Character building for children

TOPIC / Effective Character building for early elementary children.

BACKGROUND /

Early childhood is a critical period for social and emotional development. Children today are exposed to an Increasingly complex and demanding society. Disrupted homes, exposure to violence, neglect and high performance standards are putting them at a high risk for emotional stress, restricting their healthy development and leading to lifelong consequences. Incorporating character building in a child’s early learning environment positively influences their emotional development and prepares them to cope and confront life adversities. Skills like patience, grit, self-esteem, empathy, and resilience are crucial for self awareness and effective relationships.

PROBLEM /

Parents, educators and schools play a powerful role in imparting these crucial skills to children at their most impressionable and learning-ready age. However there is a huge research to practice gap in character building for children today. Lack of adequate tools and clear guidelines limit parents from imparting these skills, often relying on schools to fill the gap. But, character education is vastly missing from our schools too. Schools often render character building as non-essential and hesitate to implement them due to lack of awareness, poor implementation, lack of model schools, high costs, and no immediate benefits or visible results. Current programs are also highly inconsistent, in their language and practice.

OUTCOME / Make character education an integral part of children’s early learning environment.

AUDIENCE /

Children 5–8 years & Adults 28–40 years. Young parents, educators and caregivers.