What is the best way to raise a compassionate child? Naturally, children hold the ability and desire to care for and love others around them. Understanding another person’s heart and treating them with kindness is what compassion is all about, a quality that is desperately sought in the world today. If this is a quality that you would like your child to acquire, it is something you need to practice and nurture from very early on in their life. Through daily practices and reinforcement, here are some tips on how to raise a compassionate child, as advised by this independent girl’s school.

MODEL KIND BEHAVIOUR

Modelling behaviour in your children is one of the most effective ways to instil good character traits, including kindness and compassion. Children are constantly on the lookout for how their parents act in different situations, slowly picking up on social cues and interactions with others. Actions quite literally speak louder than words in this case. When you find yourself helping your neighbour bring in their groceries or call up a sick friend to see how they are, your child will pick up on your kindness. Showing kindness and setting an example yourself plays a huge role in raising a compassionate child.

MAKE KINDNESS SOMETHING YOU PRACTICE OFTEN

Incorporate kindness into your child’s daily life. Remind them that it isn’t an as-and-when practice. Rather something that is portrayed in everything they do. At home, make mealtimes a space to show care towards each family member. This could be as simple as asking everyone about their day. Or helping plate up dinner and serving. Showing them how to eat with manners, offering water to their elders and saying please and thank you are all part of practising compassion through the act of respect. You can even read books on compassion before bed, so your child becomes accustomed to their favourite characters practising it too.