He quickly folded his hands, placed them in his lap, and looked very remorseful, but only for a moment. As soon as I looked back to the preacher, Jonathan rolled out of his seat and began crawling under the pews. That was the last straw. I chased him down, and we left church early.

This was not the first time I left a sermon early because my little Jonathan refused to control himself. But it was the first time that I wondered, if it was beyond the realm of possibility for a three-year-old to sit still and focus for a 45-minute service that was entirely beyond his understanding.

Maybe he was just too young, the service too long, and too boring. And then it occurred to me, maybe he just lacked training?

I lacked self-control until my sophomore year in high school. Then, I was sent to a boarding school in Virginia; a place called Fork Union Military Academy.

There, I, and many other boys just like me, learned self-control in just a few weeks. This amazed our parents, who had been working for years with teachers, principals, councilors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and sometimes even law enforcement; all which had failed to reform us. So, parents thought that our boarding school was working miracles; but we knew the school’s secret was no miracle.

Fork Union Military Academy simply put us all through self-control training.

How Do You Teach Kids Self Control

In the past, our parents and schools always told us to behave, but this was the first time we had been trained to behave. Our school used the same method that militaries have used for hundreds of years, to give soldiers discipline and self-control: the practice of coming to and maintaining attention.

To stand at attention, you must stand up straight, roll your shoulders back, head up, and chin slightly tucked. Put your heels together with toes spaced 45 degrees and clasp your hands at the seams of your pants. You look straight forward, and not just with your head, but also with your eyes. Your face must be void of all expression. You can’t move at all, not even to scratch. And you can’t talk.

You have probably seen soldiers standing at attention during formations or parades. It is not just some traditional display or ceremonial performance.

Fort Union Military Parade

The practice of maintaining attention was developed to take undisciplined, civil men and turn them into disciplined soldiers, with the self-control to tune out all the distractions and temptations of the world, in order to focus on the mission at hand.

In the military, self-control is a matter of life and death. Because war involves the ultimate terrors, pains, sorrow, and chaos, soldiers require the highest levels of self-control.

However, self-control is not only beneficial for soldiers in war. Children need it to learn how to read and write, clean their rooms, and sit through a boring church service.

And so, whenever any parent comes to me seeking advice for anything from teaching kids math or problems with picky-eaters, I always recommend that they start with self-control training, because once children have the ability to control themselves, the learning flows naturally.

A child who can sit still and focus when he is not being entertained, can learn anything he sets his mind to.

Master the art of training character!
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Self Control Game for Kids

That is how I helped my little Jonathan sit through church service. Instead of scolding him time and time again, I had him sit at our dining table for a simple game of attention.

At first, we set a timer for just one minute. We had Jonathan sit up straight, with his eyes forward and his hands at his side, without talking or fidgeting. He failed the first few times, but soon maintaining focus for a minute was too easy.

We made it fun by having his siblings make funny faces or loud noises to try and distract him. We bumped the time to two minutes, and so on, until little Jonathan could control himself as long as he needed.

Try It For A Child With Learning Issues

Many people think self-control is inherent, or tied to a child’s personality or maturity. So, when little children can’t focus on their school work, parents look for external solutions, like ways to make learning more fun, or they hirer special tutors, or even resort to medication, to help their kids focus.

But, self-control is largely a matter of training. The first time you go for a long run, you might get sick, and start cramping, and your muscles may feel like Jello, but there is nothing wrong with you. You don’t need a special coach or medicine, you just need to run more, to increase your body’s strength and endurance.

In the same way, children who can’t control themselves, often need more self-control training. How do you encourage self control in your children?

Check out more Character Development tips!

Get more tips on Parenting and Homeschooling

The post Increase Self Control in Your Kids with One Simple Game! first appeared on True Aim.

Are We There Yet? – A Lesson on Patience

Remember Donkey during his journey to the Kingdom of Far Far Away in the movie Shrek 2, where he repeatedly asked Shrek and Fiona, “Are we there yet?” We may have found that scene amusing, but Donkey’s impatience sure got on Shrek and Fiona’s nerves!

