Do you want to raise helpful children who think outside of themselves?
Raising children is difficult. We have so much that we have to do and often times we let intentionality fall by the wayside. But the truth is raising a child who thinks outside of themselves, is a helpful person, and contributing member of society is an extremely important part of parenting.
Being intentional with raising helpful kids can be done. It just takes work.
It’s easier as an adult to do things ourselves. And not expect much out of our children. However, you can make raising helpful children a priority with intentionality, relentlessness, and work. (How to Respect a Child: Building Trust and Understanding)
Table of Contents
Why Should You be Intentional with Raising Helpful Children?
Why should you put in the hard work of raising a child who is helpful and considerate? Because helpers are important in society. They see something that needs to get done and they don’t hesitate to do it.
Your child will learn to recognize somebody who needs help without being told. For example, if they see their mom struggling to carry in the groceries, they will jump to help because they know that it needs to be done and that she needs help.
Or if they see an elderly person struggling to open the door they will jump to open the door for them and not ignore them.
How to be Intentional with Raising Helpful Children
Create Moments of Helpfulness
Create moments of helpfulness inside your home. They can be simple and easy, and they should be. For example, if you were busy doing something and your dog needs to get let out there’s nothing wrong with asking your child to open the door and let the dog out.
Eventually, they will recognize “hey our dog needs to go potty” and open the door without being asked. Or if your spouse needs the dustpan upstairs and you are in the middle of something, you can say, “hey will you please grab the dustpan for your dad and take it to him?” These are ways that you can create small moments of intentional helpfulness for your child.
Helpfulness doesn’t have to be anything big. It doesn’t have to be cleaning the whole room. It could just be little things that you ask your child to do (like pick up books or clean up after themselves) and they will start doing it automatically.
Be an Example Yourself
Children do what they see more than they do as they’re told. If they see that you are a helpful person then they will be more helpful.
If they see that you go to someone’s house and you tidy up before you leave, or help in the kitchen, or help with the dishes, then they will be more apt to be helpful themselves.
Encourage Helpfulness Even When They are Young
Most young children want to be helpful. A struggle a lot of adults have is thinking that young children are not as competent as them when it comes to different things. They take longer and they’re not as neat. So, instead of accepting the younger child’s help, they push the child away to the point where they don’t want to help anymore.
So, when your child is young encourage them to be helpful. If they want to help you stir the brownie mix then let them help you. Stir the brownies and clean up the mess later. I know it’s a struggle but, in the end, it is worth it. Because during these moments you are teaching your child that their helpfulness is important, and their helpfulness is wanted.
Encourage Your Child to be Helpful to Others
Encourage your child to learn how to notice signs that other people need help. Encourage him to be helpful with their siblings, helpful with parents, and helpful with their grandparents. This will help instill a spirit of helpfulness wherever they go.
This will also teach your child to notice that someone else needs help or that someone else could appreciate that help.
Engage Their Interests
Engage your child’s interests. I know this sounds off the wall but hear me out. If your child is really interested in cooking, then engage the interest in helping you cook meals. This will teach them how to be helpful in the kitchen and as they grow, they can take some weight off your shoulders and help make meals.
If your child shows interest in learning how to fold the laundry, teach you how to fold the laundry. They don’t have to do it neatly just learning how to do it is a great skill to have. Engage with your child’s interests. For example, if your child is interested in helping their dad in the yard then engage that interest.
This will instill a spirit of helpfulness and also helps them learn about something they’re interested in. Plus, they will gain important skills they need when they are older.
Most Children are Eager to be Helpful
It’s important to encourage this helpfulness.
Children are usually typically pretty helpful when they’re little. They want to be a part of the family and help when they see things that need to be done. When we encourage that helpfulness instead of shutting it down this encourages them to continue their growth of helpfulness around the house and outside in society. (What Is Peaceful Parenting? Understanding Its Essence)
What to do now: Join Chaos to Calm Mom Fb Group Today!