5 Steps For Teaching Children Values
By Zacharias Allred
Teaching your children values will help them make good choices in their lives. Today’s world is ever changing and very fast paced. In years past children grew up in a small community or with just their families and their challenges were much different. As a parent your influence over your children has been diminished and so you need to try extra hard to instill good values in them.
1. What are your values? Teaching values to our children must start with our selves. This is a very critical step and only you can determine what your values are. You naturally want your children to have integrity and a good character. Your values determine what kind of car your drive, how you spend your time and how you spend your money.
2. Do you want your children patterning you? Your children will take on many of your values by watching you. When you see a value your child is developing does it make you feel uncomfortable? Is this a value you have that you do not like? Now is the time to change our values into what we want our children to adopt.
3. Ask yourself questions. If you found $1,000 what would you do with it? If you had a day where you could do anything you felt like what would it be? If you could choose to spend your weekend shopping or donating your time to a hotline what would you choose? The way you answer these question reveals some of your values. Are you happy with your answers?
4. Monthly family meeting. This can be over dinner, at a park or in your home. Focus on your children. Ask them how school is going and about their friends. Discuss your values with them and get their opinions.
5. One value each month. Each month focus on a single value. It can be anything from character building to goal setting. The important thing is that your children have the opportunity to tell you what they think of it. By doing this your children will feel like they are part of the process and will appreciate your willingness to hear different perspectives.
Teaching values to our children starts with our own values. First we need to understand what our values are. If we lack certain values or are unhappy with a current value then now is the time to change. Then set some time aside each month where you can meet with your children and discuss a different value each month with them.
Get a free e book on parenting by visiting Zacharias Allred’s web site on teaching children. You can also visit teaching children to pray to read other complimentary articles.
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2 Responses
Teaching children value is extremely important and the article you just posted is really helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Posted on March 15th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
My kids go to a school that requires a particular number of volunteer hours each year in middle school and high school. It has taught them that people need help, and that they can actually help them. My boys have done everything from tutoring to grounds keeping to helping with the cub scouts. They would not have done many of these things had they not been “required”.. they left feeling rewarded, and learned about values.
Posted on April 26th, 2009 at 7:58 am
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