As we talked about in a recent podcast episode, you can help your child learn the value of wisdom. But we want to offer you additional help in this post.
Your child will need your help making wise choices. This is one of the most important roles you have as a parent. Teaching your child to make these choices needs to start early. Here are a few tips for you.
Helping Your Child Make Wise Choices
Here are several ideas to help your child make wise choices.
Start early and start small.
By allowing your child to make choices at a young age, you will empower him or her to make wise choices later. Start with small things, like choosing between one outfit or another. You may want to set out a short-sleeved shirt and a long-sleeved shirt. If the weather will be cold that day, you can say, “What’s the wisest choice of clothes to wear for a cold day?” Talk this through with your child, helping her reason out her choice. Clothing can be an easy tool for teaching wise choices.
Food is another area where wisdom comes to play in making choices. You can help your child learn to fill up on healthy food before having dessert. Talk about why this is the healthiest choice for our energy level, immune system, muscles and more. Take advantage of your child’s natural curiosity and explain why wise choices make good sense. You can also explain how wise choices now will pay off in the future. Food is a good example of this principle.
Talk about choices in Bible stories.
The Bible is full of stories about both wise and foolish choices. Use both types of stories to instruct your child. Both negative and positive stories will teach your child how to make wise choices.
The negative stories may have the most teaching power. For example, you can show how Adam and Eve’s unwise choice to eat the forbidden fruit had long-reaching consequences for them and for all people. Your child can learn from the negative examples of James’ and John’s anger, Peter’s betrayal and Paul’s persecution. There are many other examples in Bible stories you can read together, and ask your child while reading, “Do you see any unwise choices in this story?”
Praise your child for following good examples. If your child is brave in the face of fear, you can say he is like David before Goliath. If your child continues to pray for what she has yet to receive, affirm her faith like Hannah. As you read the Bible, point out the good examples to your child. Show them how one wise choice can bless many others for generations to come.
Tell your child about your own choices.
The most powerful lessons about wisdom will come from you. Be courageous and share your own struggles and triumphs with your child. The life lessons you share will stick in your child’s memory and will help them in their own decision making. Be sure to give God the credit for helping you overcome struggles and reach your victories. Your stories can inspire your child’s wise choices.
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