A caring child is more likely to respect adults—including teachers—and get along with peers. He is also more likely to be happy, since most people will return his kind treatment by treating him kindly, too.

Encourage your child to:

• Use kind words. Many will judge your child’s character by what he says. Mannerly words such as “please” and “thank you” show caring. So do words that reflect concern for how others are feeling. Examples: “That’s a cool truck,” when a friend has a new toy. Or, “Are you okay?” when a classmate falls.
• Have kind actions. Most young children are still selfish—this is developmentally appropriate. It may be harder for them to have kind actions than to speak kind words. Start with sharing and doing small jobs. When your child allows a friend to look at his new book, or takes his plate to the sink after a meal, he is displaying the kind actions that will make him a caring person.

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