One of the biggest perks to homeschooling is the ability to teach your children important life skills, including character training. As children, they are constantly learning how to deal with life’s situations and much of what they learn during these years will be carried out into their adulthood. That’s why it’s important to focus on this area just as much (if not more than) the academics.
Why is Character Training Important?
Piggybacking on the word “training,” good character is something that must be taught, developed, and modeled. Truth be told, it’s a lesson for the parents as well, which can make it even more meaningful. Character training prepares children to have friendships and relationships in a variety of environments, with the most important one being those cultivated in their own homes.
Incorporating character development and training in your homeschool may seem like a hard task, but it doesn’t have to be. Since growth and development are already a natural part of life, adding in a character study can be just as natural. Below, I’m going to show you how easy it is to create a character unit study starting with honesty. (Psst… there will be 3 more posts in this series, each one focusing on a different character trait.)
Teaching Character in Your Homeschool: Honesty
Before beginning a unit study on anything, it’s a great idea to gather any materials, resources, and ideas that you would like to teach. You can also decide how long you’d like the study to last. Most unit studies like these can be accomplished in one to two weeks.
In this case, we’re looking at the honesty character trait, so let’s start with the definition of it-
Free of deceit and untruthfulness; sincere. (from Google dictionary)
You can also lookup the biblical meaning of honest (add the Greek and Hebrew for deeper learning)-
In principle, an upright disposition; moral rectitude of heart; a disposition to conform to justice and correct moral principles, in all social transactions. (KJV definition)
Use these definitions to help lay the foundation of what your children will be learning about. In addition to learning about the definition, you can have your children complete coloring pages, writing prompts, or copy work using Scripture.
Resources for Teaching Honesty
Scripture references (use these as memory verses, copy work, or as a daily devotional):
- Proverbs 3:27
- Proverbs 11:3
- Proverbs 16:28
- Psalm 37:7
- Matthew 5:8
- James 3:17
Teaching resources (for help creating lesson plans):
- 4 Ways to Teach Children About Telling the Truth (Moments A Day)
- Honesty Object Lesson (Future Flying Saucers)
Printable resources (activities that can be used for daily work, creating lapbooks, interactive notebooks, and more):
- Honesty for Kids: Free Printables for Family Dinner Book Club (Sunny Day Family)
- Printable Story About Honesty (My Silly Squirts)
- No Prep Worksheet and Activity Book (Miniature Masterminds)
- Honesty Printable Pack (Money Saving Mom)
Books about honesty (most can be found at your public library):
- The Colour Thief (Gabriel Alborozo)
- Creepy Carrots (Aaron Reynolds)
- A Day’s Work (Eve Bunting)
- The Empty Pot (Demi)
- Found (Jeff Newman)
- I Want My Hat Back (Jon Klassen)
- Kevn (Duncan Beedie)
Educational videos about honesty (use these to help reiterate what honesty is):
With these activities, books, lesson plans, and more – you’ll be able to plan a well-rounded unit study to teach your children about honesty.
I’d love to hear from you! Do you include character development in your homeschool? If so, let me know in the comments!
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