How quickly we can take this for granted and forget the absolute value there is in learning to help others.

This is an important area to teach our children and we should never presume it will automatically happen with our children.

The Primary Years The Value of children helping others

School focuses on the importance of children working together, cooperating through group work and incidentally it teaches children the value of supporting each other.

This however is not enough. A child needs to learn by example from home that helping others is seen as a critical dimension of family life.

This kind of helping is about developing unselfishness and touches on learning about empathy for the other person. As a family, there are many occasions, where a child will see modelled by the parent examples, of family members helping each other. It is also a time for children to learn about helping others outside their comfort zones.

Here are some strategies that may be helpful in strengthening the notion of helping others.

Discuss as a family on a regular basis how help was given when needed.

“Thanks for helping me clean the garage. It was a lot of work for just one person.”

When you hear of examples of your child helping others, affirm the act and acknowledge the difference it made for that person. A child needs to grow in awareness of the difference they can make to other people.
Together read about kind acts, good deed that you may find in the newspaper etc. children need to understand that helping others can happen in many and varied forms.
Set up a helping book. This is where the child records occasions where they were able to support others. This is good for a discussion from time to time.
Helping others may mean being less selfish which is a wonderful growth curve for a child to set up. When you notice how a child has been helpful and you observe that there was some self-sacrifice in it, affirm that fact.

“When you helped your mum with the dishes, you had less time for your special Television show. How considerate are you!”

Play family games where you need to rely on each other. This teaches the child that working as a team is best for everyone.
Pose questions that require a child to solve based on helping others:

“Can you think of ways we can help your little brother learn to walks. What can we do to help him?”

Be spontaneous in affirming the child when you see them helping others.

“I noticed that you gave up sitting in the front seat of the car as you wanted to settle down your brother who was upset. That was a such a kind thing to do”

Read books to the child about people who were known for their kindness. There are many suitable children’s books about such people.
Talk about family members who show kindness and are known for their helpfulness. Discuss why they are such liked members of the family.

Never underestimate the value in teaching a child the value of being helpful.