Teaching your children to demonstrate value toward others is a vital step in developing key virtues, including self-control, compassion and benevolence. Here are a few tips:

Family first. Showing respect to others starts at home.

• Make sure your children play fair, take turns and honor Mom and Dad.
• Refrain from jokes that embarrass or belittle.
• Proper use of ”please” and “thank you” is a must.
• Children should ask to be excused rather than dashing away from the dinner table. Avoid TV programs that mock and ridicule in the name of comedy.

Model it. Let your children see you showing appreciation for others in everyday situations.

• When you take your children to the grocery store, let an elderly person cut in front of you at the checkout line.
• Be polite to the cashier.
• Instead of leaving your cart in an empty parking space, make a point of moving it to the corral. Explain to your child that by putting the cart away, you’re showing that you value others.
• The same principle holds true for them when it’s time to put away toys and games.

Instill empathy. When your children are rude or insensitive, make them aware that their behavior hurts the feelings of others and, in the end, could cost them their friends. Explain the significance of the Golden Rule: “Do to others what you would have them do to you.”

Create opportunities. After your children watch a rented or borrowed video, give them the all-important job of rewinding it. Tell them that this simple act is a way of showing value to the next person who watches the video. When your children grasp the significance of valuing others, try something more ambitious, such as volunteering at a soup kitchen or visiting a shut-in.