Respect is something that your child should learn to appreciate from an early age. It will help them with a wealth of skills in the future, and it also teaches your child how to be kind and caring even towards those they don’t know.

In this guide we explore the ways you can develop respect in your own children, to help them with their life skills and general development.

Give your child as much respect as you’d like to see back

Respect is something you want your child to give back to you, so ideally you need to give them that amount of respect back. It’s how it’s earned and taught in almost all families and groups. By showing them respect they’re learning to trust you and appreciate your decisions, developing a mutual understanding for each other. This is great to develop from a young age as you are finding out all that you can about your child and building a real relationship together. You can also teach your child to respect other cultures by introducing them to the different celebrations around the world.

Let your child make the decisions

It’s easy to fall into the same routine of making the choices for your child, but actually it’s better to let your child do the decision making. Let them be in charge of their own decisions and see what they come up with.

Ask them to plan out what they’d like to do on their birthday, or what you could do together on a rainy day. These are really important to try out with your child as they know how to feel when they are in charge of something, and it makes them feel more confident.

Give them control of their routine

From preparing their food the next day, to having a child’s school uniform laid out the night before – your child can help you put these together. This shows your child that you believe in their choices. So will help them become a more respectful child. It also gives your child the opportunity to act independently and own responsibility in the home. You’re offering them respect by giving them the freedom to make their own choices each morning, as well as showing them how capable they are of handling their routine.

You can teach children to be respectful in all walks of life. Give them the means to learn from you, give them responsibilities and let them enjoy what they’re learning about. All of this and more can show your child how respect is a great asset to their development.