Top 10 Life Lessons to Teach Your Child

The best time to learn life lessons is in childhood, before poor habits are developed. Now is the perfect time to teach your children essential truths that lead to a happy and successful life. 

Consider the things you wish your parents had taught you when you were younger. How would your life differ from today? What can you teach your child that will help them for the rest of their lives?

Teach your child how to happy and successful:

1. Be a good winner and a good loser.

Everyone wins and loses. It's important to do both well. Those that win and lose poorly struggle later in life. The winning and losing never stop. It makes life easier when you learn how to do both gracefully at an early age.

2. Learn to finish things.

Teach your child to follow through to completion. It doesn't matter if the task is cleaning their room, raking leaves, or playing a game. Adults with the habit of leaving things undone lead chaotic lives. Finish and then move on to the next task.

3. Tell the truth.

Lying is another bad habit. It might feel like a viable solution in the short-term, but it fails in the long-term. Lying is a crutch that creates greater challenges and unnecessary drama. Telling the truth is easier on many levels.

4. It's okay to fail.

Failure is one of the most efficient ways to learn. You make an attempt, come up short, and readjust your approach. Children that are afraid of failing are stifled as adults. Life is too short to hide from every opportunity that might result in a failure. 

5. Persistence wins.

The person who never quits always seems to win in the long-term.

6. Have goals.

A child's goal might be to get an A on a test or be nice to his sister for the rest of the evening. Having an intention leads to success. Without goals, we're at risk of wandering aimlessly through life. Ask your child what they want to accomplish today and help them understand how they can achieve it.

7. Say please and thank you.

Everyone is worthy of a certain amount of respect. Saying please and thank you regularly is one way of demonstrating that respect.

8. Success requires work.

Success at school, sports, work, family life, and relationships require work. Nothing is automatic. A little effort each day is necessary for success in any part of life.

9. Eat well and exercise regularly.

Imagine how much better you'd feel if you had spent the last 20 years eating well and exercising consistently. Habits developed in childhood can last a lifetime. Give your child a fighting chance to avoid obesity and the associated health issues.

10. Save your money.

If everyone consistently saved 15% of their paycheck, 95% of the financial challenges people face could be avoided or easily eliminated. How much could you have saved since you started working? Force your child to save a portion of any money they receive and explain why it's important.

Even if your child is still young, there is much you can teach them. Children trust their parents. There's never going to be a better time to impart these lessons to your child. Consider what everyone needs to know in order to be successful and live an enjoyable life. Begin teaching your child today.

Learn more about the top 10 skills children need for success.