8 WAYS OF TEACHING KIDS TO VALUE FREEDOM

8  WAYS OF TEACHING KIDS TO VALUE FREEDOM

It`s AUGUST- THE INDEPENDENCE MONTH. All the schools and parents plan to celebrate it in their own creative ways..fancy dress, craft, flag making , folk dances...I feel though celebrating freedom is important , it`s equally important to teach our little one`s why freedom is so precious and why they should avoid any trap that can take away their freedom in any form. Here are a few ways to do the same

• Switch off the NET- we used to read as kids -" technology is a good servant but bad master" . Today i see most of the kids spend their free time with technology, they crave for it, and they are addicted to it. It has started showing in their behavior that they no more play with these devices....now these devices are controlling our kids. Don`t let it happen. Once in a while specially AUGUST..ask kids to switch off all internet devices else these devices would take away their freedom..Controlling their urges, emotions, time, behavior & mind. 

• Avoid commercial trap - most often the commercial advertisements make kids their easy target, forcing kids to compel their elders to buy those unhealthy..useless things just for a free gift or to make them smarter, taller, fairer as promised . Explain your kids this is also a way to lose your freedom..teach them to make choices based on their needs and logic not because of a catchy ad..believe me this Z & alpha generation knows logic better than us...just facilitate them.

• Freedom has a price called self-reliance - So they want to have freedom..great..give it ...their own room to start off but them keeping that room clean and tidy is their responsibility, no help.  0-8 years of child development, are crucial to teach them self reliance. Avoid doing anything for your child which he/she is able to do as per their age. You`ll be amazed how happy your child would be to be self reliant..only if you let them with patience.

• Stories and tales of freedom- I grew with stories of great freedom fighters told to me by my Dadi, Nani and my mother. This had a lot of impact on me, on how much i value freedom. Tell them stories which give a message that freedom is not free; it was fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.

• Creative ways - There are a lot of creative ways to teach value of freedom to kids. Ask them to write story on a picture with a girl releasing a bird from cage, to write on how they would feel if they were taken away the right to education. Ask them to recite a poem on freedom, making a collage on freedom fighters of India. For elder kid try a practical project on RTI.  

• Trip to cantonment- if possible take them on a trip to Cantonment, make them talk to soldiers, see pictures, to let them know how they guard the nation in adverse conditions so that we can have freedom.

• Right to Freedom but Duty? - Freedom is not just a right but duty is the other side of the coin. Teach them to respect other person`s freedom as well.  Let them wait for their turn till the first person has completed their speech, waiting for their turn on a swing, keeping our city clean, saving energy are all duties associated with freedom. Not to mention, you have to teach all this by being a role model yourself.

• Watch movie on freedom fighters- Get some freedom fighters movie CDs and watch together. Have a talk after the movie about freedom and it`s value.

So this August don`t feel contended by teaching your kids about colors in "TIRANGA"...teach them the value of freedom. And in process, may be you`ll also recall some....