For all of us with kids, I’m sure we’ve been in Shrek and Fiona’s shoes more often than we’d like. So how do we teach our kids to be patient?

Play a Game to Teach Patience

Play a game of dominoes with your kids. Have them arrange the dominoes in a formation (either straight row or any creative pattern). After completing the formation, have fun watching the dominoes fall.

Tip

It is common to accidentally topple the dominoes while arranging the formation. Leave bigger gaps every now and then so that only small sections of the formation will topple (and not the entire formation) when this happens. Go back and carefully fill these gaps after you have completed the rest of the formation.

After the game, talk to your child about the game.

• Was it easy arranging the dominoes in the formation that you wanted?
• What were some difficulties that you encountered?
• How did you feel?

Explain that arranging the dominoes neatly is not easy and it takes time to do it well. When we are impatient and try to hurry, we can accidentally topple the dominoes. This can lead to frustration and we sometimes feel like giving up.

In the same way, in real life, we sometimes feel frustrated and want to give up. But God wants does not want us to give up doing good. God wants us to persevere.

Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Pray for Patience

Pray together with your child. Thank God for his love, patience and continual forgiveness. Confess to God those instances where you and your child have been impatient and ask for God’s forgiveness. Ask the Holy Spirit to produce patience in your lives.

Galatians 5:22-23a (NIV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Model Patience

Don’t forget that actions speak louder than words. Your child will notice those instances where you show impatience to the people around you, especially if he/she is the one bearing the brunt of it.

Don’t make excuses for yourself, but acknowledge your weakness to your child, humbly ask your child for forgiveness and pray together with your child for God’s forgiveness. If we model patience for our kids, there is a higher chance for our kids to learn to be patient!

Being patient is sometimes easy – like when we are doing things that we enjoy or dealing with people we like, or when we have something to look forward. But it can become challenging when we are doing something that is difficult or takes very long to do, or when we are dealing with difficult people or someone we don’t really like.

But God wants us to be patient with ourselves and with one another. If we walk closely with God and yield to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit produces good fruit in our lives, including patience!

View the full character building series here!

Do you have any interesting ideas to teach patience? We’d love to hear from you!

Alvin Gan is the father of three noisy (but lovely) teenagers and founder of www.BibleGamesCentral.com. At Bible Games Central, you will find a variety of fun and captivating games complete with Bible learning points, recommended scripture passages and discussion questions.

The post 3 Easy Ways to Teach Kids Patience first appeared on True Aim.

Lehigh University Responds to Scandal

This post contains affiliate links. For more info, please read my full disclosure.

While most of us wouldn’t think of doing something so unethical (even if we had the means), their stories should cause us to pause and question what we value most.

What Are We Trying to Achieve?

You and I probably agree that integrity is one of the most important things our children can possess—and yet it’s so easy to spend most of our time focused on things that don’t really matter. In order to make what matters most the center of our children’s educations, we need to fully grasp the value and practicality of getting our priorities right.

It’s hard to know what those wealthy parents were thinking when they decided to bribe their children’s way into prestigious schools, but they do have something in common with parents the world over: a tendency to measure their success as parents by their children’s measurable achievements.

Lori Loughlin among 16 parents indicted with additional charges

How do we measure success in education?

Many Chinese parents would seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum. After all, their kids may spend their high school years studying for 17 hours a day. In extreme cases, near exam time, some students will get nourishment from an IV in the classroom—so the students don’t have to stop studying to eat.

While competition might seem healthy—and I would argue it is in economics—measuring our value, and that of our children, by how we compare to others is a dangerous game. We risk making the things that matter least the focal point of our children’s education.

For years we may spend hours a day drilling our children to prepare them to get the perfect score on a college entrance exam. What message are we sending? What matters most? Getting the perfect score? Getting into the right school? Getting the right job? We may successfully train them to compete— and to do well by some measures. But when we do that we’re shortchanging them in the long run. Because life isn’t a competition. You can try to make it into one, but is that the future you want for your child?

What really matters in education?

Rather than helping our kids “win” at life, we need to help them learn to recognize what matters most— and make it the central focus during the years they spend with us.

