It’s important for parents to remember that our kids are always watching us, modeling our behaviors and hearing the words we choose. We need to lead by example. Here are a few ways to do just that.
Gather Items to Donate
Help your kids sort through their toys and games and decide what items they have outgrown and donate them to Goodwill or another donation site. You can also donate older books to your local library.
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Teach Them Respect
Teaching our kids how to be kind and respectful doesn’t need to be a daunting task.
I’ve found the best way to reinforce the manners we introduce at home is to practice when we are out and about in public. That’s when I encourage my kids to practice their manners.
- Encourage them to say “Bless You” after hearing someone sneeze.
- In a restaurant situation, have your child place their own food order and when the food is delivered, have them thank the server.
- Have your child a door open for someone.
- Encourage your child to make eye contact with someone and say Hello. This simple gesture goes a long way and might just make someone’s day.
- If someone drops an item close by, have your child pick it up and return it.
For more ideas, checkout this downloadable Kindness Calendar.
Tell Me Something Good
Many radio shows including the Bobby Bones Show feature Tell Me Something Good segments. Even our local KWTX News strives to share good news. Good news is definitely out there, you just need to know where to look.
Podcast Suggestion
I was recently listening to the 4 Things With Amy Brown podcast and she mentioned the Starfish Story, and it’s quite fitting to share here. The story stresses that little gestures really do a make a big difference. I hope you find Amy’s words as uplifting and relatable as I do.
Long-Term Results
No matter how young our kids are, we should encourage them to strive to do good. The ultimate result is that our children will develop servant-driven hearts as young adults and continue to do good deeds throughout their lives, even when no one is looking.
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Avery has worked as an assistant professor in the Communication and Media Studies Department at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor since 2005. She is the Program Coordinator for the PR degree and oversees student internships. She earned her Accreditation in PR (APR) in 2015. She teaches classes in journalism, editing, public relations and social media. Avery also serves as a Subject-Matter-Expert in communication for UMHB’s myWay program. She earned an MA degree in Mass Communication at Texas State University and a BS degree in Journalism/Speech Communication from Texas A&M University. Avery and her husband Chad have two beautiful girls, Anya and Elise. When she is not teaching or chauffeuring kiddos to and from activities, she enjoys traveling.
