Children are the future of society. With each and every step of shaping our children, we are inevitably shaping the future of Malaysia.
So, what is the best way to raise our children?
We believe it is by teaching them strong values. Values are worthy principles that help shape their identity at a later stage in life. This happens because values serve as a guide to make decisions.
In this article, we will share simple and effective steps to nurture good character in children so that they will become responsible and accountable citizens of Malaysia.
1. Why are Moral Values Important to Children?
1.1. Builds a Reliable Moral Compass
Impressionable teenagers may get involved in bullying, substance abuse and gang fights due to peer pressure and lack of a moral compass. All of us act based on an internalized set of values, so it’s crucial to teach children what’s right and what’s wrong so that they will be able to make good judgment as they mature.
There’s a reason why many studies suggest that instilling moral values should happen early—as early as the age of three— to produce respectable members of society. This is because children’s brains are like sponges, absorbing everything around them.
That said, correct them when they have made a mistake and explain to them why they should not have done it so that they will not repeat the mistake.
1.2. Builds Resilience
Moral values equip children with necessary qualities to be resilient in the face of adversity, especially when they become adults.
It is resilience that develops the level of consistency throughout our lives. This could mean building a new healthy habit, a strong relationship with the community and achieving our goals.
2. Values to Teach your Children
Teamwork is the result of a healthy and supportive relationship where help is given and received without any ulterior motives. It enables children to practise empathy and understanding as they work towards finding solutions to a problem with their friends.
For example, in school assignments when a team performs well. It is the collective effort of the team to chart the right direction. Not the single decision made by the leader.
Subsequently, this shapes the ability to humble oneself, as a team player thinks in the benefit of the team, employing the virtue of selflessness.
Before one can be accountable, responsibility comes first. So how do we differentiate the two and strive for the former? By being accountable, we automatically become responsible. This would entail finishing the task given with full effort (responsibility) and looking for areas of improvement (accountability).
If a mistake is done, we have an obligation to encourage them to see their mistakes as a learning experience. We must also help them examine what needs to be done so that this mistake will not occur again.
We can strive to emphasize that making mistakes is a part of the learning process and that no one should feel ashamed nor condemned for making mistakes. It is important for our children to understand that powerful leadership is not about ego but about humility, integrity, and accountability.
Children can be accountable by first being responsible as a student, by attending all classes with full conscientiousness. Subsequently, they start being accountable when they begin to do more than what school determines them to do.
The application of knowledge taught in class comes in the form of learning new skills online, or finding solutions to everyday problems.
Being empathetic is a very noble virtue that should be instilled in young children. Children can be taught to consider different perspectives using empathy. This prevents them from being quick to judge.
A simple way to do that is: Before labelling a person, ask ourselves, ‘How would that person feel?’ From there, we model our exemplary behaviour to our children. When we show empathy to our children, they will in turn see themselves as valuable and will then begin to value themselves more.
2.4 Time management
Time management is a sought-after quality as it pushes people to respect and consider each other’s time. One example of having good time management is being punctual.
But beyond that, it is about being fully-aware and skilled to allocate time slots throughout the day. When this skill is carried out consistently, one can attain the skill of time management.
Promote honesty to children by encouraging them to be truthful no matter how big of a mistake they have made. This way, children will have lesser stress to maintain the lie and build a strong moral code from then on.
The more a child practises honesty, the more he/she develops confidence.
3. How to Raise Exceptional Children
3.1. Teach them social skills
Social skills are indispensable in today’s society.
A 20-year old study by Pennsylvania State and Duke University concluded that there is a correlation between children’s social skills at their early age and their success in adulthood.
To achieve this, let children mingle with other children irrespective of culture, race and religion. It broadens children’s perspective of people and would humble their experiences.
More details on how to build social skills can be viewed in this article.
3.2. Strive for a peaceful, loving home
A loving and supporting environment enables children to thrive as they are given the motivation and validation to chart their future.
Humans crave validation, and what better way to show this than to give it to children who are well-deserving? Publicly praise them for their genuine efforts to improve themselves. Such efforts include improving an aspect of their character, helping out in the house and of course, studying for better grades.
3.3. Walk the talk
Parents ought to show the best version of themselves to act as role models to their children. As children spend a large proportion of time with parents, parents are in fact the very environment children would ground their values from.
It is important that as parents, taking the time to reflect upon what values to be taught to children starts with how we are reaching out to them.
To instill these values, children need to learn, apply and practise in real life. Given that they spend most of their time at school, it’s important to choose the right school that not only helps develop academic intelligence, but also one that nurtures good character.
Q-dees centers character-building values around a child and integrates them into all of its programmes and after-school initiatives such as the 20 deeds 20 days with Q-dees challenge (#20Qdeeds20Days).
Click here to contact Q-dees now to learn more about its programmes.