Teaching children to be honest is a character trait we want them to have early on. Here are three simple ways to begin instilling this value.
Honesty is being sincere, truthful, trustworthy, honorable, fair, genuine, and loyal wiht integrity.
Honesty is telling the truth.
1. Model Honesty
Practice what you preach. It is amazing what children will pick up on. Be the model of integrity you want for your children.
2. Share stories
We tell the story of Ruthie and the Not so Teeny Tiny Lie over and over again. My three-year-old loves hearing this children’s book by Laura Rankin. I love this story because not only does little Ruthie lie but she has physical symptoms of guilt and shame. Her parents handle the lie wonderfully and so does the teacher. It’s a great first example for children so they can see that you telling the truth makes you feel better! Remember you can always go back to The Boy Who Cried Wolf to illustrate the consequences of telling a lie.
3. Play the “true, true, false” game
This is a game we played as a staff icebreaker one summer before the start of the school year. We had to share two truths and one thing that was false and the group had to guess which was the lie. This memory makes me smile because a friend of mine announced her pregancy to the group during this game! Anyhow, you can play this with your child and have them tell you which statements were honest and which one was the lie.
Stay tuned later this month for a list of other books that will help reiterate the character trait honesty.
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