Activities are a great way to instill the values you are trying to teach your children. In this episode you will learn about three different activities you can do with your children to teach them about honesty.

The first is a game you can play anywhere. The children have to answer each statement true or not true. Ask simple questions
• The sky is pink
• The tree is green
• We see with our eyes
• We smell with our ears
• The milk we drink comes from dogs
• Eggs come from chickens

When they know the difference between true and not true, you can take it a step farther. Tell them that not true is equivalent to a lie.

• Take a piece of candy and eat it. Then say I didn’t eat the candy.
The next activity is after your children understand what is a lie, is to discuss with them the different times people lie and make a list. Here are some examples;

• Cheating on tests
• Cheating in a game
• Lying in sports so you can win
• Exaggerating
• Telling someone they look nice when they really don’t (flattery)
• Not telling the whole truth so that you won’t get in trouble
• Twisting the truth just a little so that it won’t sound so bad
• Lying to protect yourself
• Lying to protect someone else
• Not returning something to someone because you want it.

Now that you have your list, the last activity is to create another game. It is called the Consequence Game. Take an 8 by 11 paper and cut it into fourths.
On the front side of one of the pieces of paper, pick something from your list. For example, not returning something. Then think of a situation you can put on the front of the paper. You find $20 on the ground. You look around and see an old lady going through her purse looking for something. You go up and ask her if she has lost $20.

On the backside of the paper. She was looking for it and is so thankful to you for finding it for her. Because It was all she had till Friday, you walk away with a happy feeling inside.

Another piece of paper write You find $20 on the ground. You look around and see an old lady going through her purse looking for something. You quickly put the money in your pocket and walk away.

On the backside of the paper write. You are so excited you have $20 to buy whatever you want. Laying in bed at night you most likely feel terrible. What if it was the only money that lady had? You probably feel like a worm.

Show your children the tops of the paper and ask them to choose what their actions would be.

Turn it over and talk about the consequences of their actions and how their actions affect others and not just themselves. This is a great learning tool for your children to learn about choices, actions and consequences.

Children can learn much through games. It is a fun way to teach children about life without them realizing they are learning while having fun.

Emotional Charades is a game of charades that depicts a wide array of emotions. Start by writing different emotions on pieces of paper cut the paper up and place them in a bowl. Have each person choose a piece of paper with an emotion, then they use their face and body to express that emotion.

This is a great game, because it helps everyone learn how to be more aware of feelings and how to better read people. If a child can look at someone’s body and face and know what they are feeling, that awareness will help them in life. Understanding people is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your child, so play Emotional Charades!

The following is a list of emotions to help you to begin thinking and writing. Choose the ones most appropriate to your child’s age:

Hector is a shy crab that likes to hide in his shell. But, one night while he was sleeping, a flower grew on his shell. To him this was a terrible thing, so he tries everything to get it off, but it just grows and grows making him stand out more and more in the crowd. He is so miserable that he finally talks to the crowd that is following him and tells them to leave him alone. Instead of leaving him alone they start talking to him and he discovers he likes them.

There are two points to discuss with your child while reading this book. 

 What seems like a disaster turned into a blessing.

What Hector thought was the most terrible thing to happen in his life actually turned out to be a blessing. He had spent a long time trying to get rid of the flower. But that flower was a tool that helped him  get out of his shell and make friends.

Think of an incident that happened to you,  which at the time you thought was terrible but turned out to be a blessing. Tell your child about it and what it taught you.

My Experience

My mom moved 560 miles away from my dad after they were divorced. I was only 10 years old and this devastated me. But I learned how to make my home were ever I was. I discovered a love for traveling. I learned how to manage my way through airports which helped me  become confident and I learned independence. I realized that I didn’t need to rely on my parents and could go months without seeing one or the other.

It’s hard to make friends unless you emerge from your shell.

If you stay in a shell and hide you will never be able to make friends. How can you meet someone if you are hiding? It is easier to hide but we are made to have relationships. We will never truly grow unless we make the effort to connect  with others.

Take your child out and have him/her practice connecting with others by talking to adults they don’t know while in your presence. Teach them to give a handshake and to introduce themselves. It will help them get over the fears they have when they approach  another child or someone they don’t know. Remember, “Practice makes perfect”.  

