How to teach Principles & Values to kids
In his influential book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey outlined the difference between principles and values. In Covey’s view, principles are rules or laws that are permanent, unchanging, and universal in nature. Values are internal and subjective, and they may change over time.
For Covey, Principles are self-evident and — as part of most traditions and philosophies over the ages — they’ve been woven into the fabric of societies throughout human history. They often concern human behavior and govern interactions between people. Principles represent an objective reality that transcends cultures and individuals. For example, Covey cites various principles, including fairness, integrity, and honesty. He declared, “A principle is a natural law like gravity. If you drop something, gravity controls. If I don’t tell you the truth, you won’t trust me; that’s a natural law.” There are certain principles that transcend cultural differences and do not change over time. They determine the ultimate outcomes or consequences of behavior and actions, as much as gravity determines that something will fall when dropped.
In contrast, Values are beliefs and opinions that people hold regarding specific issues or ideas and are ultimately internal, subjective, and malleable. They may change as demands or needs change. If a given belief or opinion is something that might be altered if the conditions are right, then it’s a value. Values are important in expressing our individual beliefs and opinions, and they can be used tactically to accomplish certain objectives based on our current circumstances, demands, and needs. Values can ultimately reflect or determine the current but potentially alterable goals that we have in our professional, family, and personal life.
If you’re looking to create a timeless sense of purpose and to shape the overall mission of your life, then you should use principles. Establishing a set of principles creates a compass to which you can refer whenever something is in doubt or you need to take a stand or evaluate any particular opportunity, behavior, or situation.
The time to start teaching your children about principles is earlier than you expect. By the age of two or three, kids have the capacity to understand simple moral ideas. We all want our kids to become kind, compassionate, and respectful, but communicating such principles during early childhood can feel discouraging. Child development expert Dawn Rundman, Ph.D., says understanding your child’s developmental stage and character is vital to passing on morals. Children absorb their environments like little sponges. This keen sense of observation is working from day one of your baby’s life.
Here are a few tips to teach your kids the art of respect, responsibility, kindness, and caring for others.
Use stories to Teach Children about Morals:
The method of storytelling has been around for thousands of years: it’s one of the great things that make us humans. Science says fairy tales help your kids understand great messages but in an easy-expendable way, even though an unconscious process. Literary heroes are just another form of role model your child can rely on. They provide a good moral compass.
If your kids are a bit older, you can turn to inspirational biographies and encourage them to seek role models outside of the circle of modern pop stars and celebrities who don’t really set good examples.
Inspire Them to Help Around:
The best way to nurture a compassionate child is to show them good practice and inspire them to help. According to your child’s age, you can assign him or her appropriate responsibilities.
Contributing to chores helps with increasing independence. Children proud feeling capable even if it’s the simplest of tasks we’re talking about, such as feeding the dog, fluffing the pillows, or setting the table. According to the Harvard Study of Adult Development, taking part in-home care is one of the ways to become happier and healthier: humans have an inborn instinct for helping others and the study showed that building close relationships is the key to happiness.
By letting your kid help, you are actually letting them absorb the importance of providing support to a person in need and you are giving them a chance to feel good about themselves and can induce future good things. Don’t reward the beginning efforts with pennies, your child may get the wrong idea and expect substantial benefits for every good action in the future.
Teach Children to Respect Others:
Encouraging respect for others is one of the greatest things your child needs to learn. Here, it is important to be a great role model and help your child pick up a few things from your own personal behavior. This includes how you treat your spouse and parents, as well as other family members.
As a parent, you have to be fully aware that your child learns and observes everything you do. This is why you need to control your actions. Avoid showing your anger and frustration through yelling or violent actions, and encourage healthy and confident communication. It is necessary to help your child develop interpersonal skills.
Teach kids to be honest:
Talk to your children about how much you worth honesty in your family. Discuss with them the importance of telling the truth even when it is difficult. If there's a lack of honesty between parents and children, there will be a lack of trust or closeness in your family either. Let them know that you put more emphasis on their honesty than on the punishment for their dishonest behavior. Reward your kid for their honesty by ignoring their small mistakes this will encourage them to speak the truth and be honest.
It takes a lot of courage to tell the truth-for anyone-at any age. It doesn't always come obviously, so it's a parent's responsibility to teach a child to be brave enough to face the situation and support your kid in that situation. Like many other principles you'd like your kids to have, this one depends a lot on you.
White canvas preschool provides the right people, culture, and principles to our tiny tots to help them to accomplish great things.
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