Educate in values, generosity
Teaching children to lend their things is not the only gesture of generosity they can learn. They also have to know how to give themselves to others, offer their smile and want to be nice. Although this is not assimilated from one day to the next, the child will end up understanding that when it comes to educating in values, generosity, although it can sometimes cost, gives very good results.
Teach children to share: how to be generous
Just as we try to make our son assimilate a certain schedule, behave well and do not take temper tantrums ... we should try to instill in him the importance of sharing from the beginning even if it costs him. In the task of educating in values, generosity will be a slow and laborious learning, but it will also be useful for the future.
If we do not teach you to share today, tomorrow may also cost you to love others and, what is much more important, to give to those around you. Not teaching him to be generous could mean being fed a future selfishness that will later have a more difficult solution.
After three years, children perfectly distinguish mine-yours and they like to make the difference clear. From this age we must encourage the habit of giving, more as a habit than as a virtue, relating giving with joy and loving others. It is convenient to let them see that "Give something" is a sign of affection.
It is not the amount given that measures the value of generosity, but the effort made by the person and the intentions that have moved him to carry it out.
For an act to be generous there are, therefore, two important and well differentiated parts:
- Give something of oneself with effort.
- To aim to cover a need of another person for their good.
Generosity: the value of giving and delivering for children
During their first years of life, children tend to value subjects more than the objects that surround them, so we will have to take advantage of this trait of their character to initiate them in generosity, precisely through people. That is, we must make them see that giving is a way of loving and that generosity is closely linked to joy to make others a little happier.
To achieve this we can invite you to relate, from a very young age and with our help, the concepts of love-joy-good.
Concrete examples will also be essential to win this battle. Our son will never understand how good it is to share and what can be enjoyed doing it if he does not experience for himself some acts of generosity that affect him directly. His older brother gives him his ball if he asks. And he lends his stories to his sister so he can entertain. And all this, of course, as a manifestation of affection and love for others. And it is good that we explain these gestures of generosity so that he learns to think about others: "Since there is only an ounce of chocolate and Daddy loves ... today we will have cookies and we will leave him the sweet".
How to give a smile
The sympathy or antipathy begin to be part of the character of the child from the early years. Sometimes we do not realize what profitable that is kindness and sympathy, but we all agree that it is very pleasant to live surrounded by smiles. Although it is true that each has its character and there are people by nature more serious. Respect this way of being and at the same time stimulate your smile. Let's help him smile for little things that make us happy. Smiling is the greatest gift we can give to those around us. Because smiling when you are tired, or you feel bad, is a sign of generosity and strength of spirit and this is taught to your child by their parents.
Support and congratulations to the children
Our support and constant congratulations will be the fundamental axis during these years. Let's not forget that what motivates the children most is that their parents value every little effort what they do Therefore, it will not hurt that we show ourselves especially ready to express ourselves joyfully for their good behavior and, even, we have some detail from time to time to reward their incipient generosity: "Since today you have shared your truck with your brother, I am going to give two candies that you like so you can share them. "
The boys and girls who have learned to be kind and generous will be more optimistic, will have more facility to win new friends and will find it easier to keep them ... Why? Because they are able to spend time with them and are in tune with their needs: instead of wanting everything for themselves ... they are able to wait and offer. And who would not like a friend like that?
Conchita Requero
It may interest you:
- Keys to educate children in values and virtues
- The value of effort in early childhood education
- Ideas to teach children how to collaborate
