Growing a child as a model citizen may not be easy, but teaching your child kind deeds may help you along the way, just like the act of helpfulness, for it plays a vital aspect in your children's growth.
Consider looking at the many excellent ways on how to teach your kids to be a model citizen. You may start with showing them to gain helpfulness genuinely. They do such simple things, like placing toys back on the shelf from where they got them to collecting food to give out for your needy neighbors.
And for your kids to have a better life and others, you may start introducing them to grown-up works at an early stage.
Though you're teaching your kids to be a helper, they don't have to be grown-ups. In reality, we can't stop our kids from growing and becoming adults who want to make the world a better place; for them to do that, they should know how helping could help them too.
As what pediatric psychologist in Children's Health in Dallas, Hillary Kimbley, said "Helping others builds character, self-confidence, responsibility, selflessness, and altruism," and she added "Helping others strengthens awareness of others' needs and broadens one's view and understanding of their world and areas of need. Helping others teaches good citizenry. Helping others helps boost mood. Helping others helps kids build and refine personal skills."
Ways To Teach Your Kids To Be a Model Citizen
Let them know their strengths and play with them.
Parents should be there to help their children for them to understand their unique ways. In assisting them in understanding their strength, it can help them assist and adapt their desires to support whatever opportunities come in their way.
Identify the task that can help them develop themselves.
"In general, it is important to make sure helping tasks are developmentally appropriate," Kimberly mentioned.
There are also activities and tasks Kimberly recommended to toddlers and preschoolers. These are the activities that might be helpful for them in becoming model citizens. Activities include:
- Picking up their own or their friend's toys.
- Cleaning spills.
- Placing and arranging the books back on the shelf from where they got them.
- Only letting them help someone look for a lost pair of shoes.
Parents may also use reading books as playtime and have them be the characters as helping citizens.
Don't forget to praise and encourage them.
Parents should also be responsible for making sure that they understand when their kids try to initiate to support each other.
Express your appreciation to kids and, importantly, make them feel that their support and effort have made you feel good, especially if your child is helping you with many things. Also, have them tell you about their thoughts too.
Of course, be a model too.
Kimberly said, "Be a good role model," and added, "Kids are always watching! The more that kids observe a caregiver helping, the more likely they are to imitate that behavior."
Parents can easily make it normal to be model citizens for their kids. The child should see that you're a helper is to go to your community and help them as a community. Apart from seeing you as a good citizen, you are also making them feel how good it is to be a model citizen.
