Raising well-rounded successful kids is every parent’s dream. You want to make sure that after all is said and done, that your children are well-heeled members of the society who play fair and live in peace and harmony with others.
But achieving this requires a lot of work. And kids being who they are, they’ll test you –even resist your teachings- but you have to be consistent and determined to help make them better.
Whatever you do, make sure that you don’t give up on your kids –even when they don’t make it easy for you. That being said, here are a few tips to help you raise good kids.
Ensure There’s a Solid Support System
Children thrive very well in very supportive environments. Whatever you do, make sure that the home front is very stable, so that the kids can always feel like they can always come back home, no matter what.
This is why a home that’s fraught with disagreements and fights tend to breed dysfunctional children. But when there’s abundant affection, support, and stability, children tend to blossom in those environments, and grow up to become stable and responsible members of society.
Teach Them to Share
This is important when you have more than one child in the household. Some kids are natural givers, others, not so much. For the natural givers, there’s nothing to teach in this regard.
But for the less giving kids, you need to teach them how to share and show them that sharing is a good thing. For instance, if you just bought a gift for your little one, and he/she is unwilling to let their older sibling play with it, let that child know that it’s okay to do that.
Sometimes, the child’s reluctance to share things may stem from the fear that they’ll lose them. A good way to tackle this is to put a time limit on the use of the toy by the other kid. This will help the child trust that they aren’t really losing their toy.
Pay Attention to Learning Styles
Kids learn differently. Some are visual learners, some prefer texts, and some learn best when both texts and visual aids are combined. Then, there’s the matter of subject preference and academic strengths.
Some kids have a natural flair for math-based subjects, while others prefer the arts, stacking stuff, or interesting games. The good news is that kids can be taught to be great at both with good teaching skills and encouragement.
This is why educators often say that there are no bad students. That the problem often lies with the teachers. So, look at and study each child’s learning preferences. Then, teach them accordingly.
Allow Them Make Mistakes
As an adult, you know that mistakes are a natural part of the growing process –and a key part of life even. But children don’t know that. Most kids are born with a natural sense of curiosity which causes them to try new things.
Some of the things they’ll try will probably hurt them. Just make sure that there’s a limit to the things they want to try. This is where you’ll need to find a balance between preventing or stopping them from doing certain things, and allowing them make the mistakes, and then use those as teachable moments. It’s no easy feat, but it can be done.
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