Enjoy your time with your child while they are young. And remember that a great way to “Inspire-Your-Kids” is to read with them.

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When your child chooses to make goals, she is choosing to be successful. At first, making goals may appear to be a huge task. But making goals leads to smarter choices. Those choices will lead to smarter actions. These actions will lead to a successful life. There is no way to get around it; goals lead to success.

To explain goals to your child, log on to Yahoo Maps. Type in your address (Point A), then type in an address of a friend who lives in the same town (Point B), and print the map.

As you look at the map, you have several things to discuss with your child.  Is the map clear? Can you see a way to get from point A to point B? Or is it fuzzy? You need to have a clear picture of your goals, or you will never achieve them. It also is helpful if you can picture the end result, just as you can see point B on the map. 

Let’s look at the word MAP as an acronym to help us set our goals:

• Measurable – Can you measure how to get from your house to your friend’s house?
• Accomplishable – Is it something you can accomplish?
• Purposeful – Is going to your friend’s house something you want to do? 

As you help your child to set goals, help your child find the four elements. Goals should be something she can see, measure, accomplish and want to do.  Below are five areas in which most people set goals. Pick one of the areas of focus for a month. Then add a different goal every month.

Areas to focus on for making goals

• Family – Do you need more patience in dealing with a family member?
• School – Do you want to improve performance in a subject?
• Personal – Do you have something to improve in your life?
• Community – Is there someone you can help?
• Spiritual – Is there a scripture to memorize or a trip to take 

Here are examples from each area:

• Family – I will allow my younger brother to play with my friends and me five times this month.
• School – I will study five spelling words every school day.
• Personal – I will practice the piano four times a week for a half hour.
• Community – I will help an older person once a week.
• Spiritual – I will memorize a verse a week.

Are these goals clear? Do they state something your child can accomplish? Are they measurable (five times, four times, once weekly)? Is this something your child wants to do?

 As a parent, you can help your child to achieve her goals. If she has tried to accomplish too much, cut the number down. It is more important to re-evaluate and make a new goal achievable rather than stick to the old impossible goal. Setting goals might seem difficult, but the rewards are worth the effort.

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Balloons= humans. You can discuss how we are the same and yet how we are different especially if you use different balloons.

Good attitudes can be forgiving, loving, helping, sharing, giving, peace, happiness, or  joy.

Bad attitudes are seen by fighting, selfishness, hatred, hitting, not sharing, anger, unforgiveness, or bitterness.

Sun/light= pressures of life that produces the smells that come out of our lives.

The things that are inside of us will come out. People will see and smell our attitudes. By teaching this to children at a young age they will learn that their actions do matter even when no one is looking. We can’t get around it.

“Character is not inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action.” - Helen Gahagan Douglas

Spend some time playing a board game with your child. During the game stand up and tell your child, “I quit. I don’t want to play anymore.” Or if you are losing, say, “I can’t win, so why should I bother?”

Your kids will probably protest. Go back and finish the game then ask them the following questions:

• How did you feel when I quit?
• How did my actions affect you?
• Do you think that your actions affect others?
• Why is it important to see something to the end?
• Why shouldn’t you give up just because you are losing?
• Have you ever given up because you were losing?

Children learn when something affects them personaly. By doing this activity your child will become aware that our actions do affect others. During the week look for ways to bring up an incident were your actions or your child’s actions affected another person.

“Mom, I miss Ashton,” Isabella said as she slumped in the chair. “I want to visit her.”

“It will cost at least  $500 for the airplane ticket.”

A light shone in her eyes. “What if I pay for half the ticket. Could I go then?”

“If you can find the money for half the ticket, I’m sure I can find the money for the other half,” I replied. But I was thinking it would take a couple of years for a six-year-old to save $250.

Nonetheless, Isabella decided that she would visit Ashton in 10 months. For her birthday and Christmas, she asked for money that she could put toward her trip instead of presents.

She looked for opportunities.  Every time she entered a car she would scan the floor of the back seat. If she found a quarter, she would ask, “Can I have this quarter I found on the floor? I’m saving to visit my best friend in Arkansas.” The drivers wouldn’t even know a quarter was on the floor. They all replied, “Yes.”

