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What does it mean, exactly, to raise a well-rounded child? According to some experts, it means giving your children a good mix of academics and people skills with a little empathy and character thrown in for good measure. It’s difficult raising kids in our all-about-me culture full of computer screens, tablets, and smartphones. For parents like you looking for ways to help your children become the best versions of themselves they can be, we’ve put together the following short list. These tips are sure to help you raise well-rounded children.
1. Encourage Your Children to be Active
Today’s technology encourages children (and adults) to be very inactive. With so much entertainment right in front of their eyes, kids are less likely than ever to get outside and be active. Young bodies need exercise, and as a good parent, it’s your duty to encourage your youngsters to put down their devices and get moving.
An activity that many kids find fun is swimming. If your child doesn’t know how to swim, consider enrolling your family in swimming lessons for adults and kids. Since swimming is such a low-impact activity, kids don’t even realize their exercising. All they know is that they’re having fun!
2. Let Your Child Find His Own Passions
It’s common for parents to push their kids, especially when it comes to things you’re passionate about. However, it’s important to remember that just because you enjoy something doesn’t mean your child will too.
Let your kids figure out what they love to do – be it playing a particular sport or writing poetry. Whatever they discover they love to do and are good at, be encouraging and be proud. Their passions may not be yours, but they’re passions all the same.
3. It’s Okay to Let Them Quit – Sometimes
Quitting is often associated with failure, but that isn’t always true. For instance, when your kids are young, it’s important to expose them to many options so they can figure out what they like to do. If your son is begging you to play tee-ball but then, after just three practices, realizes he doesn’t like it, it’s okay to let him quit and move on to something else.
If you have older children, however, it’s important to teach them that quitting isn’t an option if they’ve committed to something that affects others. For example, if your daughter is part of a baseball team and wants to quit mid-season, she needs to know that quitting isn’t an option since her team is counting on her to do her part. Be sure she understands this before she commits to the team so she’s less likely to want to bow out early.
4. Offer the Right Kind of Praise
Praise is a powerful tool as it helps build character. Unfortunately, many parents have taken praise to a new materialistic level. Kids want to do well. They love to hear they’ve done a great job. Verbal praise is all that’s needed to let your child know they’ve made you happy. Don’t resort to gifts or treats when your child does well. Instead, offer an exuberant high-five or a few words of encouragement to keep them striving to do their best.
Raising well-rounded kids is simultaneously harder and simpler than you think. You go into the whole parenting thing with high expectations but soon discover that it takes a lot of effort on your part to grow those precious babies into people you can be proud of. Use the tips above to help ensure you’re raising well-rounded kids.
