Every child has the potential to develop into a kind person and a good member of society, but developing the right habits is essential.
The more healthy habits kids have before they get into middle school, the more opportunities to succeed they will have.
So, what habits do all the “good” kids seem to have?
Read on to find out and learn more about teaching them to your kids!
Cleaning Up Messes
Making a mess is normal for children, but children also need to know how to clean up their messes. Of course, a toddler will not be able to thoroughly wipe up every mess they make. Start by having your kids pick up and put away their own toys and clean up to the best of their ability. Make this a standard early on by playing a clean-up song while you guide your child to clean up after play and eating.
Be Kind to Everyone
Kindness is essential. Set the example by showing what kindness looks like. Talk to your child about kind vs mean behaviors. We aren’t all perfect, but kind children know how to apologize.
Make Your Bed
Start out the day with bed making. Again, when kids are very young you may have to help, but encourage them to do what they can. Maybe you need to tuck the sheets in, but let your child arrange the pillows.
Help Others
While kids are very young, you can encourage them to help others. “Can you hold the door open for Mommy?” “Please help Dad dry the dishes, he would really appreciate it.” Let kids know they are doing a great job when they choose to help someone on their own as well.
Read Every Day
Reading early and often greatly helps children throughout their school years. School becomes more and more reading-intensive and developing good reading habits is important for school performance. Start reading every day right away. Before your child can read, this means reading to them. As they learn to read, work with them to read a little bit every day. The key is to keep it fun by not making it too long. Allow your child to help pick out books and find new topics to read about. Ask them about what they are reading to keep them engaged.
As you can see, all of the top “good habits of good children” can start at a very young age. In the beginning, you will have to help, remind, and encourage your children to practice these habits, but very quickly they will become autonomous.