I am always on a quest for positive parenting tips, and knowing how hard it is to hold it together most days, this list is a huge help. When it comes to being a mom or a parent, it feels like you have to be this perfect parent in front of your children. The good news is that your kids know that you aren’t perfect and it’s okay to show them the imperfect person you are.
12 Positive Parenting Actions Your Kids Should See You Do
It’s best to let your kids see you do things every day that actually make you look human. Transparency is a good thing in parenthood and one of the best positive parenting methods you can employ in your life. These tips are great ways to show your child great things on a daily basis.
1) Random Act of Kindness: There is nothing more awesome in this world than your kid seeing you do a RAOK. Guess what? You don’t have to spend money to do a RAOK. You can do something as simple as smiling at someone and telling them to have a good day!
2) Pray or Meditate: We teach our children that spending time away from others is a good thing. Taking time for oneself and collecting one’s thoughts is always a good thing. There are some great prayer journals out there to write down your thoughts and feelings. This doesn't have to be a religious aspect of life as much as something to help your mental health. Positive parenting is all about keeping the right attitude in everything with your children. This is one great way to refocus each day.
3) Clean: It’s fun when your kids get old enough to help with chores, but it’s still incredibly important to make sure they see you cleaning. Cleaning helps make you a better person in so many ways. Plus, it might motivate your kids to clean more. Maybe? A chore chart is a great addition to your home to help you keep track of what you are doing around the house, and help your kids to keep track of their cleaning schedule alongside you. I love the chalkboard calendars since they are so easy to update. I'm a spreadsheet gal, so our chore chart is digital. I printed off a copy for each of the boys to keep in their binders, along with their morning routine and a copy of our daily schedule. It shows some of my chores too & they love holding me accountable! Need some ideas on age appropriate chores for your kiddos? Check out what we recommend for 4 & 5 year olds and the 6-8 age range!
4) Work: Ah, yes, this is perhaps one of those important ones. Kids are so hilarious in how they think. Kids really need to see you working in order to understand that money doesn’t come from nothing. Of course, work looks differently for every mother out there. My kids see me working throughout the day and know there are certain times that mom can't be interrupted. My best friend works full-time outside the home, so her sons see her getting ready for work, but they also see her doing homework since she's also a full-time student.
5) Apologize: We teach our children to say they are sorry when they are wrong. It’s incredibly important for your kids to see you apologize when you are wrong. Whether you are apologizing to them, your spouse, or whoever—kids need to see it done and done right. In our house, “sorry” doesn't cut it. We say “I'm sorry for….” and follow it up with “What can I do to make xxx right”?
6) Smile: Smiling truly does the make the world a better place. It never gets old whenever your kids see you smile. It teaches them to smile as well. There really is nothing better in positive parenting than putting a smile on your face.
7) Read: Reading isn’t just for beginners. Reading is so good for every human in the world, if only more people would take the time to read. When your kids see you read, you are helping them develop a love for reading. Invest in an Amazon Kindle and download books so you can all have time on your devices. Show them that you are reading, and encourage them to add books to their Kindle to read as well. We have the Epic app on all of the boys kindles. I have a subscription for Kindle Unlimited, because I read a LOT and it's much cheaper than buying a ton of books every month. We also make sure to shop our local book shop as a family to pick out new physical books.
8) Drink Water: Can you ever drink enough water? I feel like kids today have so much pressure to drink everything but water. By seeing you drink water, you are teaching them healthy habits. Keep a fruit infusion water bottle on hand to encourage yourself to drink more often.
9) Say Please & Thank You: How can anyone forget these? Make sure your kids hear you say please and thank you! Perhaps they’ll actually start saying it on a consistent basis. We started when they were little and taught them the signs for each of them. Please and thank you were also among the first words they learned in Spanish and Italian too.
10) Sing: Whether you have a good voice or a bad one, singing is always a pleasant thing for your children to see you do every day! I think dancing goes along with this. We have “dance parties” where everyone just sings and dances like crazy.
11) Let Loose: Don’t always be so wound up tight yelling at everyone. It’s important to let loose and for your children to see you in this state. Relax and have fun. Let them see you in a fun and friendly way instead of just as a tough parent.
12) Be Nice to Others: Just as you teach your kids to be nice to others, you should play nice too.
As you can see, your kids should see every side of you—good and bad. Sometimes we get so comfortable around our kids that we don’t make a great effort to let them see everything about us. These actions are some amazing positive parenting things you can do each day in front of your kids naturally. What do you like your kids to see you do every day?