Begin Teaching Good Character (Ages 3-6)Character building is important to teach to children ages three to six. The Character Charts give you a fun way to teach these traits to your children. Before starting, talk with your children and explain what is expected of them. Let them know that every time you see them displaying the character traits listed on their chart, they will get a sticker or mark. If you are not printing the chart, then you can choose any symbol or letter available on your keyboard. Options other than stickers can be stampers, magnets, or hand-drawn symbols, such as a star.
Character trait expectations can be added to the chart depending on what trait you want to focus on. We provide a listing of Character Trait Expectations to choose from if you wish. Be sure you make an effort to observe your child demonstrating the character traits listed on the chart. Praise your child as you mark their chart, either manually on a printed chart or digitally on a computer. “Connor – I love how you listened when I asked you to pick up your toys.” For some children, the chart and compliments will be enough to modify and reinforce their behavior. Other children may need more of an incentive. For example, if they get five marks, they get 10 extra minutes of special play time with a parent. See our list of Incentive Ideas that are easy and fun. Character expectations can be added or removed from the chart as your child’s behavior evolves. We suggest you keep a character expectation on the chart at least long enough for your child to see success. You may want to change the character expectations as you see behaviors you want to modify. Make sure you talk with your child about changes you make to the Character Chart. If you prefer to use the charts on your computer (instead of printing), all you have to do is save the chart and open in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Add your character traits just like mentioned above. Instead of adding a sticker, just pick any symbol or letter available on your keyboard. At the end of the day, you can click the button to clear the symbols and start over the next day. Charts can be used over and over, and all you have to do is change the expectations. Begin teaching character today to help your child gain essential life skills! Ages 3-6 Ages 5-13 |