How To Teach Your Daughter To Be An Includer
How To Teach Your Daughter To Be An Includer
When you sit down to talk with your daughter about bullying, don’t forget to teach them the importance of being an includer. These are some great tips for how to teach your daughter to be an includer.
Life can be challenging for a young girl. Girls can be mean, and they tend to bully and tease other girls for things as small as their clothes to things beyond their control. While teachers will cover things like bullying and acceptance in school, they don’t always talk about the importance of including others. Here is how to teach your daughter to be an includer.
Related: Leadership skills to teach kids
Teach your child to reach out to others
When you talk to your daughter about not being mean to others, it’s important to remember that sometimes you can still be mean without directly saying anything to someone. Sometimes it’s in ignoring or choosing not to do something that we end up excluding others. Teach your daughter to recognize people being excluded and to reach out to others. It might help them point out to them scenarios and practice what they should say when these situations occur.
Lead by example
If you want your daughter to learn and actively remember to include others, lead by example! Do you include all your children whenever possible? Do you do this when you are talking with other moms in the carpool line at school? Pay attention to how you interact with others and ask yourself if you are leading by example for your own children. Our children pick up many of our habits without realizing it, so your children must see you as a role model and an excellent example of what they should be doing.
Teach your child about bullying
Bullying is just as much about what you say and do to others as what you choose to ignore, and this is important for your kids to learn. Teach your daughter that you can be hurting them without realizing it by leaving someone out or ignoring them. Sometimes bullying when it comes to girls isn’t saying hurtful things but choosing to make someone feel unwelcome or isolated instead. Teach your child to recognize mean girls and signs that they might be acting like one.
Help your child see the bigger picture
It’s hard for kids to look at someone sitting alone at lunch and get them to see the bigger picture. Your kids might be focusing on fitting in and being accepted by others in school but not how their actions will affect them long term. Share with them stories from your own childhood and how accepting others leads to something good for you later in life. Share with them these lessons that go beyond the schoolyard so they can learn to accept and include others throughout their lives.
Kindness can be so contagious, and even a small gesture like inviting a shy person to sit with you at lunch can have a lasting impact and a new friendship. While you teach your children about the importance of bullying, don’t forget to teach the importance of being an includer.
