How to Inculcate Good Habits in Children?10 Effective Ways to Inculcate Good Habits in Children.

Habits are the determining factors of our life- our key to success and the weapon to make differences. Habits are not formed in one or two days, it needs the practice of a long time to grow some good habits in us. To inculcate Good Habits in Children, it is necessary to introduce those from a very young age. As earlier the children will be introduced to good habits, those habits will be reinforced in them and will be a part of their life.

“ Good Habits Formed at Youth Make All the Difference.” Aristotle

What are the Good Habits in Children?

The good habits formed at childhood actually shape the future personality, mindset and even the career of the people. There are so many good habits that we should inculcate in children like Discipline, Punctuality, Being Responsible, Empathy, Being Organized, Personal Hygiene, Taking Healthy Diet and Adequate water, Doing Works in Time, Taking Adequate Rest and Sleep, Doing Physical Exercises, Studying Everyday, Reading, Limited Use of Mobile\Laptop, Sharing and Caring, Good Manners, Showing Respect to Elders, Self-Respect, Flexibility to adopt New etc. Through the practice and determination, we can develop those good habits in children.

‘ Your Habits will Determine your Future ” Jack Canfield

Effective Ways to Inculcate Good Habits in Children

At the early years of life, we can easily inculcate good habits in children as the children are more ‘plastic’ to learn new things and behaviors and over practicing those habits, we can make them as the permanent habits. Here some effective ways to inculcate good habits are shared below-

Be a Role Model to Your Children

At first the parents should follow and maintain those habits that they want to inculcate among their children. Because the children learn quickly through imitation. Aristotle said, the Human Being is ” the most imitative creature in the world and learns at first by imitation.” So, if we, the elders develop those good habits in us like discipline, taking healthy diet, reading books, maintaining personal hygiene etc. the children will learn these through modelling us.

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Praise the Children for the Good Habits

If the children practice or follow some good habits in their daily life, we should praise them for their good habits so that the habits are reinforced in their life and become permanent. If we praise the children for showing good manners towards others or reading books daily, the children will be happy, encouraged and will be determined to follow those golden habits in their life. “ Praise is like sunlight to the Human spirit.” Jess Lair

Spend Time with Children

It’s very important to spend time with the children everyday, but it’s not about the duration of time you spend with your children but it’s the quality of time you are spending with your child. Spending time together build a strong bond between parents and children, both of them can know in detail about each other’s interests, liking and disliking, strengths and weaknesses. Here the parents can slowly introduce the good habits to their child and can discuss with him\her about the values and benefits of those habits.

Don’t Be too Rigid, Be Flexible

To inculcate Good Habits in Children, the parents or other elders should not be too rigid, too strict- there should be the provision of flexibility. Because the children are the young ones, it is common for them to commit mistakes or doing messy things or sometimes they don’ t like to do an activity. For example, brushing teeth after dinner is a good habit for children but one day a child may not like to brush her teeth after dinner. Then, we, the parents, should not force her to brush teeth on that day. The next day we shall discuss with her again the necessity of brushing teeth after taking meal.

Help the Children to Rectify their Mistakes

It is natural for the children to commit mistakes or to forget to follow some habits in their daily life. Then the parents should not be angry on them or scold them or behave badly with them. Here the little children are in the phase of learning or inculcating good habits in their life, so the parents or other elders should help the children to rectify their mistakes and develop those habits in them. For example, if a child behave badly with his friend one day, we should not hit or scold the child but later we should explain to him about his mistakes and tell him to rectify this.

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Be the Support System of your Children

Always be the support system of your children so that they can share their issues with you- problems and difficulties with you, can get the shelter in need and also can get the guidance from you to proceed in life. To inculcate Good Habits in Children, the parents should be always with them to help them to develop good habits- to maintain those in daily life and to practice those habits for a long time in order to make those habits permanent.

Set Some Strong Ground Rules

It is very important to set some ground rules in order to inculcate good habits in children like to organize study table, bed everyday or everyday study for minimum an hour, don’t tell lie, respect the elders, wear clean clothes etc. The setting up of ground rules actually make the children conscious about the practicing of the good habits and thus they develop those habits in them.

Reading Books Together

Reading books aloud together also can develop good habits in children- it’s not only the habit of reading books but also the other habits like good manners, sharing, learn to hold patience etc. Moreover, by reading the books on moral stories, the parents can easily inculcate the moral lessons and good habits in them. For example, by reading the story on the race competition between the Turtle and the Rabbit, the parents can make the children understand that being overconfident is very bad and also punctuality is necessary in life.

Telling Stories to Children

Like reading the books telling stories especially the stories related to moral lessons and daily life also help to develop good habits in children. The parents can also this method of storytelling to rectify the mistakes of children while developing the habits in themselves by stating the consequences and also the benefits of having good habits in life.

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Playing with Children

Playing is one of the best ways to inculcate Good Habits in Children- discipline, wait for turn, punctuality, patience, good manners etc. can be developed in children through playing with them- both indoor and outdoor games. Playing with other children or team is also beneficial to foster good habits in children.

Words from Wingsofwishes.in

To inculcate good habits in children is a challenge to parents but they can develop those habits in their children through patience, involvement and also practicing those habits in their life as the parents are the Role Model to their children.

References

1.18 Good Habits for Kids: The Best Skills to Teach Your Children (atouchofhomeschooling.com)

2.How to Develop Good Habits in Children for a Better Future – Lead Grow Develop

3.Imitative learning – Wikipedia

4.How Children Learn By Imitation – You are Mom

5.10 Good Habits for Kids to Have Early in Life – The Simplicity Habit