What Is Character Education?

Character education is rarely listed on a school’s list of subjects to be taught. It’s not something that kids memorize or put together like a puzzle. And yet a 2022 poll of 2,000 American parents with kids ages five and younger “found 77 percent believe character development skills are just as important for their young children as academic skills in early education.”

Character education is not only for the youngest members of the family, but it does start there. And it actually continues throughout life. But before we talk about how to build character in our kids, let’s first define both character and education

What Is Character?

Character is what makes you, you! It is the sum your tendencies, thoughts, intentions, desires and actions – both good and bad. We have all heard statements such as these:

“She is so kind and always ready to help.”
“Don’t believe a word he says. He’s a liar and cheater.”
“Those Smith kids sure know how to work!”

These statements reflect what others see and experience when they interact with someone. A person who responds with good character is often called a “man or woman of integrity.” They are not perfect, of course. But overall their responses come from the good moral qualities they have developed. Yes. It takes time to develop good character.

Your true character shows in the way you respond to things that happen in your life every day. For example, the person with self-discipline chooses to do the things he knows he should do even though he may not feel like it. The person without self-discipline chooses to do the things he feels like doing. That doesn’t lead to many completed projects or goals!

What is education?

Education is the process of imparting or developing specific knowledge or skills. These benefit the individual, other people and the communities they live and work in.

Character education, then, is the process of developing a set of good moral qualities that enable us to experience personal growth and make positive contributions to the community.

Developing Good Character in Children

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” -Helen Keller

Character education is a process. It is not something we memorize or bestow upon someone. We develop it through repetition, mistakes, failures and accountability. Loving parents are best suited for this job. Few others will care about the future of children like their parents. It is a parent’s primary duty to give their kids the tools they need to be equipped to handle the problems they will encounter in life. Only then will their children achieve the level of success they want for them, which centers around their relationships with others.

That’s not to say that others can’t help. Selecting activities that enhance their children’s character growth is also an important part of a parent’s responsibilities.

Why Character Education Is Important

The root problems facing our world boil down to how we relate to others.

• Those with weak character contribute little good to others.
• Those with bad character commit crimes, incite violence and strife, causing others to suffer.
• Those with good character seek to serve others and care for one another in their communities. They create safe, healthy opportunities for growth for people of all ages. This fosters meaningful, lasting relationships with family, neighbors and friends.

Life is empty without close relationships. Those relationships develop through love, trust, respect and other good character qualities. This is why character education is so important and needs to start at a young age. Instilling good, strong, character into our children must be our priority.

5 Fun Ways to Build Good Character in Kids

Character education should be a natural part of everyday life. There are many in-depth character training curriculums available. They offer both structured and creative ways to implement the training into each day. You can also create opportunities that allow real life experiences to be the teacher. Capturing those moments by initiating conversations prove to be life lessons well-learned. Here are five ways to make character education fun and a natural part of your family’s life.

1. Participating in sports

Sports excel at character building when combined with the right balance of encouragement, challenge and support from parents. Both team and individual sports require hard work and perseverance. Even kids with natural talent won’t excel without hard work and perseverance.

2. Reading books

Good books allow the reader to identify with the characters. We enter into their joys and their struggles. A good book is a wonderful teaching tool. It lets kids experience the outcome of people with good and bad character as if it were happening to them.

Lecturing kids on the need to improve in areas may fall on deaf ears. But living inside the mind of a character can change the way they see things. It’s the closest thing to experiencing life without actually experiencing it! And we all know that experience is a great teacher.

This site has a large selection of good books for younger kids for use in their character education.

