Five Fun Activities That Will Encourage Your Child’s Positive Character Development

When asked what they want most for their child, many parents would include happiness in their answer. The problem is, my finding is that the majority of parents don’t know what true happiness means, or how to give it to their children or themselves. The following article gives five applicable steps to let both parent and child begin to learn what it means to be happy. It’s called character development.

The study of living full, satisfying lives has its roots in the writings of Aristotle and Socrates, and even extends into the modern world with self-help masters Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer. Religion is an option for some; the teachings of most varying faiths provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment for its followers. The teachings usually impart wisdom that is intended to be used to improve your viewpoint on life, and through skillful use of the strategies they impart on you, you can find yourself able to shape your life into a desirable one.

In addition to religion, your local bookstore likely contains several self-help books that provide useful tips on how to be successful and happy; most households likely contain one of these tomes, though 80% of Americans don’t get around to reading them.

While these self-help books were written for adults, their strategies remain unimplemented due to deep-seated lethargy and low self-esteem that limit their ability to change their situation; the great majority of these attitudes are accumulated in childhood, typically before the age of six. These destructive mindsets are set very firmly in our psyche, hindering our ability to make choices and enjoy life.

Research indicates that, from birth until a person reaches his late teens, there is a crucial period of time in which to ingrain positive outlooks on life and themselves, and after that it’s more challenging to supplant more self-destructive attitudes with those constructive thoughts. During this important time of character education, your child is the most receptive to supportive, encouraging beliefs about their abilities and the world around them.

A wonderful way to reinforce your child’s confidence in their beliefs is to build character through activities that demonstrate the satisfaction gained from doing good things for themselves and others. The purpose of the activities is to have them perform activities that give them that satisfaction of doing those good deeds, which will encourage them to repeat the actions.

An Exercise in Happiness (c) is a program based on character education through emotional response, helping children learn about how it feels good to do right, rather than being punished for doing wrong; it emphasizes their positive traits rather than condemns negative ones.

Included in this article are five activities to perform with your child designed to reinforce positive actions and viewpoints. View more character development stuff on our site.

My Amazing Me! Journal

In this exercise, write a list of illustrative words for positive, ethical qualities, such as compassion, friendship, humorous, benevolence, etc. Take each quality and discuss with your child an instance when they exercised that trait, including what feelings went through him as a result, writing down the results in an Amazing Me Journal. Pull it out and read it with your child during periods of self-doubt.

Bless You! Thank You!

This activity is extremely effective in instilling enduring encouraging self-image in your child. Pen a ‘thank you’ letter to a very special person in your child’s life with him or her, and deliver it yourself; in it, tell the person how important to you they are. It’s very important to collaborate with your child on this activity. They will be much more willing to heed your advice if you provide a strong example to them. (In case you were wondering, you can, in fact, write the letter to your child.)

How May I Help?

With your child, promise to go out and assist another person every week. It can be someone you know, or a complete stranger; it can also be in any way possible – you don’t have to spend any money to do it. You can find many ways to volunteer and do fundraising with your kids by perusing many local morning news programs, as well as their websites. Otherwise, you and your children can think and devise ways of assisting your community on your own. This fantastic project will give your child feelings of significance and direction in life.

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In the morning, as your family eats breakfast, everyone takes turns stating what they’d like to do that day. This will instill positive habits into your children, as they think about goals to achieve, rather than unfortunate things to avoid. Make the phrases “I don’t want to” or “I hope not” restricted during the conversation.

Build a THINK BIG BOARD! for your family.

People also recognize it as a Vision Board or Wish Board. Syntax Error: Please check that all spins are closed Take a large cork board, and use push pins to pin pictures on it illustrating desired possessions, ideal vacation spots, and enjoyable activities with your children.

All of these games and projects are enjoyable by the entire family, inspire character education, and start your children’s development off with an encouraging message of the wonders ahead of them, as well as their own capabilities.

Tags: character counts, character, character training, education, children character, six pillars, honesty, citizenship, bullying, educators