How Do I Get My Child to Be Kind?

Almost every parent I’ve ever spoken to says they hope their children are kind. Kind children are such a pleasure to be around – the way they play well with others and are happy to share.

If you have a kind child you may look at less well-behaved children, smugly analysing where their parents are going wrong. But don’t get too confident; even the most angelic little rule-followers can be guilty of some of the most appalling behaviour, especially when they know you aren’t looking!

When children aren’t so well-behaved, it can be so embarrassing. They may snatch and grab, refuse to play nicely or even bite and pull hair. If your child is constantly being unkind, you may start to wonder if they’re a lost cause or where you went wrong, or feel those smug others are analysing you like a Petri dish of bad parenting.

If you want your child to be kind, here are 4 SUPER SIMPLE things you can do to raise kind children.

Karen’s Simple Solutions – How to get your child to be kind:

Stop and Think

Think before you react. If you can stay calm and thoughtful instead of shouting or overreacting when you get wound up, your children will see that that’s the right way to behave.

Appreciate

Compliment your children every time they’re kind to anyone or anything so they know you’ve noticed and they’ll feel good about it. They’ll soon surprise you and start complimenting others. I was astounded how well this worked when my children started complimenting each other!

Listen

Listen and accept your children’s feelings. That way they will learn how to listen to and accept other people’s feelings. Further, when children feel misunderstood by their parents, they can get very frustrated and take it out on others.

Look After

Teach your children to be kind by being thoughtful, compassionate and loving toward them, family members, friends and all living things. Donate books and toys regularly and show them how to be compassionate toward animals.

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