When it comes to teaching children about the many core values found in life development we should look to being respectful. It’s important that your child becomes aware of this core value from a young age, and you can easily provide lessons to your child to help them learn about it over time. Many schools, especially Kensington schools, will explore the benefits respect brings to children, which is why it’s so important to teach our kids about it.
Here are some ways you can raise a respectful child in your home.
Show your child examples of what is not respectful
Phrases like “why are you not listening?” or “how could you be so silly?” are things people say when they are not respectful. If you catch yourself saying these things then it’s important to address this first.
From there, if your child is saying the same things back to you, then you can say how disrespectful it is to do so. Similarly, if you spot this happening in public you can show your child how it can impact others and what to say instead.
Provide examples of respectful language
Now that your child is aware of what it means to not be respectful, you can flip this on its head and explore respectful phrases. You can’t teach your child to be respectful if you don’t replicate it at home, so be sure to incorporate a lot of respectful phrases into your day. Show your child how to be respectful through the phrases you regularly say.
Examples of respectful phrases include offering your child their opinion on something important, like “what do you think of this?” Giving your child the floor when it comes to different opinions is a great mark of respect. Please and thank yous also go a long way to helping your child understand respect.
Provide space for open-ended conversations
Having that space to talk freely will help your child work on their understanding of respect, compassion and other core values. This should be a free space for your child to ask you any questions they might have, or they have a question for you that may help them understand something they’ve spotted.
Show that you are proud of your child
This comes into modelling that good persona in front of your child. If they know that you are proud of them no matter what they do, they’re going to exude a lot of confidence as a result. It can also help build a great relationship with your child too, which will show your child how respect can be earned both ways.
If you have any thoughts on how to raise a respectful child we’d love to hear them.
*Collaborative post
About Debz Louise
Debz Louise is a UK-based lifestyle expert and the founder of several lifestyle blogs. Specialising in everything from interior design and home renovation to body-positive fashion and parenting, Debz brings a wealth of hands-on experience to every guide. Her mission at Stereotude is to simplify the modern world for her readers through expert curation and fiercely honest advice.