Kindness is not something that children seem to be born with. Some are naturally kinder than others, but most find it a struggle when dealing with siblings or classmates. It's a character trait that I myself have had to work on over the years and it's something that I find myself constantly working on with my children.
One way I chose to help them was by developing a nature based character unit that focused on kindness. Our Scripture focus was Proverbs 16:24 which says, "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” and our nature focus was on bees.
I loved incorporating crafts, recipes, science and suggested readings to go along with our devotional. I felt that doing this kept bringing us back to the topic and would help reiterate the character trait we were trying to develop.
In our home, when a child is struggling to be sweet with what comes out of their mouth, they’re not allowed to put anything sweet into their mouth for the rest of the day. Each time there’s an opportunity that day for them to have a treat, they will not be able to eat it. Hopefully this will remind them how important it is that we choose kind words when we are talking to others. I try to remind our children (and myself) that it’s not only important what we say but how we say it. I give my children the example of canoeing. If someone goes for a canoe ride, they need to alternate paddling on both sides of the canoe. Otherwise they won’t go much of anywhere except in a big circle! They must paddle on both sides in order to have a successful canoe trip. Our words are much the same way. We can say the right words but speak them in the wrong way. With God’s help we want to say the right words in the right way and when we do, our relationship with others will be much better.
How do you help develop kindness in your children?
Are you looking to improve your health in 2019? Then I'd love to have you join me in my private Facebook group called Bridging the Gap. Also, be sure to check out my "Bee Kind" and "Diligence" nature based character development units and my ebooks as well: A Wife's Guide to Studying Proverbs, Topical Devotions for Pregnancy and Early Potty Teaching. Or, if you're looking for a way to get 30 raw fruits and vegetables in your diet every day, contact me here.
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- My eBooks: A Wife's Guide to Studying Proverbs, Topical Devotions for Pregnancy and Early Potty Teaching
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