KEY CHARACTERISTICS TO TEACH YOUR CHILD

Traits like empathy, patience and integrity are important to lead a happy, successful life. The good news? These traits can be taught from an early age. Here’s how.

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WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?
When the right character traits are developed and nurtured in children, it empowers them to not only understand, but analyse and handle difficult situations better, later in life.

SELF-CONFIDENCE
A little self-confidence goes a long way to paving the way to success. A confident child will feel more at ease to express their thoughts during lessons and take part in outdoor activities such as school sports.

How to teach self-confidence: Try introducing your child to a new hobby or activity such as dancing or acting. Particularly shy children will benefit from activities that help them become bolder and more confident, an important trait to have especially when meeting new people or tackling new obstacles.

PATIENCE
A patient child will also be less impulsive and less irritable and will, as an adult, understand that perseverance, through patience, will lead to success.

How to teach patience: A great way to teach and nurture this trait is to introduce and practise complex tasks with your child. Think of tasks where the result is particularly rewarding. Try baking or gardening – your child will need patience to see that all those ingredients combined will form a delicious cake, or the seeds they once planted in the ground have blossomed into a beautiful flower bush.



EMPATHY
Being emotionally intelligent will help children understand what someone is feeling. This is especially important in social settings and later, in the workplace.

How to teach empathy: A fun way to teach empathy is by gathering your child’s favourite toys and forming a play where characters interact or hurt each other’s feelings and apologise. Ask your child about their emotions and perhaps ask them to suggest ways the characters could resolve their conflict.

INTEGRITY
If no one ever kept their promises, where would we all be? Teach your child integrity from a young age and when they’re adults, they’ll understand the importance of work ethic.

How to teach integrity: Think of small tasks you could ask your child to promise they’ll complete, like cleaning their room, finishing their homework before dinner or putting their clothes away. When children are held to keeping their promises and doing these tasks, you’re teaching them the importance of accountability.

RESOURCEFULNESS
A resourceful person will want to find solutions to problems – a trait that organisations value. Nurture this trait in children and you’ll set them up for lifelong success.

How to teach resourcefulness: This is all about thinking ‘outside of the box’. Gather a few everyday items like plastic bottles and toilet-roll inners and help them come up with ways to use these items differently. Turn toilet-roll inners into pencil holders or plastic bottles into vases – the possibilities are endless!