40 Family Rituals that Teach Responsibility, Kindness and Compassion to Kids

As a parent, we always want the best for our children. We want them to study well, go to college and be successful. But more than that we want them to be better and more responsible human beings. For we know it very well that life will be tough, and good things won’t be served to them on a silver platter. They have to be mature, responsible, and accountable and at the same time a kind human being who remains uncorrupted by the evils of the world.

We can of course give them a pep talk. But it won’t be much of a help if they don’t know what to do. Family rituals can be an ideal way to not only teach them values and responsibility but bond as a family. So, if you want nothing else but for your child to be responsible, kind, and compassionate, here are all the rituals you can follow.

40 Family Rituals that Teach Responsibility, Kindness and Compassion to Kids

Here are 40 family rituals that teach responsibility, kindness, and compassion to kids:

To teach responsibility

1. Dividing chores between family members to promote accountability and responsibility in kids. You can reserve the easiest for children. For instance, something as simple as hanging out clothes to dry, clearing tables, placing napkins. For adults, chores like setting up the table, making a dish, doing laundry, etc. 
2. Being responsible for their own chores. Encourage every member to do their own chores – whether it
   

   • Save
   is washing their dishes, doing their laundry, etc.
3. Doing chores together. Not only would it improve coordination and develop team spirit, but it will also promote accountability and responsibility. These activities can include baking a cake together or cooking a yummy delicacy for dinner. One can also take responsibility such as chopping veggies; another person can take charge of frying the vegetables.
4. Money-saving together – One person responsible for grocery shopping another for monitoring the bills and so on. Also encourage them to save money in every category of expense.
5. Preparing for Christmas together. One person can be in charge of the décor, another can be in charge of baking, and so on.
6. Arrange camping trips together. This will encourage problem-solving skills that would help build responsibility.
7. If your children are old enough, you can include them in your trips to banks, to also make them learn about banking and money management.
8. Arrange picnics, and divide the responsibilities in between. One can work on music, another can work on food and games, and so on.

 

To teach Kindness

9. Volunteering at charity centers or orphanages together.
10. Take some food items such as cookies and bread to give out to the homeless on your drive out. Every member of the family can be responsible for carrying these food items every time you all go out.
11. Do not throw away things after a session of decluttering. Donate the things to charity and orphanages.
12. Packing lunches in extra quantities for your kids to encourage sharing.
13. Sending out sweet messages to loved ones.
    

    • Save
14. Always sharing food with family members.
15. Donating a small part of pocket money/salary to those in need.
16. Have a session of story-telling. You can also pick the ones that spread the message of kindness. Let each family member do that.
17. Encourage everyone to share one good deed they did this month.
18. Doing something nice for each other. For instance, saving them an extra slice of pizza.
19. Picking movies that uphold kindness as a value.
20. Watching a random movie or series. And also picking out instances of kindness together.
21. Practicing affirmations together such as “My goal for the day is to be kind to the people around me.”
22. Share childhood stories. Recall instances when someone had been extremely kind to you.
23. Writing out thoughtful wishes for Christmas cards together.

 

To teach compassion

24. To encourage forgiveness every time a family member makes mistakes. (However, it might not always be a clean slate.) Encourage forgiving unintentional mistakes.
25. Arranging surprise birthday parties for closed ones.
26. Make handmade birthday gifts together for loved ones.
27. Feeding animals together as a family every time you go out.
28. Encourage hugging when you find someone crying.
29. Being a good listener to each other’s problems as a family. 
    

    • Save
30. Practice gratitude together every night.
31. Pray together.
32. Pray for somebody whom you might not know but still are empathetic towards.
33. Donate to local festivals and events.
34. Volunteer in local events like carnivals and concerts.
35. Do exercises that promote positivity.
36. Have a talking session every day to bond as a family.
37. Spare five minutes every day to talk about your day or how you feel. Focus on letting out the negative feelings.
38. Encourage your family to send out thank you notes for gifts you received and dinners you went to.
39. You can review your year on New Year’s Eve – talk about how your year went, and what you loved and hated about it.
40.  Send out Christmas cards together. Encourage everybody to write some kind words.

 

We’ve all heard it said that it takes a village to raise a child. And, as parents, we know that raising our kids is one of the most important jobs we will ever have. But what does it mean to raise responsible, kind and compassionate children? It means doing things together as a family – rituals that help teach these values in an everyday way. So here are 40 family rituals that can help you achieve this goal. Do any of these resonate with you and your family? If so, start implementing them today!