Respect, courtesy, and sympathy form the backbone of early teen lives as they grow up with preparations for challenges ahead. Teaching pre-teens about respect, kindness, and empathy involves guiding students as pre-teens to understand the importance of valuing each other among themselves. Teachers, parents or caregivers need to set an environment or situation where everybody respects each other even at home and resolve any problem peacefully which will teach children to respect their parents first. Delhi Public School DPS Warangal, known as the best CBSE school in Warangal, Telangana, helps such values bloom into admirable, respectful citizens ready to face the world with sympathy.
Fostering confidence and respect in pre-teens
1. Building self-esteem:
Respecting others comes from a positive self-respecting attitude. The fundamental aspect of respecting others irrespective of age, class, caste, colour or orientation comes from within the feel-good vibe about personal self. Personal care and positive mental health while feeling good about themselves help pre-teens respect others with kindness, consideration and responsibility.
2. Celebrate achievements:
Encouraging pre-teens or appreciating others’ hard work and success in front of the pre-teen child is necessary as it grows a sense of accountability or positive mentality and teaches selflessness among them as a celebration not always about only one person, it can come from teamwork where everyone is important. Teamwork will teach fraternity and acceptance of others to a pre-teen child. It will boost their confidence. Praising their effort in school activities, academics, sports or any hobby or passion will lead towards bigger accomplishments. It will give them the recognition and validation that they are always looking for.
For example, if a child scores a goal in a football match in a school sport it is always good to praise their hard work, effort and teamwork. Being a team player requires a lot of experience, self-esteem, knowledge, conflict resolution and respecting the boundaries of others. The quality of being proud of the tribe without thinking about personal achievements is most intriguing.
3. Positive affirmations:
Teaching positive affirmation or positive self-talk is very necessary as it will structure the future of the children. Encouraging them to replace negative thoughts with positivity and affirmation about their abilities to perform big and gently even in a stressful situation can help the parents or teachers to have better adults in future. The feeling of being worthy of something even when not performing well is very essential to realise from early childhood as it will shape you into a better person in future.
As an example, being frightened about maths is a common problem among pre-teens and teenage children but saying – I am improving my mathematics skill day by day – will help the child to do better in academics or any other aspect of life.
4. Encourage independence:
Encouraging independence or taking responsibility has a vital role in teaching pre-teens to respect everyone even in a room full of strangers. Taking responsibility for their actions and decision-making power comes from this. It helps to develop a sense of control on the urge to push their own decisions on others. Allowing pre-teens to make their own choices based on their chances and circumstances gives them a sense of respect for their own decision and trusting instincts.
For example, letting them choose the outfit for the day or letting them decide the breakfast on weekends or how to spend their free time.
Promoting respect in daily interactions
- Using words like – “please”, “thank you” or “excuse me” will show simple manners yet powerful ways to show respect to anyone.
- Teaching pre-teens to understand, appreciate and respect the differences among others for cultural, racial or individual reasons is needed. Encouraging curiosity about different cultures and ethnicities through food, film, travel or celebrating cultural holidays can help to serve the purpose.
- Involving pre-teens in community service or activities will help to promote respect and aid others. This will foster a sense of belonging within the community. Working as a volunteer in a neighbourhood cleaning or helping to organise a charity program will help to grow pre-teen to learn about respecting others.
Real-life examples
- “Drop by drop is the water pot filled” by Buddha is right when building a good habit and manners. Real-life examples are helpful for pre-teens to understand respecting others and taking the right action for the best impact.
- Not only charity but good habits also begin from home. Being respectful towards their own family or any family, using respectful language, listening and communicating with each other and solving each other’s problems will help to learn discipline and respect among family members.
- Encouraging respect for school premises and their decorum and promoting kindness towards other students will build cooperation and treat everybody with equal respect. Standing up for the weak or stopping someone from being bullied by others will show them responsibility and accountability for their actions.
- With the advancement of digital media, social media is becoming a vulnerable but important aspect of life. It demands attention every day. Therefore, teaching students or preteens to respect people even online within a screen boundary or sitting behind a screen is important.
- It is easier to attack someone from behind a screen but not a nice behaviour, just to get attention and get ‘viral’ or be trending online. Adults have to teach preteens to remind them that online actions have real-life consequences. It is important to not post any harmful comments or disrespect someone online.
Supportive and encouraging environment
- Applying positive reinforcement, whenever the child respects someone or talks politely to others is essential. Whenever a child addresses a situation with understanding and empathy, encouraging it to be better will help the child to realise the consequences of the situation better, which will impact the future.
- Respecting others or having a positive self-respect mind-set is not a one-time option, it needs consistency and continuity. Maintaining a clear expectation for respectful behaviours in every situation will teach the pre-teen the importance of it.
- Establishing some ground rules to emphasise respectful behaviours will help to maintain consistency of good manners and behaviours. Fostering an environment, speaking kindly to each other, and respecting boundaries even at home is necessary.
- Regularly asking them about their day or listening to their judgement without judging them and valuing their fair opinion will help to build self-confidence and respect for themselves.
Teaching respect to a pre-teen is a never-ending process that requires patience, consistency, and positivity. It plays a crucial role in building self-esteem, fostering empathy, developing a positive mindset, and promoting respectful interactions in daily life. Real-life examples and well-structured supportive environments reinforce these lessons, enabling pre-teens to grow into respectful and compassionate individuals. The journey of teaching respect isn’t just about instructing or expecting; it’s about being a role model and creating a world where mutual respect is a fundamental value for everyone. At DPS Warangal, we strive to cultivate this environment, ensuring that our students not only learn the importance of respect but also embody it in their interactions with others.