All parents want their kid to grow into compassionate and responsible person . Every parent has been in a situation of embarrassment when they have witness their kid being anything but kind . In times like these , where being kind , humble and faithful to oneself is looked down on by kids, it is important to teach them young starting with preschool education. Because as it is rightly said , childhood is a series of lessons and learning to be kind is one such step in the long journey .
Kids are curious beings. They often end up questioning the hypocrisy of adults when they see a difference between what is being said and what is being done. Being kind holds the same moral values in every society and religion, and thus the reason for being such a point of focus for parents.
Here, we have listed the top 10 ways by which you can teach kindness to preschoolers :
• IT ALL BEGINS FROM HOME: Kids learn the most from their family and parents.
As an obvious step, it is important to be considerate, kind and helpful within the family.
Kindness can also be inculcated in the way parents react to their child’s mistakes.
Even when you are angry or frustrated, try to kindly convey that to your child.
• TELL THEM A STORY !: Kids tend to learn a lot from the kind of stories or cartoons they watch.
Keeping in check the kind of content they are being delivered can prove to be the right step in teaching them kindness.
Encouraging stories with meaningful morals in their preschool learning will also be beneficial.
To make it more engaging for your child, you can enact like the characters as well. Not only will they enjoy this better, but they will also actively participate too.
• HUMANS FIRST: Kids have the most gullible mind that can be shaped in any way, good or bad.
They should be encouraged to treat others as their equals. Discriminating between people on their caste, religion, colour or profession should be discouraged. They should be taught to respect everyone.
As they tend to do what they see, this too should be practised by elders, to set the right examples.
• BECAUSE SHARING IS CARING: Children often are very possessive of their things. Upon being touched or taken by others, they end up throwing a fit of tantrums or outright being rude. They can be taught to share at home and in their playschools. Normalize sharing their toys or things with their friends.
In school, teachers can play games where the main theme is to help their partner in need. This exercise proves to be beneficial to teach them all the while making sure they are actively being a part of the activity, thus enabling learning too.
• BE EMPHATIC: Kids can be pretty harsh critics sometimes without knowing the hurt they are going to cause to the other person.
To prevent this, it is important to remind them to be mindful before they speak. Young children need reminders about trying to put themselves in someone else’s shoes.
They can be asked to think before speaking and take some time to think about how would they feel if someone said it to them.
Teaching empathy is an extremely important part of teaching kindness to pre-nursery kids.
• SMILE FOR ME ?: A kind smile never goes to waste. Getting your children in the habit of being friendly is a good step towards teaching them kindness.
A polite thank you at the supermarket or to the waiter serving you or to the vendor selling you fruits, goes a long way.
Speaking politely is an important part of raising kind children. And since parents live with their kids only, they” ll have pleasant individuals at home.
• SUPPORT SYSTEM: As adults, it is important to be their support when they need it.
Losing a game might not mean much to you but your kid will take it to heart. In such moments, it is important to understand them and be there for them.
If they get the necessary support, they learn to do that for their friends as well.
• FEELING NICE: When you teach your preschooler to be kind, they change their perspective on the world. Not only do they feel good about themselves due to their little acts of kindness, but they also look at the world with a more positive approach. They will grow up as happy and loving individuals who not only keep their mood happy but also of others around them.
• DON’T SPOIL: Sometimes, even though a child is kind and compassionate, they are also a brat.
It is important to not spoil your kids. They should know that their parents can not buy everything they want.
Teach your kid to be patient and have some self-control.
Even though preschoolers can not grasp this concept very well, it’s the small efforts that’ll yield results.
Teach your children to be charitable.
• REWARD IT: Teaching them to be kind and compassionate is not an easy road.
To make it easier, notice their acts of kindness and praise them.
Reward them when they do something nice. Make sure you do not make it into a habit but encourage them at every step.
This will make them do better every time they have an opportunity.
These are some of the tips that can prove to be useful.
Preschools near me have adopted several of these methods and have realized the positive response it gives.
Next time you are confused as to what to do, here you have your guide!