In her book, Consider This, Karen Glass makes an argument that an educated child should have three things: 1) a humble spirit, 2) a good character and 3) a love for learning.

I can simplify it even more: character is all that really matters.

When our kids know that they don’t know it all, they will be teachable. Once they develop integrity, they will also have the grit to do a job well. When they know they are treasured by their creator, they will want to learn more about His world.

Where can we look for educational guidance?

Character is not only difficult to measure— it can also feel elusive to impart to our children. We can teach them all the right things and end up trapped in a legalistic model with an arrogant child. And yet it’s easy to tell when a child is grasping something deep and meaningful. It rarely happens when filling out worksheet pages. It will likely be sparked by an observation made when we’re going through life with our kids at our sides.

In a world where the things that matter least tend to get the most attention, we can turn to the Bible for guidance. In the book of Luke, Jesus is quoted as saying, “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” (NKJV)

We live in a world where competition is fierce, but we can trust our God to give us everything needed!

The Secret to Building Our Children’s Character

So how do you make sure genuine character growth is at the heart of your child’s education? Every child and parent will have their share of challenges. I use those opportunities to take my child’s “spiritual temperature.” I know I can’t teach my children everything they should know. Instead, my goal is to teach them to love learning and love people. Sometimes a child needs to develop the discipline to sit down and work through a lesson. At other times a child may need to be challenged to think about others. The right story might help her see the world in a new way.

Most importantly, your children will learn by watching you do life in your own imperfect way. Character may be difficult to measure and challenging to teach, but your kids will recognize it when they see it in you.

Teri Capshaw is an author, developmental editor, former journalist, and homeschooling mom on a mission to help families thrive in an overstressed world. In her book Dying to Win she takes a big-picture look at factors pushing students too hard—and provides parents with practical strategies to ignite and inspire their children’s love of learning.

Get 15+ Tips on Building Character in Your Children!

The post What the College Scandals can teach us about building our Children’s Character first appeared on True Aim.

So how do you build character in your children? Does it take a special curriculum? Is it something you need to pour hours into?

Guess what? It’s easier than you think! We’ve gathered moms from across the globe to bring you some great advice – for moms from moms! With our new Mom’s Library series!

Our theme for this month is Character Development!

Simple Ways to Build Character in Kids!

Thanks to these amazing moms and dads, you can build character in kids by incorporating it into your daily life. Character building is ever continuing and is something that’s important to teach as our children grow. Here are some great ideas to instill important values (posts will go live as they are published each week):

One Simple Game to Increase Your Child’s Self Control 

3 Ways a Nightly Clean Up Routine Builds Character

What College Admissions Scandals Can Teach us About Building Character

5 Chore Chart Ideas to Help Build Character

Building Your Child’s Character Through Prayer

Building Character During a Difficult Time

3 Easy Ways to Teach Time Management to Kids

Manners as Character Training in a World Gone Tech

3 Easy Ways to Teach Kids to Have More Patience

To kick off our new Mom’s Library series, we have an exciting giveaway for you!

Mom’s Library Giveaway

The winner of the giveaway will receive the following:

5 Family Packs of their Curriculum and a Songbook and CD by Character First Education (Value: $94.94)

Blue Manor Character Book Set by Blue Manor Academy (Value: $46.99)

1 year of Lesson Planning by LessonTrek (Value: $60)

Promies of YHWH Copywork book by With the Huddlestons (Value: $7)

Child Training System by Character Badges (Value: $35)

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here for more articles in the Mom’s Library Series!

The post 15+ Simple Ways to Build Character in kids! first appeared on True Aim.

Chipmunk Charity

This ornament was inspired by a story from the Big Book of Character. Here is a little summary and why these acorn ornaments are so special!

There once was a busy Squirrel who was hard at work collecting acorns for the winter. As he was searching he bumped into something. At first he thought it was just a rock, but then he heard the sobs of a chipmunk. All of chipmunks food she had stored was stolen by a racoon and she didn’t know what to do. Squirrel was too worried about himself to help, but he assured her someone would probably help her and scurried off to hide his bounty. As he stuffed acorns into a hole in a tree stump, he worried that the chipmunk might have followed him and spied his secret hiding place. He thought he should secure it with a large rock, but as he was moving it another animal was watching.

