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from real life or nature. Some reference applicable Bible verses and
stories, and some suggest ways to demonstrate the particular charac-
ter quality.
Take, for example, the character quality of attentiveness. (I have
heard that it should be the first quality you teach, because if a child is
not attentive, you will not be able to teach him anything else. Good
point.)
• Definition of Attentiveness: Showing the worth of a person
or task by giving my undivided concentration (Character First)
• Opposite: Unconcern (Character Journal)
• Verses: Deuteronomy 12:28; John 10:27; Hebrews 2:1
• Bible stories: 1 Samuel 3—Samuel hears God calling; Matthew
13—Parable of the sower
• Nature stories: “The Wood Duck” (Character Journal)
S TOR I E S
Have you ever noticed how quiet it gets in church when the speak-
er illustrates a point by way of a story? It seems to grab everyone’s
attention, including young children’s. Teaching character qualities
using stories is no different.
Stories can be about, well, anything! They can be from books, Bible
stories, real-life situations (their life, your life, or someone else they
know), nature, world history, your own history, etc. They can even
be made up!
For example, a story from Little House in the Big Woods came in
handy once when I took one of my children to the doctor to learn the
child was feigning sickness to get attention. (I was pretty sure this was
the motivation.) A big storm was coming, and Laura Ingalls’ father
and uncle were trying to bring in the harvest before it hit. Laura’s
cousin didn’t want to help. Several times he “cried wolf,” faking an
injury, and distracting the men from their urgent task. Then when he
actually jumped on a hornets’ nest and was being stung severely, they
chose to ignore his cries.
I followed that with a story from my childhood about how I had
told my parents I was sick when I actually wasn’t. Later when I did
in fact feel bad, they didn’t believe me, and I threw up—in church!
How embarrassing!
I had learned the hard way as a child, but my story helped my child
get the point, and we made no more false runs to the doctor.
L EAD I NG BY EXAMP L E
The most important tool is the hardest to implement! And yet, the
other tools may not work without this one.
Remember that oft-quoted and oft-hated saying of some parents,
“Do as I say; not as I do”? Unfortunately, that rarely works, because
children are little mirrors! W.E.B. DuBois rightly opined, “Children
learn more from what you are than what you teach.” Put another way,
“Children catch more than they are taught!”
Does this mean that you should not require your children to work
on a particular character quality until you consistently exhibit that
quality? Not at all! One of the great things about homeschooling is
how much we as parents get to learn alongside our children. Working
on our own character is a part of that. A friend of mine calls home-
schooling “sanctification on steroids.” However, if you wait until you
are perfect to require certain behaviors of your children—face it—it
will never happen!
In summary, use a curriculum. It’s a good starting point. Teach
your children that in all areas, including in our character develop-
ment, scripture has the final word. Help them understand that every-
one will exhibit character. Theirs should please the Lord.
Then pray like crazy! Ask God to help you be a good example to
your children. Ask Him to help you be aware of areas in your life and
in the lives of your children that need work, and for wisdom on how
to best proceed (James 1:5). Ask God to bring to mind, and across
your path, stories you can use to help your children understand what
good character is.
Never forget that you are dealing with human beings (translation:
sinners). They are probably not going to learn to exhibit good char-
acter after the first lesson—it may not even happen in your lifetime.
God has not promised us that we will be successful, but He has called
us to be faithful!
Lyndsay Lambert, a graduate of Texas Tech University, homeschooled
her four now-grown children for sixteen years. She assisted Tim, her
husband of over thirty-five years, in serving the homeschool com-
munity, first in helping to start and lead their local support group
and, from 1990–2013, in running the Texas Home School Coalition,
the state organization committed to serving Texas homeschool-
ers. Her strongest desire, however, is to encourage homeschool
moms and support group leaders in the work that they are do-
ing. Lyndsay now blogs regularly at .
RECOMMENDED CHARACTER TRAINING
RESOURCES
CHARACTER FIRST EDUCATION Age-appropriate character
curriculum, non-sectarian. Also offers free materials online at
CHARACTER SKETCHES Three-book series, includes nature and Bible
stories by the Institute in Basic Life Principles,
offers Bible-based books and charts about character
and other topics
offers unit study based on character qualities
PROVERBS FOR PARENTING: A TOPICAL GUIDE FOR CHILD
RAISING FROM THE BOOK OF PROVERBS by Barbara Decker
TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY: HOW TO USE THE SCRIPTURES IN
CHILD TRAINING by Lou Priolo
A CHILD’S BOOK OF CHARACTER BUILDING by Ron and Rebekah
Coriell
CHARACTER BUILDERS, LOOKING GLASS SERIES by Ron and
Rebekah Coriell, for ages 12 to 15