{"id":249424,"date":"2023-02-07T23:33:14","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T21:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=128198"},"modified":"2023-02-07T23:33:14","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T21:33:14","slug":"the-psychology-of-kindness-five-tips-to-encourage-your-child-to-be-kind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/the-psychology-of-kindness-five-tips-to-encourage-your-child-to-be-kind\/","title":{"rendered":"The psychology of kindness \u2013 five tips to encourage your child to be kind"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1 \">\n<aside id=\"republication_tracker_tool-2\" class=\"republication_tracker_tool clearfix\">\n<h5 class=\"adtitle\">Republish for Free<\/h5>\n<div class=\"license\">\n<p><button name=\"Republish This Story\" id=\"cc-btn\" class=\"republication-tracker-tool-button\">Republish This Story<\/button><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"license\" rel=\"noreferrer license noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Creative Commons License\" class=\"lazyload\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/the-psychology-of-kindness-five-tips-to-encourage-your-child-to-be-kind.png\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Creative Commons License\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/the-psychology-of-kindness-five-tips-to-encourage-your-child-to-be-kind.png\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"message\">\n<p>Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/aside>\n<p>We can make an immense impact on those around us simply by spreading kindness. Random Acts of Kindness Week is observed annually from 14 \u2013 20 February; it\u2019s a celebration of all the ways we can become a positive influence in each other\u2019s lives. As the school year is back in full swing, Anel Annandale, an Educational Psychologist with a passion for Early Childhood Development, unpacks the psychology of kindness and provides five tips to encourage kindness in our children below.<\/p>\n<p>1. Create a culture of kindness<br \/>Kindness doubles when we share it \u2013 a ripple effect that transforms our community into a happier place.<\/p>\n<p>Whether rich or poor, young or old, the beauty of being kind is that anyone can do it. Creating a culture of kindness begins in childhood. Teach your children to ask themselves daily: \u201cHow can I be kind today?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For young children, sharing a sweet is the most basic demonstration of kindness, and this behaviour should be acknowledged and encouraged. \u201cOur products are often central to acts of kindness, and as such, we have made it our brand\u2019s purpose to inspire kindness,\u201d says Monique Spandeel, Manhattan Brand Manager. \u201cSo far, we have encouraged over 43 000 learners to be kind through school engagement and toolkits. But kindness starts at home, and we need a collective effort to change behaviour,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p>2. Praise character; discipline behaviour<br \/>Teaching kindness can change who a child becomes and gently moulds them into happier, empathetic, more likeable people.<\/p>\n<p>When you praise a child for good behaviour, make it part of their character. For instance, you want to say something like: \u201cYou are a very kind person,\u201d as opposed to \u201cthat was a kind thing to do.\u201d Eventually, this can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and lead children to spread their kindness in the future.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, when disciplining a child, focus on their behaviour rather than their character, e.g. \u201cThat was a hurtful thing to do,\u201d not \u201cyou\u2019re being a hurtful brat.\u201d Never accept rude behaviour, even if your child is going through difficult times.<\/p>\n<p>3. Model the behaviour you want to see<br \/>We know that children are more likely to mimic our behaviours than listen to our advice. They do as we do and will learn to be either kind or unkind from us.<\/p>\n<p>As you go about your day, ask yourself: Am I modelling to my children how to show respect to everyone I interact with, no matter their social status? Am I tolerant of others? Do I demonstrate cooperation, empathy and generosity?<\/p>\n<p>Also, remember to thank your children when they are kind to you. Connect with them by holding eye contact when they tell you a story and talk to them about their day at dinner or bedtime \u2013 be sure not just to hear but really listen to what they have to say.<\/p>\n<p>4. Kindness = boundaries and discipline<br \/>The happiest children are those with set boundaries and discipline instilled by their caregivers.<\/p>\n<p>Discipline is about teaching and guiding behaviour; it is not about punishment. It is a way to teach our children to cope better with life and be more regulated, better-adjusted members of society. Be sure to always set boundaries before disciplining a child. That way, your child knows what is expected of them.<\/p>\n<p>Never discipline your child out of anger but rather with the intent to teach better ways of behaving. Keep the three \u201cR\u2019s\u201d of discipline in mind: Remove, Reflect and Reconnect.<\/p>\n<p>Destructive feelings are a normal part of growing up; being a strong role model and mentor will help them to navigate and manage BIG emotions.<\/p>\n<p>5. Encourage random acts of kindness<br \/>Performing random acts of kindness helps children develop empathy and internalise moral principles. It creates a sense of pride in themselves and feelings of belonging and optimism.<\/p>\n<p>There are many easy ways to incorporate random acts of kindness into our daily lives, and they need not cost much.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Volunteer to clean up, whether you are clearing the table or sweeping an elderly neighbour\u2019s driveway.<br \/>\u2022 Give a kind word or a sweet treat (I love Manhattan\u2019s \u2018Be Kind\u2019 gums).<br \/>\u2022 Invite someone sitting on their own over to have lunch with you.<br \/>\u2022 Offer a smile or a compliment.<br \/>\u2022 Freeze water in empty bottles and hand them out to street vendors on hot days.<br \/>\u2022 Pick up litter, put back your trolley, and give up your seat to someone who needs it more.<br \/>\u2022 Let someone know that you\u2019re thinking of them.<br \/>\u2022 Volunteer at a soup kitchen or animal shelter.<br \/>\u2022 Read to a younger child.<br \/>\u2022 Leave an encouraging comment on a post that you like.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEncouraging kindness in children helps them understand the world from a broader viewpoint. It builds empathy and increases their frame of reference, encouraging them to cooperate with others to reach shared goals. In the bigger picture: teaching children to be kind eventually makes the world a better place,\u201d concludes Annandale.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mypr.co.za\/contact\/featured\/\">CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za for free<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"post-views-icon dashicons dashicons-chart-bar\"><\/span> <span class=\"post-views-label\">Press Release Views since 1 July 2022:<\/span> <span class=\"post-views-count\">102<\/span> <\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-pagination pagination\">Pages: <span class=\"post-page-numbers current\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Page <\/span>1<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/the-psychology-of-kindness-five-tips-to-encourage-your-child-to-be-kind\/2\/\" class=\"post-page-numbers\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Page <\/span>2<\/a><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\">Source: MyPR.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republish for Free Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. We can make an immense impact on those around us simply by spreading kindness. Random Acts of Kindness Week is observed annually from 14 \u2013 20 February; it\u2019s a celebration of all the ways we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":249425,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9021,1],"tags":[3257],"class_list":{"0":"post-249424","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mypr","8":"category-south-africa","9":"tag-mypr","10":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/the-psychology-of-kindness-five-tips-to-encourage-your-child-to-be-kind.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}