When we are raising our little ones, what we want most is that little by little they acquire knowledge that allows them to grow as good people. That they are characterized by their personality and above all by their good skills to face life without losing sight of everything we have taught them. That is why, to achieve this as parents, we must pay greater attention to values, although they are all very important.

There are a number of them that are indispensable and to which it is advisable to pay more attention. Here at Mother Tips, we show you the “main values” that we recommend you work on or help develop in your child in order to best complement their development.

What are values and their importance?

Let’s start by defining what we consider values and their importance. Although their definition may vary from person to person, we can define them as a set of qualities that will provoke in the life of the person, as well as possibly in those around him, a benefit. Maybe it sounds like something very general, but it is related to the skills that a child can develop to know how to act more functionally in certain situations. Always protecting their rights and without attacking those of others. The significance is precisely this: it opens the door to having more options for acting, making decisions, and interacting with others. In addition to that, it makes people aware of social conditions. It enables them to have good listening skills in order to understand the world not only from their own perspective but also from the perspectives of others, providing them with a much broader criterion. Once we begin to understand a little more the meaning of being able to develop values in our children, we will know the 10 main values that children should learn:

Main values to be developed in children

1. Cooperation:

We live in a society, so the first thing that would be advisable to start promoting in children is this value. It is about showing him that on many occasions he will be able to do things individually or independently, but in others, the situation will be a matter of teaming. Where you can give your opinion and listen to that of others, you will deal with all and find middle points that are directed to a common goal.

It is even from here that you can find people with whom you do not agree much, but it is still important to cooperate, and others with whom you will agree on a lot, and depending on your decision you can make strong friendships.

2. Tolerance:

Speaking of those people with whom you do not agree. One of the things that are essential for your son or daughter is to know the variety of ways of being with which he or she will find. In this case, the value of tolerance is aimed at being able to accept that we do not all live the same, nor in the same way, that diversity is valid and that, although, it is not about denying our beliefs or giving as absolute truth those of the other person. It is a matter of respect, accepting that it is possible that they do not find the middle ground, but that does not make me violate the other and even does not affect me, it only gives me another way of looking at reality.

3. Friendship:

Friendship is one of the most important values, especially for children, as they begin to create bonds with people different from their families. It allows them to build and experiment with life. The value of friendship in turn includes loyalty. Where there is affection for the person, certain tastes, thoughts, or activities in common are shared and a relationship of support, listening, help, and respect is built.

4. Honesty:

This is probably one of the values that costs the most adults to show children, because like everyone else, the main thing is to show the example. Let’s start at home with little things like not lying. Showing the advantages of this value can allow it to become a habit, for example, thanking their honesty and trust when they did something that bothers you, and then giving consequences that do not include questioning the love you have for them, and that correspond to the situation. For example, if I scratch a wall, clean it, show it how and be kind in the process. One way not to do so would be to give him uncomfortable conditions to do so, such as not giving him the necessary tools or punishing him with other things like not watching TV or not watching his friends. It is about learning that the consequences of telling the truth are not bad but quite the opposite, although sometimes they can bring responsibilities, they are not painful.

5. Gratitude:

Care should be taken in the way we teach this value. Gratitude is about being able to value the effort that the other makes, and to notice what the effort of the other entails. Helping them even to have gratitude for themselves, to recognize their small achievements and work. Only when talking about something they did for them we must take care that gratitude does not become guilt or discomfort, it is not necessary to emphasize many times an action that was done for them as something titanic.

Much less is it appropriate for other people to use blackmail on your little one. Show them that even if someone has a good gesture with them, they have every right to say no, if they don’t feel comfortable returning a favor. This does not make him a bad person, but someone with gratitude and education, but also with decisions and rights.

6. Responsibility:

Here is one of the most indispensable values. The exercise that was mentioned in honesty can be of great use. The idea is to begin to see responsibility as natural and not painful. Even here allowing them to have imagination and opinions on how they would like to carry out their work, will allow them to continue developing their imagination and make the responsibility more fun. Allowing them to take charge of their daily activities will help them learn error-success. It will also make them more independent, which at first parents can be hard, but later they will form a very functional adults.

7. Empathy:

This value is sometimes referred to as, putting yourself in the shoes of the other. While that explanation has a good point, we will try to give it another meaning. In this case, if I wanted to wear someone else’s shoes, they may not fit, and I may not understand why he chose that model or why they are his favorites. To understand him you have to ask him his story, that’s where empathy really comes in. It is to be aware that we can not see things as the other, but if we can try to understand it from the information you share with us and thus be able to imagine part of how you live it, and then see the way you want to be respected or accompanied.

8. Equity:

Speaking of differences, why talk about equity and not equality? Well, much has been discussed regarding this issue. Equality refers to everyone having the same thing, but equity wants everyone to obtain conditions that allow them to somehow equalize their opportunities to reach similar places.

An example might be, we have two children. One of them already has two mangoes that his mother gave him and the other has none because his parents could not get them. Imagine that there is a contest and they say “whoever brings three mangoes from a tree first wins a ball”. Both want it, but one is at a disadvantage. So the judges want to help them. They tell them: we have two magicians right now and we will give them to them. Equality would say a handle for everyone. Equity would say: we will give both to those who have none, so that they are on equal terms, and what would remain is that both seek only one. That is, the first example would cause the child with an advantage to win and the second example would cause the same possibility to win. Show your son or daughter the importance of looking at the conditions around the other. It also makes her a more empathetic person with a greater vision to act in situations.

We hope that this information will be very helpful and that you enjoy the process with your children. Tell. What value do you consider to be the most important for your little ones?