Halloween and Good Character
It’s that time of the year again! Halloween! The kids dress up in their favorite costume and go Trick-or-Treating. Knocking on neighborhood doors with their candy bag in hand. Schools have classroom parties and lots of activities for the children to do, it’s a fun filled day for sure! But, in the midst of the chaos, do you hear a ‘thank you’ or do you see any acts of kindness? For sure we do! How long will it last though? It is important to give your child a firm foundation on which they will grow on, learn from and experience the joy of having confidence in the choices they make. Character helps build coping skills, it helps build confidence, it builds honest friendships, it is a life long journey and to teach a child at a young age is critical. I’m not saying that one can never be of good character later on in life, however, when we use polite words daily, when our behaviors are in control we tend to make a habit of them. How do we teach children to have good character? After all, they’re not born with them! You don’t have to think to long or hard on this because it’s the daily things we say and do that will stick to our children and form who they become. What can you do?
Be a role model for your child. Use polite words. Perform acts of kindness. They are listening to you and watching what you do. They most likely want to be just like you.
Be a good listener. Our children have thoughts, they have things on their mind. While they may seem petty to you, they are huge to them. Listen to them, have open communications with them. Make them feel safe and comfortable coming to you with questions or concerns. Build trust.
Don’t preach to them, or don’t knock down their thoughts or ideas. Encourage your children. Not if, but, when they fail, encourage them to try again. Hopefully they see you do the same. Praise and encouragement go a long way in this life, plus it builds confidence and self-esteem.
If your child finds it difficult to communicate with you, ask them to write things down. First, it gets it off their chest. Second, they build their communication skills and they will open up to you when they’re ready. They’re not always ready to open up when you are. Sometimes they need to process a situation. But, if you’re in tune to their demeanor you’ll pick up that something is bothering them. Ask them if they want to talk about it. If not, ask them to write it down.
I’ve had the honor to raise three amazing adults and when they were younger and couldn’t find the words to tell me, I asked them to write them down. Today, they are all great communicators, problem solvers, and entrepreneurs doing what they love to do.
Make learning FUN! I designed some fun wide ruled composition notebooks for Halloween, for Back to School, Howdy Partner and in a Superhero design! There is a character message on the back of each one of these for a reminder to be of good character. For the Halloween ‘season’ we’ve also created coloring pages with each character. Use these as a coloring page, a Journal cover, a sticker chart and a fun way to introduce to your children the Characters of Character. Have you met them all? Allow me to introduce to you the following traits and watch your children relate to them, want to model them and become a part of your daily language! Click the trait for a Halloween print out to use! Plus, WAIT, THERE’S MORE!! Halloween Tee shirts, and Raglan Baseball style, too! Adult, youth and children’s sizes available!
Behavior Bear teaches children that good behavior is a characteristic to portray at home, at school, and at play. Be a role model, use good behavior each and everyday.
Do’er Duck teaches children about perseverance and what it means to never give up. Do’er Duck also assists in instilling why it’s an important character trait to carry on in life and knowing the difference between when it’s okay to walk away and when you could continue striving.
Friendship Frog teaches children what a healthy friendship looks like, how to be a good friend to others, and why having friendships is so important in life.
Healthy Hippo teaches children that having a healthy mind is also important when it comes to maintaining healthy habits.
Manners Monkey teaches children what being polite means and how to display good manners in every situation from home to play, and everywhere in between.
Respectful Rabbit teaches children what it means to show respect to people, places, and things. Respectful Rabbit reminds everyone that respect is earned - and why it’s such an important character trait in our every day lives.
Responsible Rabbit teaches children what being responsible means and that we are each responsible for our own actions and behaviors. Responsible Rabbit also reminds children that they are responsible for cleaning their own room, their own attitude, and why being responsible for our things and actions is so important.
Self-Esteem Elephant teaches children to like who they are and be proud of the person they are becoming. Self-Esteem Elephant encourages children to be confident with the decisions they make - including their own behavior.
Warm-Hearted Walrus teaches children to be kind, compassionate, and warmhearted. Warm-Hearted Walrus helps children understand and internalize what being kind truly means and how they can make the world a kinder place.
TELL me and I forget. TEACH me and I remember. INVOLVE me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin
Did you know that Characters of Character NFP also has a Freebee Friday Newsletter where we share print outs for you to use and reinforce or teach the values we believe in? We do! Subscribe today for yours!