10 Activities to Help Teach Students Respect
On Monday, our country will be celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Most people are aware of this, but how many of us actually do something to honor his memory? Martin Luther King Jr. inspired the human race to strive for equality among all people. He fought to make life fair for everyone, and did it in peaceful and respectful ways. His strong example of showing respect to everyone, even when he didn’t agree with them, gave people the faith and courage to keep working peacefully for their cause. We can honor his memory and keep his vision alive by teaching our students the value of respect. Knowing how to give respect is an important life skill; a skill that can and should be taught at home and in the classroom.
We often forget that kids are not born with a built-in sense of respect for others. While each kid is different, all kids need to be taught to be respectful. Kids naturally learn to manipulate their world to get their needs met. It’s our job as parents and teachers to teach them respectful ways of doing this. There are many ways people show respect. The more aware kids are of what those actions look and sound like, the more likely they are to model those behaviors in their daily lives.
10 Activities for How to Teach Respect to Students:
1. Every day this week give a sincere compliment to someone. Record this in your Success By Design planner. Each day you write down who you gave the compliment to and describe their reaction.
2. Look up the definition of respect. Write it down. Now describe ways you have acted respectfully or disrespectfully this week.
3. List three examples of ways you can show respect at school.
4. List three examples of ways you can show your respect at home.
5. Make a list of things that people who are respectful do. For example, hold the door open for someone who needs help, listen without interrupting, don’t talk back, etc.
6. Watch one of your favorite TV shows. Identify whether or not your favorite character was respectful. What did they do to demonstrate respect or their lack of respect?
7. List five ways you could show respect for our environment.
8. Identify someone in your life who you respect. List three things this person does that you respect.
9. Talk about a time when you felt you were disrespected. What could that person have done differently to keep you from feeling that way?
10. Think back to a recent time when you didn’t treat someone with respect. Describe the situation. How would you behave differently if you were given a chance to redo this situation?
At Success By Design, we know that when students are taught how to cooperate, work as a team, and respect others, they excel in their education. Let’s honor Martin Luther King Jr. by teaching our students how to treat others with respect. As Martin Luther King Jr. stated “the time is always right to do what is right”.
- SBD, Inc.