Build character by teaching your child to be a good citizen

Good citizens think of other people’s needs. They have empathy and compassion. They also have the desire and courage to make the world a better place.

Children aren’t born with these traits. They need role models and experiences to develop them.

Teachers teach citizenship when they ask students to be polite and follow rules, respect the rights and property of others and help classmates do chores valuable to the classroom community.

Some schools have school-wide citizenship projects, such as recycling, fund-raising, food drives and school beautification.

Here’s how you can be a part of developing your child’s civic spirit:

Model caring and sharing. Offer a ride to a parent who needs transportation to attend a school activity. Visit an ill friend. Take cookies to the local fire or police station. Volunteer in a soup kitchen.
Show your child she can make a difference. Give her household chores. Have her donate used toys and clothes to a homeless shelter. Let her be a “surrogate grand-child” for someone in a retirement home.
Play board games with your child. Emphasize perseverance and treating opponents fairly.
Read books that celebrate community-minded qualities. In Leo Lionni’s Swimmy, for example, brave Swimmy rights a wrong.
Talk about how others might feel. Say, “Maddy lost her dog. How do you think she feels?”