Smart words. And as it turns out, kids are actually hardwired to be considerate and kind. The desire to help is innate, according to David Schonfeld MD, director of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. And their sense of doing good develops as they grow.
At first, children like to help others because it helps them get what they want. Next, they do so because they praise. And finally, they begin to anticipate the needs to others and it becomes rewarding to do nice things for people in their lives.
Bottom line: Kids want to help. And as parents, it's our job to nurture and guide a child's natural inclination to pitch in so it becomes a lifelong habit. It's important to be a good role model-children learn to be helpful from watching you. It's like leading by example.
So I came across these tips that we can try out as a mom to nudge our kid's helping gene.
- Make helping a family affair.
- Teach respect for the earth
- Perform small act of kindness
- Assign chores
- Don't criticize their effort
- Share the wealth
- Cheer up a stranger
- Recycle
- Lighten someones load
- Teach Teamwork
- Do Something that's above and beyond the call of duty
- Give Thanks
- Be a good neighbor
Subscribe to my blog
There might be a million written articles on how we should raise our kids, but the real thing is, it's up to us on how and if we should look back on how our parents taught us and if we should apply the same disciplinary approach to our kids. And remember, influences not only come from home but also from everyone around them. The best thing we can do is guide.
ReplyDelete