Facilitating Character Development
Parents have an important role to play in the character development of children. While their contribution may be overlooked, it is truly noteworthy. There are a few simple strategies that can assist parents in supporting their child’s character development…
Children are like sponges. They absorb everything that they see and hear. As a result, character development begins even before a child starts talking. The first role models, in fact, are parents. Children observe their parents closely, they see how they behave with others, they notice how they react to situations and they internalize all these lessons. Therefore, it is evident that parents and families play a key role in the character development of a child.
For this purpose, creating a positive environment is important. Parents need to acknowledge that while academic achievement is important, focusing on the character development of a child provides the foundation required for academic excellence and emotional well being.
Reconsidering the manner in which parents communicate with children, establishing a well thought out value system, and reinforcing character development is vital for this purpose. Some simple ways to ensure that character development is the central aspect of a child’s personal development are as follows:
Offer meaningful praise
Children enjoy being praised and it has been observed that in general, it is human tendency to respond positively to praise. This positive response leads to a stronger intent to perform even better. However, praise needs to be meaningful and directed towards the action or the behaviour. This ensures that the child understands the real meaning of the praise.
Constructive praise can help children in identifying the reason why they are praised and assists them to develop the character strength that has been praised.
Praise others
It is important for parents to identify the character strengths of other people who are a part of the child’s life. Children learn a lot from just observing other people, and if they become aware of the strengths of people around them, over time, these people may become role models for them.
Have meaningful conversations
Most parents have a one-way discourse with children that largely constitutes of instructions. Most conversations are short and limited. It is important to have interesting and meaningful conversations with children that teach them how to identify character strengths and to build strategies that help in character development. Conversations can be centred around emotions, reactions and behaviours.
Parents can act as facilitators as children grow and develop character strengths. These strengths lead to the wholesome development of a child’s character.
As a parent, are you looking for ways to support your child’s character development? Schedule a demo session with us to know more.
Author: Sitender Sehrawat
