Create projects to help your kids apply what they’re learning. Instead of just teaching them information, walk them through life situations and show them how to put into practice what they are learning. Here a few suggestions of things we did with our kids that really worked.
· Consequence Chart. This is a way to guide your children in making wise choices. They need to know that there are consequences to their actions. To help them learn this, we made up what we called a consequence chart. For instance, if one of our children chose not to practice good manners, our consequence was that they would have to stay home and skip the next trip to a favorite restaurant. If they criticized their brother or sister, they would have to think of 5 positive things about that brother or sister and share it with them. We would try to come up with consequences that fit the offense. I remember once Kelley coming to me and asking what the consequence was for a certain thing. When I told her, she said, “Oh, I guess I won’t do it then.” This is exactly what we had intended- she was being trained in thinking before she acted and choosing to make a wise decision.
· Another way we trained them was by playing a game we called, “IFs”. Our kids loved to do this and we did it on a regular basis during family time. We would give them a hypothetical situation, one we were pretty sure they would encounter and say, “If this happened, what would you do?”
Our older kids have attested that MANY times, this was the safeguard they needed to make wise decisions. They were prepared in advance for situations of temptation. Not that they always chose wisely, but because they KNEW what the right choice was, more often than not, they made the right choice. Our Kids of Character Bible study teaches kids 45 basic character qualities everyone needs to know and for each one, we suggest specific “if’s” you can ask your children.
God’s Word is practical, sharp as a two-edged sword. We need to train our kids to be skillful with the Word EVERY day. When we explain it on a level where they are living, situations they actually face, they can much more easily grasp what we’re trying to teach them.
Next time we’ll finish up this series. Hope you’ve been able to glean ideas to help train your kids.
~Marilyn
#CharacterConcepts #MarilynBoyer #Consequences
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