When a child is taught about characteristics while they are growing up you are helping them to develop emotionally and intellectually while they are physically developing.
As you teach your child about characteristics, like everything else it is essential that you are consistent in educating them so that they learn what characteristics are, and what character building means in their everyday life. Self development happens through self education based on our individual, unique experiences in life.
Although character building is something you have heard of before and you tell yourself ?oh well, it?s character building? when you are going through challenging times or trying to make someone else who is going through a challenging time feel better, have you ever put much thought into how you help your child build their character?
Do children really need personal development?
Yes! How do you think it would impact your child?s life, and your own, if children were mindful of just one characteristic each week of their life until they went to high school? Mahatma Gandi said ?If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.? Nelson Mandela stated that ?Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.?
Education is the key to creating peace in this world ? it just makes total sense to start with the children. So what exactly do we need to educating our children about? Positive character qualities! By recognising and acknowledging other people in an authentic way they feel as if they belong and are part of the bigger plan of life.
Self education
As children grow they, like us, come across problems with people and situations. By guiding them to be mindful of the characteristcs and think about how their behaviour impacts their own lives and the lives of their friends and families we are helping them to educate themselves with a bit of guidance from well-meaning role models.
Imagine a child being taught about confidence or responsibility and having an understanding of how to apply it and when to apply it in their lives. Helping a child develop the confidence to do something they are anxious about builds their self confidence and awareness so that they are able to handle whatever situation they find themselves in and learn from the experience.
Knowledge is power
Knowledge is power and education is the key to that power. Today?s children are tomorrow?s community members. Can you imagine if a child develops and understanding of characteristics ? kindness, caring, compassion, respect, self-discipline, cooperation, tolerance, courage, mindfulness ? and so many more ? what impact it would have on not only their lives but society as a whole?
Problems in today?s society
If a child grows up being taught to be respectful of others and what it looks like it would reduce the high level of bullying in our school grounds. If children are taught to be respectful of each other and towards the opposite sex, and importantly that they should also be treated with respect do you think it would have an impact on domestic violence in their later years? Would they have the courage and confidence to speak up when they needed to? Would they recognise and stop abusive behaviour happening to them sooner? Do you think there would be as many suicides or mental health issues if children grew up recognising their own positive characteristics and were taught to recognise the good in others also? What would change in our world if we educated children from scratch about the importance of focussing on a characteristic a week?