School is a child’s second home. Students spend a large part of their lives in schools (regardless of what their parents teach them at home). Teaching children responsibility in the classroom is very important. By teaching kids responsibility in the classroom, you are actually teaching them to be responsible at home and in the community as well. This is a life skill that our children should practice throughout their lives.
As children get older, they are more willing to accept greater responsibilities. Parents should assign responsibilities to their children and expect them to do some things themselves. Not handing over some responsibilities to the child makes him spoiled and makes him get his desires easily over time and he becomes an expected and spoiled person. Teaching students to be responsible for their actions and possessions leads to the development of good manners in adulthood. The importance of this subject is so great that it is considered an essential life skill and should be taught in schools.
What do we mean by responsibility?
We all want our children to know the importance of responsibility. We also want them to develop good habits and strengths and to act in this way in their daily lives. Responsibility includes learning the following:
- Respect others and express your sympathy for them
- be honest
- Show courage for your principles and beliefs
- respect yourself
- Pay attention to your needs and the needs of others
Children must respect and show concern for the welfare of others as part of being responsible. Empathy comes from trying to see things from other people’s point of view and knowing that their feelings are the same as ours.
Obedience versus responsibility
Parents often confuse obedience with responsibility.
Most parents want their children to do what they want, follow orders and abuse their authority in front of them. But that does not mean taking responsibility!! These behaviors are classified as obedience.
Benefits of teaching responsibility to children
1- We do not raise children, but we raise future adults
Our children are the adults of the future. We all have to try, fail, and learn throughout life. Children need the opportunity to exercise during their childhood.
Failure to teach children responsibility makes us unable to deliver good and capable adults to society. In fact, the most important task for parents is to raise useful adults for the future, and in order to succeed in this task, it is necessary to teach the child to be responsible.
2- Children learn to get feedback
By teaching accountability, children learn how to take notes. They also learn how to treat feedback as positive and constructive criticism. We should not scold and blame the child for every mistake, we should get him used to constructive feedback. Teaching children responsibility starts with teaching them how to do things and get them right when necessary.
3- The child learns not to underestimate himself
By teaching children to be responsible, we already have confidence in their abilities and know that they can handle the tasks assigned to them. Some parents may think that delegating work to a child is a form of selfishness and strictness, but by doing so they send a message to their children that they are not able to do their work and duties.
4- The child can manage things in his own way
Children who learn responsibility manage things their own way. In fact, parents should leave a set of school or office supplies and books for their children. By doing this, the child learns not to forget and not to entrust his duties to others.
Methods of teaching responsibility to students
Teaching students responsibility not only makes education easier, but also prepares them for success in life. But how do you teach students to be responsible? Here are some suggestions you can use:
1- Model
Practice accountability together. You can think of the place as a classroom and teach your child how to collect things, put them in a bag, etc. Modeling tasks teaches children how to do things.
2- Prepare an interactive notebook
An interactive notebook is an educational tool used to introduce classroom content. As the teacher teaches, each student creates a notebook that presents new information and ideas. In fact, interactive notebooks are a learning manipulation tool. Interactive notebooks can be a great tool for teaching students responsibility and teaching them to do their homework.
3- Teaching the child the different jobs in the classroom
Classroom jobs aren’t just about being a commentator or keeping the kids quiet. You can teach students responsibility for tasks such as going to school, managing class supplies and books, avoiding outside distractions, and helping the teacher.
4- Be a role model for your child
Children learn and imitate. Children learn from what the people around them do. Take the example of a clean, exemplary classroom. Express duties and jobs required in class with a positive attitude and a smile. Children naturally want to help, and hearing that you happily did class work as a child will make them imitate you and teach them to view responsibility and organization as a positive experience.
5- Reward your child
To show the importance of being responsible, reward your child once in a while to encourage him to keep doing things.
6- Assist students in performing their tasks
Instead of doing all the work for the child, help him with the tasks. Also, don’t get frustrated by doing things incorrectly or taking too long to do them, instead try to be patient and give your child positive feedback. You can teach students how to do better next time and help them when needed.
7- Show your child the consequences of every action
Is the child’s desk dirty? Does your child leave his books and things on the floor untidy?
Show your child the consequences of irresponsibility and lack of discipline. Confront students if they are not doing their homework or are slacking off. For example, explain to the children that they do not have the right to play or go out until work is over. Instead, reward the child if he does his homework on time, is active and attentive in class, and does his homework! Rewarding does not necessarily mean material gifts, but it can also be done verbally and expressing feelings.
8- Explain the child’s duties and responsibilities clearly
Give clear instructions and make sure students know your expectations. If they know their duties, they can be responsible very well.
9- Talk about responsibility with the students
Talk to the students about goals and the importance of accountability. Explain why structure is important and why you are assigning specific tasks to each student. This makes students aware of what is expected of them and makes it easier for them to follow through on their commitments.
Read about: 6 main concepts of financial literacy for children and what should we teach at each age?
10- Correct your words
One of the wrong things that parents do is that they don’t choose the right expression to get their child to do the tasks. For example, they say, “How many times do I have to tell you to put your clothes on clothespins”! This way of talking makes your child feel frustrated or forced to do work. Instead, it is better to say, “Baby, please hang your clothes on a clothes peg whenever you go out,” so that your child understands that the first thing he should do when he comes home is to hang up his clothes.
11- Be patient
All kids love to splash. You have to accept that this is part of childhood. Instead of getting angry and frustrated, try to be a role model for your child and teach him the right way to order.
12- Turning work into a game
Remember that all children love to work collaboratively. For example, it might be fun for your child to wash the car with you on a hot summer day. Try to do things like this that make the child happy and cheerful with him.
13- Be humorous instead of strict!
Remain calm when your child repeatedly fails tasks. Don’t forget that too much advice or punishment rarely works or doesn’t work in the long run. Strictness does not cause discipline. Try being fun instead. Children this age want their parents to act like children.
14- Encourage the child to participate in team sports
Outdoor team sports such as soccer, netball, basketball, and volleyball are great tools for teaching children responsibility and allowing them to take responsibility for themselves and others. Team games build confidence and require the cooperation of all group members.
Membership in sports teams requires observing the rules and spending time and energy. This shows children the importance of discipline and effort.
Team sports also teach kids to follow the rules. In this way, children are expected to follow the rules of the game in order to participate in the game, just like their teammates.
15- Encourage the child to do artistic and written activities
Art and writing activities can be a great opportunity to help students explore their ideas about their actual responsibilities. Use graphic images such as cluster graphs, mind maps, and variety diagrams to encourage students to brainstorm and share ideas in class. Ask the students to draw, write poems and stories, and make figures that show their feelings about the topic. Dance and music can also be good ways for students to express their feelings.
16- Teach your child not to fail his homework
Complete the assignments on time and properly instills a sense of responsibility in the students. Teach students that under any circumstances, the first thing they should do is complete their homework. Don’t let them fail to do so.
17- Assigning group leadership to children
Assigning students to lead small groups in the school encourages a sense of responsibility. Using these styles of leadership and team collaboration can increase student responsibility in the classroom.
18- Encouraging the child to give a speech in the classroom
Just as the pieces of a puzzle fit together perfectly to provide the viewer with a complete picture, so students can become part of a puzzle in the classroom. Have each student research and learn about a specific topic, then collaborate with the rest of the class and share the information with their classmates. It encourages children to become more confident and feel useful in teaching different things to their classmates.
