Character Counts – Help Your Child Develop Character

I’ve written more than once about Michael Josephson’s Character Counts website. The site has lots of great resources for character education and inspiration for both children and adults.

Here are some of the best ways you can use Character Counts to help your child develop character:

Use the free teaching tools. There are lots of resources – even discussion guides to use with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Hamlet. There’s also a section specifically for parents on the Free Teaching Tools page.

The teaching tools include free lesson plans (searchable by six pillars of character and by age from age 4-teens). The lesson plans are especially useful for educators and homeschoolers. Some of the activities are seasonal. For example, if you have a child age 4-6, check out the Be a Good Egg (Easter) health and science lesson plan on trustworthiness. There are also Earth Day activities for 6 year olds through teens.

Register for the free Character Counts! Week (third week in October) resources each year.

Use the  commentaries for inspiring stories you can use to stimulate and reinforce discussions on character.

Use the quotations section for inspiration and to stimulate discussions of character.

I’m a real fan of quotations, and many sports coaches use quotations as a motivational tool. I create word art often using motivational quotes. You could print out quotes for a notebook or for a school- or athletics locker. Quotes are especially helpful for older children and teens.

Of course, the best way to help your child develop character is through your own example. Be a person of good character yourself. Probably equally important is that you truly want to raise a child of good character. Ask yourself: Do you view raising a child of good character as more important than raising a “winner”?

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