Teaching your preschooler kindness might seem like a small feat, but it is much more challenging than you might think. Although they are born with some sense of empathy, you must work with them to develop it. If not, you run the
Teaching your preschooler kindness might seem like a small feat, but it is much more challenging than you might think. Although they are born with some sense of empathy, you must work with them to develop it. If not, you run the risk of spending a lot of time at your child's preschool apologizing for his or her actions. To help you avoid this unfortunate consequence, here are a few tips you can use.
As a parent, you are your child's first teacher. You can use the influence you have with your child to guide him or her towards being a more empathetic person. Demonstrating kindness to him or her will encourage your child to emulate your behavior.
There are several ways you can demonstrate kindness, including speaking softly to your child and others. Your child picks up on your tone, and if you are harsh with him or her and others, he or she could choose to mimic your tone.
You also need to reject rudeness when it occurs. For instance, if your child snatches a toy from another child, correct his or her behavior and explain why it was wrong. After talking to your child, encourage him or her to apologize to the other child.
Share Kind Acts with the Family
Acknowledgement of your child's attempts at kindness can be encouraging to him or her. A good way to do this is to keep track of good deeds you spot your child doing throughout the week. You can create a chart or special book that is used for tracking the good deeds.
At the end of the week, you can choose a couple of the deeds from the book and share them with the family. Cheer on his or her week of kindness. For instance, chanting the "Good Job" song is a great way to make your child feel good and bolster his or her desire to keep up the good work.
Encourage Kindness at the Preschool
Kindness is not just something your child should be practicing at home. He or she should also be showing kindness at his or her preschool. There are several ways your child can show kindness, including writing a "thank you" note to the teacher.
You can also encourage your child to be helpful to his or her classmates. For instance, your child could create birthday cards for classmates. Talk to your child's preschool teacher for other ways to show kindness at school.
For more information, contact a professional in your area like those found at Kehoe-France Northshore.