How to Raise Kind, Courageous, and Gracious Children: A 3-Step Approach

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I’m excited to share this guest post from Angelique Reisch, CEO/founder of Tiny Values, a subscription box that delivers an adorable children’s book, an imaginative project, and an informative parenting video to teach a different value each month.

Angelique is a mom of two young children who knows firsthand how we can use excellently written stories to teach children complex concepts (for example, she worked at Pixar on Inside Out and adores how the story helps our children understand emotions like joy, anger, and fear). Her goal is to make is to make it easy and fun for busy parents to raise kind, courageous, and gracious kids. 

Blessed Homeschool is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You can read my full affiliate disclosure HERE.

What if someone asked you, “What is the greatest gift you can give your children?” For me, it would be teaching them values. Raising them to recognize and exhibit kindness, gratitude, and courage. Having them be empathetic to their friends, have a strong moral compass, and stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves or who have experienced injustice. 

Here’s the amazing thing: values are SKILLS. They can be taught, they can be practiced, and they can be improved, just like learning to ride a bike or play a musical instrument. But, where do we start when we want to teach values? 

I suggest a three-step approach that engages children on their level, offers them multiple ways to learn, and works those feel-good values into every fabric of their daily lives using thoughtful stories, hands-on projects, and fun, informative videos. 

Step #1: Use Stories to Teach Values

Stories are such a beautiful part of our human culture. For as long as we can remember, stories have been used to teach complex concepts and pass along important guidance. The first written stories date back 4,000 years ago and were used to weave epic, but cautionary tales of mythic heroes on impossible quests. 

The earliest Sumerian versions of “The Epic of Gilgamesh” date from as early as 2150 – 2000 BCE. They are written in Sumerian cuneiform script, one of the earliest known forms of written expression.

A children’s story that has been wonderfully crafted into a book can immediately engage a child’s imagination and take them on a journey filled with beautiful images and sage advice. This is why children’s books are such a wonderful tool to use in your homeschool as a basis for teaching values like kindness, courage, and self-confidence. 

Talented authors can take very complex topics and make them fun and relatable for even the youngest of children. I’m reminded of learning about friendship by hearing “The Frog and Toad Collection” by Arnold Lobel. Or, the power of determination when reading “The Little Engine That Could” by Watty Piper. 

“The Frog and Toad Collection,” by Arnold Lobel

“The Little Engine That Could,” by Watty Piper

When we read books that encourage positive values, we give our children a model of how to act in uncomfortable situations before they ever have to experience them. Children can enjoy fabulous stories where characters stand up to bullies, decide to love themselves for who they are, or help out a friend in need. This is a wonderful way to set an example for children of how to behave in a very complex world. 

So, I recommend starting with books to teach children values in your homeschool curriculum and reach them on their level in an engaging way. 

Step #2: Use Projects to Teach Values

I don’t, however, think we should stop there. As I’m sure you know, the very best way to learn anything is to experience it for yourself. So, I also believe it’s important to develop projects that reinforce the values you are teaching. 

Hands-on learning is an excellent way to support what a child has learned. Studies show that it’s a more engaging way to learn and that children retain the information much longer than by books or lectures alone. Well-thought out projects can even create a strong visual for the child that will aid in recalling the theme of the book many years in the future. 

Values are just like any other skill, they have to be taught and practiced. This means that the ideal projects will be designed for children to practice the values they’re learning about in a way that gives them positive feedback and literally wires their brains to be kind, gracious, courageous children. 

For a great hands-on kindness activity check out Blessed Homeschool’s Family Acts of Kindness Sunbeam Challenge, a free printable found here. 

“Family Acts of Kindness Sunbeam Project,” by Blessed Homeschool 

Step #3: Use Videos to Teach Values

Finally, one of the most important steps to teaching values is to show your children that it’s a priority for you as a family. The way you do this is by sitting down as a family and making the time to teach your children about values and openly discuss values in your homeschool curriculum. 

Short, fun, informative videos are a great way to spend time together as a family and make sure even your youngest members have a basic understanding of what it means to be a kind, confident person. It will help make sure everyone is working together to make positive values a priority. Some of my favorite videos to watch as a family are episodes of Daniel Tiger or Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” on PBS

So, as you design your homeschool curriculum, try to work in books, projects, and videos as ways to teach values. You can find wonderful books that teach values at your local library and develop your own projects around those books. Or, consider checking out the monthly subscription box, Tiny Values. 

The first month’s box of the Tiny Values Series, “Kindness,” includes an adorable children’s book, a fun and engaging project, and a short, informative parenting video.

The Tiny Values curriculum was designed to make it easy and fun for busy parents to teach their children values. It is designed off of this three-step approach to teaching values. Tiny Values engages children with beautiful, thoughtful children’s books that teach values. It reinforces those values using hands-on projects and discussion cards that will open up a dialog of positive values in your home. It gives you everything you need to raise EXTRAORDINARY kids! 

Close-up shots of the first month of the Tiny Values Series, “Kindness.”

So, let’s continue the age-old tradition of using stories to pass along wisdom to our children, but let’s make ours tales of kindness, generosity, and the goodness of the human spirit. Let’s show our children that the warriors of today have the courage to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves, the self-confidence to hold true to their beliefs, and the hearts that will spread kindness throughout the world. 

Blessed Homeschool is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You can read my full affiliate disclosure HERE.

Giveaway: Win a Tiny Values Kindness Box

I’m really excited to offer you a chance to win a Tiny Values Kindness Box for yourself to try in your homeschool!

Enter below via the Rafflecopter form. Giveaway runs through 12/22/2021.

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Good luck!

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