Compassion is such an important character trait because it is something we all need in our lives. It is the emotional connection desired with those close to us and those we do not know very well. Teaching compassion to your kids is important as it doesn’t always come naturally.
Some children may naturally be loving and compassionate, while others may need some help in that area. This is especially true of toddlers who may think the whole world revolves around them! . Becoming compassionate brings us out of our me-focused world. It can help your children see that other people have needs and start to think about how they can meet those needs for others.
What is Compassion?
Compassion is is the ability to feel what another person is going through and to help them in their need. It is being able to listen, being aware and being sensitive of the needs of others. It is being able to sit back and observe and know when to help out when there is a need.
Compassion is caring for others, behaving towards them with concern and love and affection. It is being sympathetic to others needs, putting others before yourselves.
Teaching Compassion
Some people feel compassion more deeply and empathetically than others. You may notice this with your children if they see an animal that is hurt or lost, or a homeless person on the side of the road. Some children are immediately distressed and sad, while other children may not even recognize what is happening. We can teach and model compassion to our children to help them to be sensitive to the needs around them.
Here are some great ways to teach compassion to your kids:
- Be kind, and model kindness to your children. Talk about kindness and reactions to others in your home.
- Take your children out and serve together. Helping at a soup kitchen or a food pantry is a great way to show them that people are hungry and in need.
- Teach compassion towards animals by helping animals that may be injured or lost or feeding animals that may be hungry.
Teach compassion to your children with this month’s free character study printable pack:
Our Character Counts planner teaches you how to plan a month long study on this month’s character trait of compassion. Families love that our planners are open and go with many things to choose from to use. You can pick and choose what you would like to print and use for your family. Since they are not dated like our other planners, these can be used anytime in the year.
I keep all of our planners in a big binder. We now have a nice large collection of them as we download them each month. They are great to pull out if there is a specific character trait that you need to work on in your home.
Many families enjoy using these during morning time, or Bible time in their homeschool. These planners are designed to be simple and fun, with activities that your whole family can participate in together. This is great for family time with hands-on ideas and fun conversation starters. Yes, even parents can benefit too!
This is what is included:
- Character Quality Family Checklist Worksheet
- 4 Week Study on Character
- Analyze and Evaluation Sheets
- Character Trait Planning Worksheets
- Compassion Printable Posters and Scripture Posters
- Family Character Brainstorming Session Sheets
- Compassion and Your Gifts
- Study Worksheets for Kids
- Certificate of Completion
The directions on how to download your free Character Counts Planner are sent in each weekly ezine. The planner access information is always located at the bottom of each email. If you are not signed up, you can sign up HERE.
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