5 Values You Should Teach Your Child By Age 5

As a parent of young children, you know that there are important values your kids need to learn for them to make friends, do well in school, and grow up.

When your kids are younger, they soak up everything they see and hear! The earlier you start teaching good values, the more likely they’ll internalize those values and apply them throughout their lives.

Here are five values that you may want your child to learn by his or her fifth birthday:

1. Love – Always be generous with your affection. When your son or daughter sees you showing love to family members and friends, he or she will feel more comfortable expressing affection. 
2. Consideration – Teach your kids to think about others’ feelings! Over time, a young child can see that treating peers nicely and being friendly can ensure that his or her peers will be nice in return. Remember the Golden Rule: treat others how you want to be treated!
3. Determination – Encourage your kids to take on a challenge! The easiest way to encourage determination according to Parents.com is “avoiding excessive praise and by providing children with honest feedback, delivered in a gentle, supportive fashion.” Make sure to congratulate your kids when they do something that is difficult for them, such as making friends when they’re shy, or completing a homework assignment that they’ve struggled with in the past.
4. Honesty – Help your kids find a way to tell the truth! The easiest way to encourage them to be truthful is to make sure that you’re truthful as well. Another way is to make sure you don’t overreact to small white lies. Encourage children to be honest by assuring them that you won’t yell and that they won’t be in trouble if they tell the truth the first time. 
5. Justice – Teach your kids to say ‘I’m sorry’ and make amends! Teaching your children to apologize after they do something wrong will help to instill the concepts of right and wrong, and help them think about how their actions affect people around them.

We think there’s a good chance that kids who learn these values will have an easier time socializing, making friends in school, and interaction with adults. Learning these values and life lessons early on will also give your children a foundation they can build on as they grow into mature, happy, kind-hearted people!

As the trusted and preferred daycare in Ann Arbor, we provide a positive learning environment for kids all over Washtenaw County. If you want more information about our facility or our teaching style, please visit our website!