Racoon offered his assistance to Squirrel and proceeded to lift up the rock and eat all of the acorns! Poor squirrel watched in dismay and gave up all hope of surviving winter after that. He laid down and closed his eyes as the first snow started to fall. There was a light blanket covering him as who would happen to bump into him, but Chipmunk!

Will she leave him to fend for himself like he did to her? I think you can guess, but if you want to read the whole story, you can download it for just 1 dollar or buy the whole collection of 5 different stories in paperback. Each story features reflection questions and a Bible verse or two that goes with the story. Like Hebrews 13:16 for Chipmunk Charity, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Kid Made Acorn Ornament

Before I came up with this one, I had the kids try to make an ornament with yarn, glue and balloons. Let’s just say, it didn’t go so well. So, I came up with this one on a whim. Pipe cleaners and wooden beads were the only things left in my craft drawer that went together and I love how the acorn ornaments turned out!

They are so easy and just gorgeous. Definitely a memorable ornament for your Christmas tree.

To prepare for the craft, you’ll need to cut the pipe cleaners. You’ll need one full length pipe cleaner for the acorn cap and one cut about 3/4ths length. The 3/4ths length pipe cleaner will be the one that the kids put beads on. You can also cut some short pieces to decorate the acorn cap if you’d like, but you don’t have to.

You may want to try and make a model ornament first so your children can see an example. Have your kids string the beads onto the 3/4ths length pipe cleaner, leaving room on both ends to attach to the cap.

Form the cap of the acorn ornament by putting both ends together and twisting about 2 inches down for the stem. Then put your thumb and pointer finger in between the folded part of the pipe cleaner and extend your fingers to make an elongated oval shape.

Attach the shorter, beaded pipe cleaner to the acorn cap by twisting the end onto the bottom. You can then add shorter pieces of pipe cleaners to decorate the acorn cap.

Hang the kid made acorn ornament on your tree and remind your children that no matter how little we have, we can always share it.

What to see more kid-made ornaments inspired by books?

Check these out:

Teach Beside Me – Christmas Music Tree

The Life of Jennifer Dawn – Patchwork Ornament

Kitchen Floor Crafts – Polar Bear Ornament

Arty Crafty Kids – Twig Christmas Tree

10 Days of a Kid-Made Christmas Series!

The post Teach About Charity with Kid Made Acorn Ornament first appeared on True Aim.

Definition

Verse

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ” Luke 16:10

Activities

Let’s Talk About Honesty

• Trust is the consequence of honesty.  Broken promises break people’s trust.  Explain what promises are and why they should not be made if they cannot be kept.
• Play a game.  Ask your child why they should follow the rules of the game.  Ask them how they would feel if someone cheated to win the game.
• Loss of Privilege. If you children are dishonest, take a privilege away that directly relates to what they lied about.  For example, if they ate a treat without asking, do not allow them to touch the treat jar or go into the pantry until they regain your trust.
• God Knows.  Remind them that even if they lie and don’t get caught, God knows everything they do, both good and bad.  He is watching them all the time.

Have any tips on teaching children about Honesty?  Please leave a comment!

Books that Teach Honesty

George Washington and the Cherry Tree

This classic tale of honesty has a profound impact on young children.  They want approval from their parents and this story shows exactly how they can get it.  This version is for Kindle and includes real photographs with 3D characters.  You can also find the story for free here.  Ages 4+

 

 

Character Book set

Strong character and social finesse are essential for success in life.  The books included in this set will teach your children to act in accordance with Biblical virtues, like: love for God, respect for authority, hard work, self-discipline, personal accountability, and an awareness and concern for others.

These books give parents practical ideas for fostering these virtues in their children’s day to day lives. We have also included Responsibility Charts that help help parents systematically introduce chores and responsibilities to their children.

