How to Teach Kids Compassion in Your Homeschool

How to Teach Kids Compassion in Your Homeschool

The next principle of success we are going to talk about is compassion. 

Now I will admit to you right now I do not use the word compassion every day, but I do try and instill it into my children. 

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There is a plethora of hurting people in the world.  So how easy is it to find an opportunity to show compassion? 

It is super easy if you’re looking.  Acting on the opportunity, now that is a different story.

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Teach Kids to Look For Opportunities to Serve

The first thing we do to instill compassion in our kids is to include on their dream boards ‘who they want to help’. 

This gives them bigger projects of helping people to work towards, but also it gets them thinking about who else to help, so that when small opportunities arise they recognize and jump on them.

Here is a prime example of my kids recognizing a need and filling that need. 

Serving Their Neighbors

There was one neighborhood in which we lived in which the HOA was like the HOA in the movie “Over the Hedge”.

We had probably 20 little tiny weeds in our yard (we’re talking 1 or 2 inches) and we received a notice from the HOA to get them taken care of.

My children had a couple of friends on the street whose house had way more weeds than we had. My kids realized that if we got a notice and had to pull weeds, their friends for sure got a notice about their weeds. 

So my kids organized a workforce between them and went to their friend’s house to pull the weeds. 

This was true compassion in action. 

The pulling the weeds was great but greater still was the fact that they recognized a need and filled that need without thought of reward or payment.

So how did we get our kids to that point where they just notice and act on the problems around them?

This has been a part of our homeschooling. 

I often have projects around the house that I can assign to them.  I have them apply the math or write research papers in advance to proceeding with the project. 

Unfortunately, I don’t always have a project that coincides with the subject needed to be learned, so we find neighbors we can help.

We’ll find barns that need painting so we can figure out the square footage mathematically.

Or we will find someone who needs a get well soon card and instead of buying one, we will write them and put art on them ourselves.

There are all kinds of ways to teach kids using projects and if the project is for someones else then you are also teaching them compassion.

Sometimes we do hypothetical compassion. 

What I mean by this is we see a problem and explain it to the children and ask them to brainstorm ideas to fix the problem. 

The clever ideas that have popped out of my kid’s heads have blown me away.  This once again gets them thinking but also gets the problem solving and innovative ideas flowing. 

Usually, it just takes an idea and my kids will follow through with it as far as they are able. 

Why do they do that with just an idea? Because they don’t view anything as impossible so therefore it can and must be done.

Compassion in the Family

Compassion is something that can be practiced heavily in the family. 

If someone needs your help you should be all over the chance to be that person who helps. 

Keep pointing out the opportunities to your kids. The ones who jump on these opportunities will be the ones who thrive the most.

3 Natural Benefits of Teaching Your Kids Compassion

1. A compassionate person will naturally turn into a good leader.
2. A compassionate person will naturally gain good people skills.
3. A compassionate person will continuously figure out ways to make the world a better place – for a few as well as for many.

Compassion as Part of Your Homeschool Curriculum

I would recommend a service project on a regular basis be a part of every homeschool curriculum.  This will give your kids the opportunity to think of others outside their own families. 

The projects don’t need to be big or far away from where you live.  They can and should often be small and right across the street. 

If you can’t come up with anybody to serve, then I would say you are either new to the area or you have not taken enough time to get to know your neighbors. 

There are always people you can help, and guess what? So can your kids! 

If your kids don’t have the skill needed to help for a particular project, then I guess you know what’s next on the homeschool learn list. 

Young kids tend to love to help and they will continue to do so if they are shown the happiness that can come from serving those around them.

Be compassionate and teach compassion, not just as an elusive concept but in action and deed.

10 Days of Success Principles for Kids

You’re on day 8 of our 10-day series of tips for homeschooling moms.

Want to see what we are talking about for the rest of the 10 days? I’ve posted that list below for you! Links below are live and able to be read now.

1. The Family is the Life Force of Society
2. How to Have Faith in Your Homeschool
3. Teaching Kids Prayer in Your Homeschool
4. Teach Kids to Improve and Be The Best They Can Be with Repentance in Your Homeschool
5. Teaching Kids Forgiveness in Your Homes
6. Teaching Kids Respect Sets Them Up For Success
7. How To Teach Kids About Love
8. How to Teach Kids Compassion in Your Homeschool – this is where you are now
9. How to Teach Kids to Work Hard and to Work Smart
10. Family Fun is Important for Successful Kids