Kiddipedia
Knowing how to respect others is one of the most important skills a person can learn. If learned early, it can positively affect the development of a child, particularly in becoming a responsible individual who knows how to value the opinions and beliefs of other people.
Here are some simple tips on how to teach your children respect and help them get along well with other people.
- Respect your child. It’s as the age-old saying goes, lead by example. When you give your child respect, they learn what it means to give it. Stop and think before you speak. Model a kind of behavior that you expect from your child.
- Apologize if you screw up. There’s no such thing as perfect parents. Making mistakes is human. Apologize when you have made a mistake and identify when you weren’t acting respectfully so they can understand it was wrong.
- Teach basic social interaction skills. Please, excuse me and thank you can go a very long way.
- Cultural awareness. Teaching them how different cultures show respect gives them an introduction to being respectful to other cultures while showing it’s expected everywhere, not just in your house.
- Set realistic expectations. Tell your child what the expected respectful behaviour is in a particular situation or event. Reinforce or follow through whatever consequences you have for them when they have not met the expectations.
- Talk about what happened. If there was an instance where your child was rude or disrespectful, talk about it once they have calmed down. This is an opportunity for your child to see how they reacted from other people’s perspective. Make suggestions on how he could have reacted instead.
- Teach listening skills. Teach your kids how to listen properly like looking at the person they are talking to and not interrupting when someone is talking. Knowing how to listen demonstrates good manners and gives respect to the other person speaking.
- Encourage open-mindedness and celebrate diversity. This will help your kids when interacting with people different to them. Learning that people have differences is a good way for children to learn that people are not the same and that there are those whom you will get along with and others that you won’t, and regardless, you should always be respectful.
- Identify the cause of disrespect. Ask your child why they acted that way. Ask them to tell you what they are feeling. From there you could uproot the cause and find a solution for it together with your child.
- Expect disagreements. Sometimes children seem disrespectful but in reality, they only have a different opinion. Teach your child to express themselves properly and positively, and to ask questions rather than demand if they want something.
Teaching children respect may take time and effort, but it will all be worth it in the long (and short) run.
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