3. Playing board games

Board games are not only a fun family-bonding activity, they’re a great way to contribute to your child’s character education. A few of the qualities they will develop include:

• Focus. Many games require players to be aware of where others are moving pieces. Memory games teach kids to avoid distractions. Looking away, even for a second or two, can be the difference between a match or a miss when it comes to card games!
• Creativity. Yes, creativity is a character quality that can be developed! Story Cubes is one example of a creative game. Each player becomes a narrator. A player rolls the cubes and begins telling a story from the symbols facing upward. Players use all the symbols on the cubes to create a story. Reports of fairy tales imagined, books written, illustrations drawn and songs composed have resulted from playing Story Cubes.
• Self-control. Board games teach kids how to win and lose gracefully! No one likes a sore loser – not even the losers themselves! Learning to accept outcomes graciously is an essential character trait they will need often in life.
• Patience. Waiting is a hard quality for young kids to learn. And adults struggle with it as well! In fact, character education itself is a long process. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years – and much patience – before the fruits are evident. Board games are a fun and easy way to help young kids learn patience. They give a reason for kids to wait. Because board games involve other players, if they want to play, they must learn to wait their turn. And if they land on one of those dreadful squares that says ‘lose turn’ – they must wait twice as long! (And not shout or pout about it!)

4. Doing puzzles

Putting puzzles together builds attentiveness and perseverance. When a child puts a puzzle together, they sit still and focus all their attention on one thing. Puzzles offer clear starting and finishing points, unlike many other activities. More often than not, kids want to keep going until it is complete. Afterward, they enjoy a great sense of satisfaction. Puzzles also develop critical thinking skills.

5. Volunteering

Volunteering is one of the best character education activities families can engage in. Children who are active in their communities tend to do better in school. They learn good problem solving skills and are less likely to consume drugs or alcohol. Volunteering teaches kids to be others-focused, which leads to more meaningful, lasting relationships. It opens their eyes to the realities of life that exist beyond their own small, familiar world. They become more compassionate, caring citizens.

Kindness, patience, selflessness, thankfulness, responsibility are a few of the qualities they develop. An added benefit is increased confidence. Knowing their efforts are having a positive effect on others brings deep satisfaction.

Where should your child volunteer? Many local opportunities are available. Start with your child’s interests.

• Is your child a pet-lover? Ask your local animal shelter how your kids can get involved. Or help the neighbors by offering to walk their dog or care for their pets while they’re away.
• Do they love little kids? Volunteer in the church nursery, toddler classes or the VBS program.
• Are they concerned about the homeless? Hook up with a city mission or homeless shelter and help serve meals once a week.
• Are they nature-lovers? Older kids can volunteer with their local park districts, garden centers, an arboritum or fish and game departments.
• Does a family member live in a nursing home? Have your child bake cookies to share with the residents.

Getting outside of their world prepares kids for adulthood like no other experience can. It develops a caring heart and encourages kindness for the sake of kindness alone. It builds relationships and fosters respect and love for life – human, animal and the creation in general. It exposes kids to careers they may eventually decide to pursue. Volunteering makes the world a better place to live. Add it to your child’s character education early on!

Make Your Child’s Character Education a Priority

The 2022 data from Boys and Girls Clubs of America shows that seventy percent of youth rate their ability to cope with challenges as medium to very low. Only thirty percent rated their coping abilities as high to very high. It also states, “Meaningful relationships are the number one protective factor for youth for development and thriving.”

Parents are the first and most influential people in a child’s life. No one cares for a child’s well-being and future like their parents. Those who put intentional effort into their child’s character education equip them to face the many temptations and struggles that lie ahead.

Building a solid relationship with your child from a young age keeps the door open for important discussions as they grow. Teenagers need parental wisdom as they face various temptations to conform which can be overwhelming. Your commitment to character building increases their confidence in their abilities. Young people who develop such qualities as courage, self-control and resilience will be one of the 30 percent with high coping skills.

Parents are not given a list of specific hardships that await their children. If they were, they could prepare them for each one. That’s why your patient, consistent efforts to build character during their childhood is so critical. It fills their toolbox with the tools they’ll need when those hardships come.

At EmethGym we have created a unique character training curriculum. We strive to equip students with the qualities needed to meet the demands of today’s reality. Each person either possesses or lacks the character that will help them succeed in life. The qualities we strive to build in our students are those which God has declared in the Bible to be good. These include discipline, courage, integrity, and commitment to name a few.

We invite you to take part in a whole class for free. Experience how we go beyond just our sports training. It’s good character combined with caring connections that produces great athletes and leaders. If you’re searching for programs to enhance your child’s character education, register for a free trial class!