 

Halfway Herbert

Herbert always leaves things unfinished.  He tells a “half-truth” and learns why honesty is the best policy.  In the end he decides to follow God with all his heart.  Ages 4+

 

 

Activities That Teach Honesty

 

Honesty Bank

Give your child a small container to use as an Honesty Bank.
Give them a penny or other item when they are being honest.
Take pennies away when they are dishonest.
When they fill up their bank allow them to do something special.

The Tower of Trust

When talking about Honesty, use blocks to show how trust is gained and lost.
Tell your children to think of the blocks as times they have been honest.
As you build the tower, ask your children for examples.
They cleaned their room right away after being asked.
They returned a toy they accidentally took from their friend.
They told the truth when asked if they hit their sibling.
Show them what happens when they are dishonest and
pull a block from the tower for each example you give until the tower falls.
Point out how much effort it took to build the tower,
but just like trust, it didn’t take long to destroy it.

(Contains affiliate links)

 

Practice Honesty When Receiving Gifts

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The post Values for Children: Teach Honesty first appeared on True Aim.

What is confidence?  This is an important question to consider before we start to teach our children. The answer will help you discover the right way to instill this valuable trait.  Dusty, the main character in Disney Planes displays a great example of the confidence I want to instill in my children.

For our family, confidence is NOT thinking highly of ourselves. It’s NOT thinking that we can do anything we want. Confidence is being sure of our beliefs and knowing our abilities, our strengths and weaknesses.

We start teaching our children confidence at a very young age. Our son is 2-years-old and each day brings new opportunities to help cultivate character.

I Can’t Do It

How many times has your child said this phrase?  Sometimes I let my children say it.  I let them struggle, get frustrated and work out a problem on their own without intervening.  Overcoming that I-Can’t-Do-It situation on their own can quickly build confidence.

In Disney Planes, Dusty exemplifies this struggle principal.  He doesn’t give up and keeps going even when thing start getting really tough.

Now I don’t do this for everything.  There are some things that they just can’t do because of their physical and mental restrictions.  This is also an essential part of confidence.  There are things that we will never be able to do and it wouldn’t be wise of us to struggle through it or even attempt to do it.  For example, I know that I will never be a professional basketball player, and most likely, my children won’t either.  We are just short people.

Part of having confidence is knowing our limits and that it’s wise to say “I can’t do it” or ask for help sometimes.  Again, Dusty knows when he can’t go on or needs some extra help from his friends.

Standing Your Ground

What you believe defines who you are.  If you believe that there is a fire in the room, you will act based on that belief.  If I started yelling that there was a fire, when you could see that their wasn’t one, you would also act based on your belief even though it was contrary to what I was saying.  You would stand your ground.

One thing that my children haven’t experienced yet is defending their beliefs.  This skill is part of my definition of confidence, so how do I start to cultivate this in my children when they don’t experience it?

I educate and make them practice.  We explain what is right and wrong to our children and help them remember through discipline and roll play.  Having clear consequences for their wrong actions does more to instill beliefs than anything else I can do.  After that, we sometimes describe situations and ask them what the right thing to do is.

This is my favorite thing in the #PlanestotheRescue Movie.  No matter what other people are doing, Dusty stands up for what he believes is right.  He puts other people ahead of his own well being and isn’t afraid of being ridiculed for it.

That’s how I want my son to act, but I know it will take a lot of work.  So I start with the little things at 2-years-old like sharing his favorite new Planes toy that we got at Walmart or putting on his shoes by himself, climbing some rocks…

falling down…

and getting back up to try again.

Make sure you check out Disney’s Planes Fire & Rescue in theaters July 18th!

The post Disney Planes: Inspiring Confidence in Young Children first appeared on True Aim.

There were the obvious comments of, “Does she stay at home with you?” or “Is she just really shy?” After this class we tried again the next week, but she was unwilling to return to her usual favorite class.  As I pondered the questions that other mothers had asked, I came to the realization that homeschooling her was not the culprit; it was the advantage.

