בס”ד
This blog series is meant for public school teachers (and parents) who want to discuss norms and values with their students (children). In my personal quest for materials for children, I learned that there is very little available in the Netherlands.
The first two commandments of the seven Noahide commandments were purposefully left out of this blog series. The goal of this blog series is on teaching children norms and values through the final 5 Noahide commandments, in order to provide teachers with specific example material to discuss with their students.
Using 5 Categories to learn basic values and norms
- 1 Respect for someone else’s life
- 2 Respect for someone else’s possessions
- 3 Respect for animals and nature
- 4 Respect for family relationships
- 5 Care for honesty
Students are asked to consider what is right or wrong by reading a short narrative containing an ethical quandary.
The PDFs can be printed, folded in half, and stored in a box from which the teacher or students can select a card to debate with one another. The focus should be on the conversation, with the teacher steering the conversation toward what is appropriate and bad behavior and praising positive solutions, proposals, i.e. good choices, from the student.
The two guidelines below are critical for developing moral behavior:
Begin the (school) day with your child (class) by spending one minute reflecting on gratitude.
Tsedaka – Allow your child to place a coin in a charity jar and explain to him or her the importance of saving. For example, once every six weeks, empty the jar and show the child that the money is going to the goal, and then discuss a new goal with the youngster. Consider aims that are important to the child, such as a children’s farm, school trip money for low-income families, a local clothing/food bank, and so on.
By Angelique Sijbolts
© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further.
