Teaching Kids Respect for Their Elders

Small children certainly need and love those who are older than they are, but as soon as your toddler is able to grasp the concept of respect, it is important to teach her to have respect for her elders. Yes, respect is important to give to everyone, but the maturity and knowledge elders have earned deserve special attention. Here are some ways to explain this to your young child so she can behave satisfactorily to please and impress her elders.

 

Listen and Learn
There is so much your child can learn from the folks who have been on the planet longer than they have. Time, experience, and circumstances have shaped every person to make them who they are today. This knowledge is invaluable to a developing mind. Another’s trials and errors are helpful tools to help your child make future choices and plans. Encourage your child to take time to listen to her elders’ stories and advice carefully and mindfully. The education will be priceless and unique with every elder she connects with.

 

Help When Needed
Sometimes elders need our assistance. Small children are accustomed to being the one being cared for so this may not come naturally to them. Teach your child to lend a helping hand – whether it’s in the kitchen to help Grandma set the table or if an elder at a gathering needs help getting up from his seat. Whatever the case may be, the sooner you teach your child to tune in to the needs an older person may have, the more adept she will become to notice and give aid. Of course, not every older person needs any help at all, but the fact that your child offered will be taken to heart and gratefully appreciated.
Care and Love

 

Taking good care and giving love to elders who mean so much to us is something your child will forever cherish. She will look back fondly at the times she exhibited positive emotions and unconditional respect to grandparents and other elderly people in her life. Even if the elders are not close family members or friends, the lessons your child will learn from giving basic respect to another human being will be forever ingrained in her mind. One day, she will hope to receive the very same respect from a new generation.
How do you teach your children to have respect for their elders? What have you (and they) learned? For more information like this, please visit All My Children Daycare.

By: Melissa A. Kay