Gone are the days when seeing a kid being rude and disrespectful towards elders was a rare sight. It could be because of the fast-paced, social media life that has made them impatient toward the elderly or probably living in a nuclear family which could’ve made them insensitive towards them. The reason could be any, but as parents, there are a few things that you can do about Life-skills to Teach Your Kids at an Early Age.
Start from the Beginning
Even though your child might be very young, it is important to instill kindness in them about others. You can start by talking to them about what kindness means and how it can be used to bring happiness to others. We all are born with mirror-neurons, which means that we all can mirror the experiences of others, leading us to feel empathy for others. This is exactly why your toddler starts crying as other toddlers bursts into tears. You can start articulating these experiences for them by saying, “You are crying because our friend got hurt, and you care about her.” Connecting their experiences with kindness and empathy is a stepping stone towards raising sensitive and compassionate individuals.
Lead the Good Behaviour
You might not realize this easily, but children do pick up a lot of their manners and behaviors from the adults in their lives. The most important step in how to teach kids to be kind to the elderly is by being a good role model for them. Set an example for them by interacting with the grandparents, parents, and other elders in the family and the society in a calm and polite manner. Help elders cross a road, help them with their groceries, or just wish them a good day every day you meet them and ask your kid to follow the suit. Soon enough they will start doing the same in your absence as well.
Explain the Value of Elders
If you will continue the ‘respect your elders because I said so’ attitude, the kid is not going to do so. In my opinion, I have seen that kids respond well to things if we explain the reasons behind them. Therefore, before simply telling them that they should be respecting elders, you must share the importance of having elders in their lives. Tell them how elders are valuable to us and society as they have much more experience and they can give better advice for any problem that we might face. You can ask the elders to share stories from their youth and give a perspective to the young kids. This would help the kids relate easily to them.
Promote Respect all the Times
Make sure you clarify your expectations from your children by telling them that they have to be respectful to elders at all times, there cannot be an exception to this rule. Even if they see someone else being rude to the elders, they are not to follow the suit. And if they ever slip and disrespect, do a follow-up on your words. Be firm but fair. If you won’t follow through on your words, your kid won’t take your words seriously.
Inspire Their Imagination
Teach them the importance of being kind to elders with the help of role-playing. Ask them how would they feel if someone was rude to grandma or if someone did not help grandpa cross the street? Imagining these hypothetical situations will help them understand the importance of helping and being kind to elders all the time. They would be willing to help and be kind to elders other than family and relatives as well.
Appreciate Their Good Deed
As important as it is to let them face the consequences when they slip, you must appreciate them as well when they showcase good behaviour. Positive reinforcements are a good way to inculcate good habits in children. When you see your kid being polite and courteous to an elder, be sure to tell them how proud you are of them.
Teach Them Good Manners
Teach them the importance of saying sorry and thank you regularly. You can include the kids in conversations with the wait-staff or salesperson and ask them to thank them for their services. This would help them understand that being polite and courteous should not only be extended only to their family and friends but to strangers as well. Teaching them good manners is an essential lesson in how to teach kids to be kind to the elderly.
Promote Time Spent with Elders
Elders love spending time with their grandchildren and young people whereas youngsters try to keep them at an arm’s length. Starting from their childhood, make sure you encourage your child to spend time with the trusted elders in the house. This would help them become comfortable in doing so when they grow up as well. For tweens and teens, include spending time with elders as family time. Make this mandatory if you have to. Create activities which everyone can enjoy like going on a picnic, spending time on the beach or going to a movie.
Conclusion
Inculcating any good habit of respecting elders in your children is not going to happen overnight. It is an ongoing process, and the results are better if this process is initiated from the early stages of childhood. Start by talking to them and being a good role model for them to follow the suit. Be courteous, polite, and helpful to every elder and ask them to do the same. With time, your child will grow into a youngster respecting elders.
Hope you found the article useful! Please leave your thoughts in the comments.
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