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It’s very important to teach your child good habits while they are still young, even if they have trouble grasping them at first. Good habits will greatly benefit your child in adulthood. The top 4 good habits your child should learn include:
Having An Exercise Routine
Keeping your child’s body active is very important for their health. There are lots of studies that show how exercising can lower your child’s risk for cancer, diabetes, and strokes. Being active can also boost their self-esteem, making them feel less stressed and/or depressed. It also improves their quality of sleep. You can help your child stay active by encouraging them to play sports or ride a bike with friends and/or family. Just make sure they wear the appropriate protective equipment.
Showing Gratitude
Did you know that gratitude is linked to happiness in children? Teaching your child about gratitude will help them to be happier people. Gratitude is the appreciation for and the return of kindness. Grateful children tend to be happier, have better relationships, and be more engaged in their day-to-day activities. Gratitude also teaches your child to be kind, which helps them combat negativity. You can show your child gratitude by being kind to them. Give them compliments, have them help out a neighbor, and/or ask them what they are grateful for on that day.
Being Respectful
It’s not always easy to teach children about respect. For children, respect is about looking up to someone who has done something that impresses them. They show that respect by showing that person kindness.
At the same time, respect is about more than being kind to another person. Children understand from an early age that respect cannot be forced; instead, it must be earned. Therefore, in order to teach our children how to respect the people in their lives, we need to show our children respect, too. Try not to punish your child when you think they are being disrespectful. Figure out why your child is acting out. Usually, it is because their feelings have been hurt in some way. Show them other, more disciplined ways to express how they feel. Most importantly, model this method for your child yourself. Being a good model to your children will show your child the benefits of being respectful.
Staying Positive
Staying positive can be a challenging habit to teach your child if they don’t know how to deal with negativity first. Unfortunately, many children never learn how to address negativity because society teaches them that negative thoughts are bad. However, more and more studies are showing that this presumption about negativity is actually wrong. For one thing, people naturally react to negative thoughts more quickly than positive thoughts. For another thing, people who can openly address their negative thoughts have a better handle on them than people who cannot.
It is important to teach your child healthy ways to acknowledge their negative emotions, as well as how to control them. You can do this by first helping them describe how they feel, and then by giving them goals to work towards. These goals can be big or small. Over time, they will build up your child’s positive thoughts as your child achieves each goal. Sharing your child’s sense of accomplishment will also help instill a positive attitude in your child.
Staying positive is incredibly difficult, especially in this day and age of rapid change. However, your child’s brain can still be wired to be positive. Have them practice positive meditation, volunteer in an activity, or meet with one of our highly-qualified private tutors to improve their academic performance.