R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Since we are focusing on more laid back topics for summer time, I thought I would write some character teaching ideas too. Any teacher can tell you that children who cannot be kind and respectful are almost impossible to teach. Learning basic character qualities will prove to be very helpful in the classroom for your child, not to mention help solve many friend issues that they may come upon.

Kids need to learn how to respect each other. We have all met a lot of adults who never learned this important quality. They are hard to be around, aren't they? Talk to your kids about how everyone is different, but still valuable. To help them understand here are a few ideas:

• Think about the human body. Feet may not be your favorite part of your body, but try going without them. Even if your foot is just injured, it greatly impacts your whole body! Or maybe you don't really like the look of your ears or nose. Now try to think of what life would be like without one or both of them. People are the same. We are all different. We act different, we do different things, but every part is very important and all people deserve kindness and respect. If we were all the same it would be like having a whole body of just hands or eyes. It would not work!
• Build a basic block house out of legos or building blocks. What if you took out a few bricks? The heat or cold would get in. It would not be a nice place to live. If you see a brick on the side of the road, it would not look too important, but imagine that was a brick from your house. You'd want it back! People are like that. You may look at one person and not see them as very important, but everyone is important. If they are not there the world would not be the same.
  
• You can think of several other examples based on your kid's interests. Some could be: a sports team that is missing a member, a favorite toy with dead batteries, etc.