Downloadable Resources to Build Respect
How to Use the Resources to Teach Respect
For a fun and structured way to build character in your kids all year long, download the calendar and stickers.
Each calendar month focuses on a unique character trait. And each character trait has a unique printable teaching resource to help you build character in your child. You can download it below.
The resource includes:
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- definition card – to build an understanding of respect.
- verse card – to memorize why respect is important.
- question/challenge – to discuss or practice respect.
- character certificate – to recognize monthly progress in acquiring respect.
- reward coupon – to have fun and show your child how proud you are of them!
Use some or all of the resources to build respect in your child all month. You can also use the printable sticker sheet to cut out and place stickers on dates you see your child showing the trait you’re working on that month. You just need one 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of sticker paper.
Respect is just one of the 12 character traits we want to help you build in your kids. Here are more.
Why Respect Is Important for Kids
I walked into the post office one morning in a bit of a rush. There was a long line already snaking towards the back of the lobby. I stood there, package in hand, as patiently as possible. While scanning the room, I noticed an elderly man sitting at a table meticulously writing on an envelope. A cane rested at his side. He was wearing a tattered United States Air Force veteran hat. He was focusing on his penmanship.
The line was barely moving as the man finished writing. He slipped the pen into his pocket and stood. He was a bit wobbly. He seemed surprised at how the line had grown as he began walking toward the back of the room. A middle-aged man who was next in line noticed. He stopped the veteran and offered him the next spot in line so he wouldn’t have to wait. The whole room smiled.
It was a sign of tremendous respect.
Respect means regarding others as valuable. Everyone has value, but not everyone is recognized as valuable. Respect is shown by the way we think about, speak to, and treat others.
We need to teach our kids that others should be treated with respect. This doesn’t just apply to elders, like the gentleman at the post office. It applies to everyone – the homeless, disabled, neighbors, strangers, children, and anyone in authority.
Before he left the post office that day, I stopped to speak with the old man. His name was Harry, a 91-year-old mailing a 70th birthday card to his son. He joked that it made him feel old to have a son who turned 70. I thanked him for his military service and watched him slowly walk to his car to drive himself home. It was a wonderful, respectful interaction.
How to Teach Respect to Kids
Play show and tell.
Show your kids a photo of someone you respect. Explain why you respect them.
Reinforce the basics.
Tell your kids the “Golden Rule,” treating others as you want to be treated. Consider giving them gold star stickers when they show respect.
Practice showing good manners.
Have open conversations about good manners. It’s never respectful to behave poorly. Setting guidelines for how to behave keeps kids from becoming disrespectful.
Be accountable yourself.
When you hold yourself to a high standard of speech and conduct, your kids will mirror this. When we show respect, we teach respect.
Listen more and interrupt less.
Listen to others’ points of view. We get so wrapped up in our own thinking that sometimes we don’t stop to listen to others. Create a habit of listening in your home. Part of teaching kids to listen is to squash interrupting. Interrupting isn’t just rude, it’s disrespectful. When you or your children speak over others, it communicates that what you have to say is more important and that attitude lacks respect.
Look at who’s influencing them most.
Consider the environment in which your child is spending time. Are other kids in school disrespectful? How about kids in the neighborhood? Keeping an eye on the surroundings is important because kids mimic each other and learning to disrespect comes easily.
