Growth & Skill Development
How to instill ethics
Raising a moral child involves far more than simply correcting misbehavior and encouraging positive actions. Morality includes fostering an inner conviction, the habit of doing the right thing whether or not anyone else is watching.
Work on incorporating your values into your style of parenting. These ideas can reinforce your own actions:
- Love your child unconditionally. Your child needs to know she’s good and worthy of your love—even if she’s just spilled grape juice all over the carpet or can’t kick a ball as well as other kids.
- Teach your child to value herself. When she accepts that she’s important, she knows her actions impact others.
- Give her a meaningful role in the family. Involve your child in household chores, helping her see her responsibility in keeping the family running smoothly.
- Stress learning. From the first day of preschool, instill in your child the idea that one of her jobs is to do her best in school.
- Contribute to the community. Encourage your child to share toys or food as a way of offering what she has to others.
- Don’t regularly let your child bypass responsibilities. For example, don’t let her sleep late on a soccer practice day when her teammates are depending on her to show up.
- Teach and encourage empathy. Show your child how her actions affect others’ feelings. Saying something like, "I know you want Jake’s toy, but it makes him sad when you take it without asking first," teaches her to be alert to how her actions affect others.
- Set limits on behavior. Respond consistently when your child misbehaves, setting clear rules and following through on consequences. A toddler who tosses sand at the playground can understand the consequences of her actions if you take her home—despite her protests.
- Talk about what matters. Take time to talk about why you work hard, why taking care of your family matters to you, and about moral decisions you’ve had to make.
