The growth of humility in a child’s life will lead to positive development in many other areas of their personality and relationships. Humility guides the child to become a contributor rather than a consumer as they grow and mature. Some of the most important activities and pieces of advice that help develop the trait of humility in children are as follows:
Promoting a culture of listening first
Help your children understand that people yearn to be recognized. Teach them how to discern others’ basic desires. Why are they sharing what they are with you? What do they want? Teach them to be slow to speak and quick to listen. It’s tempting to overwhelm others with our opinions and ideas.
Learning how to practice empathy and grow in compassion
Parents can start teaching humility when their children are infants. It involves fostering authentic relationships and viewing others through a lens of value and worth. Children can also practice empathy by caring for pets or tending to the garden.
Encouraging a culture of respect
Encourage children to respect each other’s unique ideas, emotions, and interests by learning how to coexist well with these differences.
Role-playing
Give children different situations where they can choose to be boastful or humble, like winning a game, getting a good grade, or giving a gift. Ask them to respond in both a boastful and humble way for each situation. For example, a child might act proud after winning a game to show boastfulness and say ‘Good game’ to the other players to show humility. Talk about how each response might make others feel and explain that being humble is usually the better choice.
Training them on how to respond to praise
Teach children to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ Instruct them on how to respond appropriately and modestly to praise. The better prepared they are, the more graciously they will be able to respond.
Build Your children and teach them where their true value lies
Often, when children seek attention, it’s because they aren’t getting enough positive feedback or recognition. Give them sincere and positive feedback as much as you can. Also, teach them that their value isn’t based on what they own or do, but on who they are. This way, you can help them understand their true worth.
References