In six months, Isabella had saved her half of the airplane ticket. She has set a seemingly impossible goal for a seven-year-old, but she accomplished it.

Goal Setting Steps

Here were her steps, and they can be yours, whatever your age and goal:

1. Setting a goal – To visit her best friend.
2. Problem-solving – She came up with the idea to split the cost with her mother.
3. Making a plan – To save all of her money.
4. Commitment -  She didn’t spending her money on candy or toys but she saved it for an airplane ticket.
5. Focus – She knew what she wanted, and she didn’t let anything stop her from achieving her goal.
6. Persistence – She kept asking for help. People wanted to help her realize her goal.
7. Achievement – She realized her dream at the age of seven when she walked on the airplane all by herself to visit her best friend. 

What is a goal your child wants to achieve? Sit down and follow these simple steps to help him/her set a goal and achieve it. You will be surprised what your child can do.

After your have set a goal have your child make a comment. Then as he/she accomplishes steps, have them make more comments. It will help them be accountable and it will be fun for them to see their comments on the web.

Have you ever heard, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts”? Here’s an experiment to do with your children that will prove just that.
Take three balloons that are the same size. Smash up some garlic and put it into one balloon, blow it up and tie it off. Put some perfume into another balloon, blow it up and tie it off. Blow up the third balloon and tie it off.

Next set the balloons near a light bulb. After a half hour, check to see if you can smell a difference between the three balloons. What is on the inside of the balloons, will begin to seep through the pores of the balloon and diffuse into the air.
Questions to ask your children:

What do you think the balloons represent? (Humans)
What do you think the garlic represents? (Bad attitudes, anger, bitterness, hatred)
What do you think the perfume represents? (Good attitudes, kindness, love, forgiveness)
What do you think the air represents? (Indifference, fence-sitting)
What do you think the light bulb/heat represents? (Tough times in life)

We might look the same, but inside of us is something that may smell bad, good or like nothing. During our lives, we will put off an odor. Sometimes it is faint, but when we go through tough times in our life, what is inside of us really comes to the surface.

When we learn to be kind, loving and forgiving, our pores produce a sweet aroma that will attract people into our lives. What kind of aroma do you want to produce today? What can you do to make sure you produce it?

Do the activity with your children and then come back and leave a comment on how it went.

Activity: The Power of Our Words

My children loved this activity. It helped them understand they can’t take back their words once they were spoken.

Let your children empty a tube of toothpaste onto a plate. (I bought the cheapest kind I could find.)  Have them play with it for a couple of minutes. (They will love it if you play in it as well.) Then ask them to put the toothpaste back into the tube. You can try different objects like a toothpick or spoon to help. Everyone helps clean up if there is a mess.

Were you able to get any of the toothpaste back into the tube?

The toothpaste represents our words. Once they are out of our mouths (the tube), it is impossible to put all of the toothpaste back (taking back what we have said).

Did the toothpaste just stay on the plate or did it go somewhere else?

If the toothpaste got on anything (your child and your fingers), it is just like our words affecting other people in addition to the ones we talked to.

Do the different types of toothpaste taste the same? (If you bought a cheap brand, have them taste some of it and compare it to the one you normally use.) Our words can leave a different taste with our friends depending on what types of words we use.

Questions to ask your child:

What kind of an effect can our words have on other people?

• What type of sweet words did you say today?
• What type of hurtful words did you say today?
• What type of caring words did you say today?

Our words have power in them. We can use our words to make someone feel good or bad. What is something good you can say to your friends or family members today?

Parents who are looking for ways to improve communication with children, often find help with a feeling chart.  Download one at:

http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/feeling_charts.htm

The chart includes pictures in the style of the happy face, except with enough variations to express dozens of different emotions. Young children do not always know the words to express how they are feeling. With this chart, parents can help children look at the different emotions reflected on the faces and then come to understand what they are feeling.

A great exercise is to ask your child pick out his or her emotions from the chart. Then take it a step further and ask your child to pick out your emotions. Or what emotions did their friend have when they were visiting?  How did their emotions affect your child?  How did your child’s emotions affect their friend?

By doing this activity, you are helping your child in two ways:

1. Giving them the ability to name their emotions 
2. Opening their eyes to people around them, their emotions and the  effect of emotions on other people.