Be Me: Ask children to write or draw about something they would do if they were not afraid of being judged by others. Provide some examples, like wearing different clothes, trying a new sport, singing in front of others, or listening to different music.
- Courage Jar: Write several names of courageous people in history (examples: Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony, etc.) on slips of paper or popsicle sticks and put them in a jar. Once a week, set aside a special time to take one name out and learn about that person and how they showed courage.
- One Thing Each Day: Eleanor Roosevelt, the former First Lady of the United States, said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Family members could each do one thing each day that scares them and talk about these together at the end of the day. Set some rules, such as safety, positive choices, etc.
- Read a Book: Read books with children about characters who exhibit courageousness. Discuss how they did this. Some examples are:
- A Little SPOT of Courage: A Story About Being Brave by Diane Alber
- Be Brave Little Penguin by Giles Andreae
- Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
- Say Something by Peggy Moss
- Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden
- Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull
- The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
