Children today face growing academic, social, and emotional pressures that can impact their confidence, relationships, and overall well-being. While academic learning is important, children also need opportunities to build the life skills that help them navigate challenges, connect with others, and grow into compassionate, resilient individuals.
Character education helps meet this need by teaching positive traits such as kindness, perseverance, and citizenship through meaningful activities and real-world experiences. According to the U.S. Department of Education, character education helps students understand, care about, and act on core values such as respect, citizenship, and responsibility while learning the habits that help people live and work together in communities (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.).
The Charity for Change program focuses on nine essential character traits, helping elementary school-aged children learn through engaging and learning activities and charitable projects= that connect comprehension with positive action.
Citizenship: Helping Children Become Active Members of Their Communities
Citizenship means being a responsible and caring member of a community. For children, this can begin with understanding how their actions affect others at home, in the classroom, and in the world around them. Citizenship encourages children to become active participants who contribute positively, help others, and recognize that they can make a difference
Why Citizenship Matters
Teaching children about citizenship helps them develop a sense of ownership and responsibility for their roles in their families, schools, and communities. As Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in Good Citizenship: The Purpose of Education, education plays an important role in helping children understand their responsibilities to others while developing cooperation, teamwork, and consideration for those around them (Roosevelt, 1930).
The benefits of teaching citizenship include:
- Encouraging positive contributions
- Building confidence and self-efficacy
- Helping children find their voice
- Strengthening classroom and community connection
When kids learn how to care for others and contribute to their communities, they begin developing habits that can create a brighter future for everyone.
Simple Ways to Teach Citizenship
Families and educators can help children learn citizenship through hands-on, age-appropriate experiences, such as:
- Participating in community service projects like food drives or park cleanups
- Talking about current events in age-appropriate ways
- Encouraging responsibilities both in the classroom and at home
- Celebrating community traditions and patriotic holidays while discussing what it means to them, such as ‘what do you love about where you live,’ ‘how can we help our community,’ or ‘what makes a good citizen?’
When children see that their actions can positively impact others, they begin to understand the value of service, responsibility, and community involvement.
Perseverance: Helping Children Through Challenges
Perseverance is the ability to keep working hard and not give up, even when something feels difficult. For children, perseverance helps them learn how to face challenges with patience and determination. Whether they are learning a new skill, solving a difficult problem, or navigating social situations, perseverance teaches children that mistakes and setbacks are part of growth and success.
Why Perseverance Matters
Research shows that perseverance helps children develop resilience, focus, and a growth mindset. Instead of avoiding challenges, kids learn to keep trying and view obstacles as opportunities to learn (Haupt, 2024).
The benefits of perseverance include:
- Improved academic performance
- Stronger problem-solving skills
- Healthier social relationships
- Increased motivation and goal-setting abilities
Perseverance is a lifelong skill that prepares children for the future while helping them feel proud of their accomplishments.
Simple Ways to Teach Perseverance
Families and educators can encourage perseverance through activities that require patience, effort, and problem-solving, such as:
- Setting both short- and long-term goals, breaking them into smaller, manageable steps
- Using progress charts, journals, or sticker boards to track growth
- Encourage puzzles, building activities, and hands-on activities that challenge problem-solving
- Celebrate small achievements, while praising effort and persistence – not just outcomes
Children build confidence when they learn that success often comes from continuing to try, even when something feels hard.
Kindness: Helping Children Build Empathy and Positive Relationships
Kindness means helping others, showing compassion, and bringing happiness to those around us through caring actions and words. For children, kindness is more than simply “being nice.” It helps them develop empathy, emotional intelligence, gratitude, and social awareness – all essential life skills. Studies have found that kindness is closely connected to social connection and well-being for both the recipient and the person performing the act, making it an important life skill for children to develop (Cotney & Banerjee, 2019).
Why Kindness Matters
Research shows that kindness has a powerful impact on children’s mental health, social connection, and overall well-being while helping create a more positive and inclusive environment. Modeling and practicing kindness can help prevent bullying and reduce behaviors such as aggression, anxiety, and social disconnection (StopBullying.gov, 2021).
The benefits of kindness include:
- Higher self-esteem and self-confidence
- Reduced anxiety and lower stress levels
- Stronger friendships and social skills
- Decreased bullying and intolerance
When children practice kindness regularly, they begin to understand the value of empathy, inclusion, and compassion.
Simple Ways to Teach Kindness
Families and educators can help children practice kindness through daily activities and service opportunities. Simple ideas include:
- Encouraging self-kindness through positive self-talk
- Writing or drawing kindness resolutions to keep in a journal, on the fridge, or classroom bulletin board
- Baking treats for community helpers or collecting books and toys for children in need
- Participating in charitable projects and age-appropriate volunteer opportunities
These activities help children recognize that even small acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference.
Charity for Change Helps Children Build Character
By combining academics, character education, and service learning, the Charity for Change program helps students practice essential character traits in impactful ways while building their confidence, empathy, and resilience.
When children learn that their actions matter and can positively help others, they gain the tools they need to succeed not only in school but throughout their lives.
Discover how the Charity for Change program can be integrated into any learning environment by scheduling a free 15-minute demo.
Resources:
Cotney, J.L., & Banerjee, R. (2019). Adolescents’ Conceptualizations of Kindness and its Links with Well-being: A Focus Group Study. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships (Volume 36, Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407517738584.
Haupt, H. (2024). Helping Kids Persevere! HeatherHaupt.com.
Roosevelt, E. (1930). Good Citizenship: The Purpose of Education. Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project.
StopBullying.gov Editorial Board. (2021) Being Kind Helps Prevent Bullying. StopBullying.gov.
U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Character Education… Our Shared Responsibility. DOE website