Sure, she wasn’t “socialized” in the school setting, but I realized the issue was not socialization but perseverance.  Rather than allow the doubt of a very popular argument against homeschooling to seep in, I decided to let homeschooling do what it does best – Evaluate the need of the child and work around the clock to build steadfast character to sustain against the trials of life.

Our daughter had been faced with something that challenged her and rather than push through and continue, it was easier for her not to go to class.  I adjusted our lessons last week to allow time to teach, demonstrate and encourage the character quality of perseverance.

Rather than a quick pep talk before class, I was able to tie perseverance to almost all of our different subjects, speaking truth and worth into her heart and mind, and shaping a very beautiful week for our entire family.  Here are the steps we used to teach perseverance:

5 Easy Steps to Build Perseverance

1. Validate Emotions and Teach Perseverance

   Having emotions or realizing that something is challenging is ok. It’s our job as parents to direct our kids how to respond to these emotions.  If you struggle to find the right words to say, remember that God’s words are the ultimate truth.  Search His words for guidelines to direct your children. We summed up an easy definition of perseverance with our kids that says, “I can do it, even when it’s tough.”

2. Give them personal examples

   Relate to their emotions and be vulnerable. It creates such a strong bond when we as parents can talk about our own victories and failures. What a great treasure it is to have the availability all day long to take advantage of these moments with our kids.

3. Show them perseverance through an activity

   I started out with a small activity where I had them each pretend to lift colored pencils in each hand as if they were weights. We talked about the ease of it and how it didn’t really require any perseverance. Then I switched out the pencils with real weights and had the kids repeat the same number of reps.  This time they got tired before the end of it.  I reminded them that perseverance is saying “I can do it, even when it’s tough.”  They laughed their way through as it became a game for them to see who could persevere the longest!

4. Constantly encourage them. Be their biggest cheerleaders!

   Constantly remind your kids about the lessons and the meaning of perseverance.  Speak words of encouragement and truth into them.  As dance class was approaching I told my daughter that I was proud of her and that these lessons that she was learning were far more valuable than any dance move she could learn.  That God was more concerned with her heart than her pointed toes.  I reminded her that I was her cheerleader.  As homeschooling moms we have the privilege and honor to speak valuable words and a sense of worth into our children all throughout the day.  Take advantage of those opportunities!

5. Recognize and Reward them!

   Recognize when you see your kids using perseverance and reward them.  A simple high five or encouraging word goes a long way.  But, for some areas where you know showing perseverance is a BIG deal for them, let them know you see it by making it a BIG deal.  Always remember to celebrate victories!

As we came into the dance building this last week our daughter not only walked right in, but she grabbed the hand of a little girl crying and led her into the circle to dance.  Her compassion helped her overcome fear and she was ready for the challenge.

The classroom door shut and she glanced up at me waiting for a reassuring smile.  As I smiled I knew she not only understood the lesson I was teaching, but that I was there just as I’d promised – her biggest cheerleader.

As a family, we put together a surprise for her to reward her perseverance.  My husband and son showed up to surprise her with a certificate of perseverance and flowers.  She was able to pick a place to eat and had her choice of a movie rental.

She still talks about it being one of the best nights…. and it was! What an incredible joy to see the fruit of discipleship that homeschooling allows us to have with our kids!

 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because having stood the test that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those that love Him.” James 1:12

The post Building Perseverance in Kids first appeared on True Aim.

It happened when I was hosting a baby shower for my cousin.  I looked across the room and saw Audrey in the arms of a guest.  She was a little shy back then and it took a little before she warmed up.  Soon, she was smiling, giggling, and having a great time.

I couldn’t believe what she did next!  I watched Audrey grab the woman’s zipper on the front of her shirt and zipping it up, she exclaimed, “You’re shirt is low.”

The woman was very gracious and said, “You’re probably right my dear,” and laughed.  I guess I should have taught Audrey more about social etiquette.

Even though I was as red as a beet, I was extremely proud.  Who knew a 2 year old could internalize habits even adults struggle with?

Modesty is Important

While I work hard to instill the value of modesty in my girls, the world makes it hard to do.  Sex sells.  Now, shorter is better and less is more.  Many believe that modesty is unnecessary for little girls; only perverts would look at them inappropriately.

