Learn about the importance of leading by example and how it can shape your children’s future. Get practical tips on how you can help develop strong values in your kids.
Whether you’re a teacher or parent, you know that great role models are essential to teaching children morals, empathy, and critical thinking. Your everyday activities, whether recycling or using positive conflict resolution skills, show the children in your care how to act in similar situations; they greatly impact growing up to be healthy, confident, and kind.
With so many different ways to teach kids how to grow up right, it can be difficult to discern the most important ways to pass good values onto children, especially in a world that is full of distractions and temptations. However, these are some of the best ways to show those in your care what it means to be a good person, helping to walk the walk and talk the talk that will mold an impressionable child’s mind into the best version of themselves.
Good Samaritanism: Online CPR Recertification
We all want to believe that we would be one of the helpers in an emergency situation, but we can only do so if we learn the skills necessary to assist. In addition, you have a hectic life, and it’s hard to find in-person first aid courses that are convenient and accessible.
You may have taken a CPR course many years ago, perhaps in your own high school years, but failed to stay up-to-date with the recent developments in first aid. Your CPR certification may have expired, and you haven’t had the time to brush up on these important skills. Thankfully, it’s easier than ever to receive CPR recertification training through convenient, online courses you can take on your own time and at your own pace.
Getting first aid training doesn’t just help you care for children in your care should they ever need help; it also teaches that helping other people matters, something we all want to impart to those we love.
Environmental Consciousness: Local Activism
There’s no denying climate change, not with the many frightening events taking place across the globe, such as the Canadian wildfires. These stories can be incredibly scary to children, especially as they feel helpless to take action and worry about their future.
UNICEF has helpful tips for speaking to children about climate change; one of the best ones available is to lead by example and get involved with a local environmental advocacy group. Not only can things like watershed cleanups be a great way to bond with your child, but they also show that even the smallest actions can make a big difference and that children can impact the future through caring for the environment.
You don’t need to join a protest to make a difference: those quiet and less ostentatious actions, like installing solar panels on your home, or recycling as much as possible, will help improve the local environment. They also demonstrate your commitment to creating a better and healthier future for the ones you love.
Curiosity and Intellectualism: Continuing Education
We want our kids to see education not as a chore but as a way to expand their boundaries and explore all the amazing things the world offers. The best way to do this is by showing that you are committed to consistent personal growth through continuing education, no matter the field.
Teachers, especially, can impart a love of learning by constantly nurturing their fascination with the wide expanses of knowledge available to everyone. This enthusiasm will rub off on your charges, helping them see schooling not just as a sentence to be endured until high school graduation, but as a lifelong project undertaken with love.
Additionally, many parents and educators feel a sense of stagnancy; their lives are focused on caring for others, and they may not be able to nourish their own needs and self-growth amongst all the humdrum chaos that comes with raising children. Continuing education is a way to connect with who you truly are and learn what you really love, and this shows little ones how important it is to work on personal growth throughout your life. It can also be a way to recharge your batteries and focus on yourself for a little while, which can be incredibly therapeutic.
In Conclusion
Raising or teaching children is difficult because it’s so important: it needs to be undertaken with attention and care. The best way to do so is to lead by example rather than simply preach to kids about what they value; those small moments outside of the classroom matter, and they often stick with children the most as they grow.
By finding ways to actively demonstrate the person you want your kids to be, you can help reinforce the values you’d like them to have, fostering a constant commitment to self-improvement, civic participation, and appreciation for the natural world.
