How to Teach Loyalty
Teaching your children loyalty helps them value their family, stand up for those in need, and make friendships that last a lifetime.
Up next in How to Instill Good Values in Kids (18 videos)
Teach your children good values with the help of these Howcast videos.
You Will Need
- Discussions
- A good example
- Teachable moments
- Slogans
- Stories and fables (optional)
Steps
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Step 1
Define it
Talk about the meaning of loyalty with your kids and why it is a virtue.
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Stories from Aesop's Fables for younger children, or novels and movies such as The Outsiders for older ones, can help teach the concept of loyalty.
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Step 2
Be a good example
Set a good example of loyalty, for instance by standing up for your family when they are mistreated and following through on your commitments.
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Step 3
Use teachable moments
Look for teachable moments with a moral about loyalty or disloyalty, such as when your child shows school spirit, does something patriotic, or is betrayed by a friend.
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Reminding your child how they feel when others treat them with loyalty may help inspire them to be loyal in return.
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Step 4
Use slogans
Repeat catchy slogans about loyalty that your kids will remember, such as, "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold."
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Step 5
Fine-tune
Help your children fine-tune their understanding of loyalty by trying to explain that keeping some types of wrongdoing a secret is not true loyalty, but false loyalty.
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Dr. Seuss' first classic book about the loyal elephant Horton, titled Horton Hatches the Egg, was first published in 1940, and its sequel, Horton Hears a Who, was published in 1954.