However, modesty is important because it’s about priorities.  It is a reflection of the heart.  “Do you not know that your bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

Let’s remember, as our creator and savior, God has given us a body and has made it pure.  If we want our little girls to grow into young ladies that honor God, we must be vigilant.  If we teach our little girls NOW that the way they dress affects who they are, and the people around them, we can help develop in them a healthy attitude toward beauty and appearance.

3 Ways to Practice Modesty

Here are three ways my little ladies and I practice modesty.

1.  Put Some Pants On!

Sometimes it is better to take preventive measures than have accidents happen.  For example, I was constantly telling my girls to keep their dresses down, or not to hang upside down in their dresses, or to close their legs when they are wearing a dress and on and on.  My girls love wearing dresses.  So now, instead of correcting constantly, we just wear pants or shorts under our dresses.  I like to too, because I don’t have to be so self conscious about accidentally showing everyone my underwear.

2.  Complimenting True Beauty

I make a point of telling my girls that they’re beautiful, but I don’t just leave it at that.  I tell them why they are beautiful.  It isn’t about their complexion or features, but about what I see in their heart.  They are beautiful because they have good manners, love God, and care about others.

3.  Asking for Help

Sometimes I ask my daughters for help when choosing an outfit.  This gives me the opportunity to talk about why I wear what I do and see if they can catch if something I’m wearing is immodest.  Another great opportunity for this discussion is at the store.  I’ll ask my daughters to show me an outfit that they like and try it on to see what they think!

Do you teach your little girls about modesty?  I’d love to hear how!  Please leave a comment.

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Modesty Unit Study

It’s the Heart, Not the Hemline is a 5 week unit study on modesty from a biblical perspective for girls ages 8-14 years old. This study includes detailed daily lessons, scripture memory exercises, craft and activity prompts, as well as parent/child journals all offering a solid foundation leading towards wisdom in modesty.  KJV and ESV translations are both included.

The post Values for Children: Modesty first appeared on True Aim.

Welcome to Mom’s Library!

Filled with parenting tips, activities for young children, craft, devotionals, recipes, and more!

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Make sure you check out last week’s Mom’s Library for 7 Just for Fun Activities

This week’s Giveaways!

A Lifetime Membership to Enchanted Homeschooling Mom

This members only site has over 260+ Educational Printables including curriculum, unit studies and activity packs.  You don’t want to miss your opportunity to enhance your children’s learning program!  Sign up today, or enter to win!

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This Week’s Featured Posts…

Mom’s Secret Weapon: Busy Bags

These mini activities are educational and keep your children out of trouble.  If you have squabbling siblings or a bored bumpkin, save these for those special times when you need to get things done, or just need a break.  If you teach multiple children at home, these are a must have!

The Complaining Game

No one likes complaining.  It makes everyone unhappy.  If your family is experiencing a lot of whining and complaining lately, try this game!  It would be perfect for a road trip, at the restaurant, or when visiting friends or relatives.  Cheers, to less complaining and more contentment!

Tame the Toys: Organize!

Isn’t this closet a dream?  In this post, you’ll learn the steps to create a inviting and organized space like this.  Don’t worry about spending a lot of money on bins, just use empty diaper boxes covered with decorative paper.

DIY Obstacle Course

I love this idea for making your own tire obstacle course.  Exercise is my best parenting tip for days when your kids are being overly disobedient, fighting with siblings, or just have high energy.  You could even bring this idea indoors by pressure washing, or giving the tires a good scrub.

Paying Your Children Allowance 

There are a lot of different opinions out there on giving children an allowance.  We give our very young children an allowance.  But, we make it clear that an allowance is a privilege.  There are certain things that our children just have to do around the house whether they get paid for it or not.  Do you give your children an allowance?

Get Free Books

As parents, we are always looking to save our family money.  But, we also want to provide plenty of educational materials for the family to read.  Besides your library, here are some great ways to fill the bookshelves with Free books!

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The post 6 Awesome Parenting Tips and Mom’s Library #58 first appeared on True Aim.