Encourage Good Character
I can’t imagine a life without being encouraged! Encouraged to try harder. Encouraged to make new friends. Encouraged to have healthy habits, etc. How does that happen though? As a parent, we encourage our children in different ways and on various topics. As adults we even encourage our family, friends, co-workers and teams we’re involved in! I’ve given out Certificates of Achievements to grown ups I know and it actually made their day! We know that it makes a child’s day, too. Like getting a sticker on your chart, or other reward systems. Some of you may not believe in rewarding a child for good behaviors, etc. That’s okay. I hope you encourage them though in every sense of the way!
Here at Characters of Character we created a Certificate of Achievement for each of our character traits:
Behavior Bear who teaches a child good behaviors.
Do’er Duck who teaches a child to never give up.
Friendship Frog who teaches a child that friends are honest.
Healthy Hippo who teaches a child to have healthy habits.
Manners Monkey who teaches a child to use polite words and actions.
Respectful Rabbit who teaches a child to be respectful of one self and others.
Responsible Rabbit who teaches a child to be responsible of their words and actions.
Self-Esteem Elephant who teaches a child to be confident in who they are.
Warm-Hearted Walrus who teaches a child to be kind and not be a bully.
I’d encourage you to discuss the trait with your child. Allow them to ask questions. Be clear, for example, when you say to a child; “Behave” what does that mean? Talk about your expectations with your child. Ask them about theirs! Involve them in the learning process and the journey will become much smoother. As Benjamin Franklin spoke the words below, which could not be more true:
TELL me and I forget, TEACH me and I remember, INVOLVE me and I learn.
When we use encouragement, positive reinforcements and sticker charts, a child truly does internalize them. They want to feel good about themselves and they want you to be proud of them. As a child grows, they will learn the importance of making themself feel proud of who they are, their accomplishments and ways to improve their character. Let’s give them a strong foundation.
I recently did a blog called Travel Pal. I encourage you to visit this blog and do these activities with your child! They will use their imagination, build better communication skills, learn more social and emotional skills, build their literacy and find things to do that will support their learning in the journey of life. They can take their Travel Pal with them to the park, doing chores and going on adventures! Be sure to keep paper and writing tools available to encourage your child to do this! Make a Travel Journal and talk about it with your child and learn what they explored, what they discovered and what they want to know more about! Encourage them!