Dear Berry Patch Families,
Responsibility is the virtue of the month. Raising responsible kids is an undertaking. At The Berry Patch School, we encourage children to be responsible for themselves in words and actions. Here are a few ideas for you to enhance the responsibility lessons at home.
- Model trustworthiness, dependability, and accountability as a parent. Children do as they see more often than they are told.
- Establish clear expectations. Expect kids to do their best.
- Create routines. Being prepared is a part of being responsible. Become a “night before” family. Have kids prepare for the next day by packing their backpacks with gym shoes, books, show-and-tell items, school projects, signed permission slips, or anything else needed for the next day of school. Do the same for activity bags. Laying out clothing for the next day gives kids a few extra minutes in the morning. The child chooses, then gets dressed in the morning.
- Give children chances to be responsible. Taking care of everything from their own possessions to library books trains kids to take care of things. Allow your little ones to help, even when it’s faster to take care of the job yourself. Check out this post for ideas: Chores: Little Jobs for Little People.
- Catch kids being responsible! Praise their actions!
- Allow your children to fail. Valuable lessons are learned when kids fail. It’s sometimes difficult for parents to stand back rather than solve a child’s problem. There are consequences for not doing one’s job. Give children the opportunity to fix their own mistakes.
- Guide your kids in making good choices. As kids get older, the stakes are higher. Allow kids to make decisions and experience the consequences of poor decision when they are young and living under your roof. Good decision-making skills are lifetime skills.
- We are leaning into social emotional learning this month. Learning to be responsible for both our words and actions are important skills to work on as your child grows and matures. Download our SEL Parent Tip Sheet for more information.
Recommended Books
What am I Feeling ? by Dr. Josh and Christi Straub
Respect and Take Care of Things by C. Meiners and M. Johnson
Mad Isn’t Bad: A Child’s Book About Anger by Michaelene Mundy
The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
God Cares How I Feel by Jana White
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
Luke 6:31
Respectfully,
Becky Danielson, M.Ed.
Licensed Parent & Family Educator
b.danielson@berrypatchschool.com
