Tips for healthy child development

5 Ways to raising a caring kid

Spend quality time with your children

When you spend time with the kids let them have all your attention. Put away the X box and the Iphone distractions and allow the quality time you have with them forge bonds that will last forever. By communicating with them opening, listening carefully to everything they say and doing things together that they like to do, your child will not only love you more, but you will be teaching them to be considerate and caring and reinforcing positive memories of their childhood. So, ask them how their day was, listen carefully and discuss any problems they might be having. Learn from them how to play games they like or read a book together before bedtime.

Be their moral role model and mentor

Children learn from their environment. What you do is what they eventually become. This is why you should always pay attention to your manners and actions and be ready to admit your own faults and mistakes. Show them that you care and are ready to accept your faults. Practise honesty, good manners and humility. Your child will only look up to you if you earn their trust and respect.

Be ready to admit your mistakes, apologies and show them that you wish to make up for them and how you plant to avoid the same mistake again. Explain to your child what you learnt from your mistakes.

Teach your child to be caring and set high ethical expectations

Kids need to learn to socialise with others in the right way. Hold your kids to high ethical expectations. Honour their commitments. Teach them to do the right thing and to care about others around them. Responsibilities and obligations are things you need to remind your kids of. Chores, school responsibilities, manners, friends and promises are all things that they will have to deal with from an early age.

Encourage them to practice appreciation and gratitude

A child that is not spoilt will acknowledge the role other people play in their life in a healthy way. This comes with appreciating people who contribute to their life. People who practise gratitude are more likely to be helpful, generous, compassionate and forgiving. Let your children learn from your actions. Encourage them to express appreciation to family members, teacher and others who play a significant role in their lives.

Teach them to see the big picture

Teach children to think and care about people outside their small circle of family and friends. Encourage them to consider the perspectives and feelings of others, especially those who are more vulnerable. Give them ideas for taking action, like comforting the classmate who was teased, or reaching out to a new child in class.

Discuss other people’s hardships and different experiences of kids in other countries and communities with them.

Raising responsible children

There is a fine line between insisting, nagging and fighting with children to become more responsible and helping them to embrace the process of learning from the experiences of becoming more responsible within their homes.

Here are some do’s and don’ts to consider:

Don’t expect or insist upon perfection. Mistakes are inevitable and they are excellent opportunities for learning and problem-solving.
Do praise, acknowledge, express appreciation and encourage.
Don’t allow excuses. Teach your children to own their choices and actions.
Do set boundaries with consequences that you stick to.
Do set the example of what it is you wish your children to become. They are most likely going to do what you do and not always what you say!

Self-awareness helps children make better choices

SELF awareness is the first skill in emotional intelligence and sets the precedent for the development of all emotional intelligence skills. Teaching children self-awareness skills will help them become aware of their emotions and behaviours and make better choices in all they do. Self-awareness includes skills in being aware of positive and negative emotions, behaviours and choices. It is about learning to own these choices, learn from the mistakes and consider what behaviours will be best in any situation.

Consider these tips when teaching your child this essential life skill:

Create an environment where your children are free to recognise and acknowledge their mistakes and achievements in a non-judgmental, non-frightening way. Remember that it is fear of negative consequences that often hold us back from admitting mistakes to ourselves. And yet, if we cannot own a mistake, how can we find a positive solution to fix it?
Don’t allow the blame-game. Blaming others for the choices that we have made disempowers us and reduces our opportunity to grow and learn from our choices and experiences.
You are your child’s first and most powerful teacher – set the example. Teach your children to be kind to themselves in their uniqueness and imperfections, just as you are kind toward yourself.
Teach your children to recognise and honour their own talents and not to compare themselves to anyone else. Different is not less. Non-judgmental self-awareness is essential. Positive self-worth is everything.