Courage - Value!

"Daring to attempt difficult things that are good. Strength not to follow the crowd, to say no and mean it and influence others to try it. Being true to convictions and flowing good impulses even when they are unpopular or inconvenient. Boldness to be outgoing and friendly."

Method for Preschoolers: Teach Small Children to Look People in the Eye

This can help children learn a useful habit that takes courage and that gives you a good opportunity for praise. Establish a family tradition of looking people in the eye. Explain to small children that if you look right at people, they will like you and know that you like them. Practice looking in each other's eyes as you say, "Hello," "How are you?" "Thank you," or as you ask questions: "Where do you live?" "What school do you go to?" And so on. Have little contests to see who can look into the person's eyes the longest while having a "made-up" conversation. And have "staring contests" (who can look into the other person's eyes the longest without blinking).

Explain that being brave means not having anything to hide -- and when we look right at someone, it is like saying, "I trust you and you can trust me." Learning to do this helps us not to be afraid to ask people questions or start conversations.

Method for Elementary Age: "Hard and Good" - The Relationship Between Them

This activity will help children begin to relish rather than resist hard challenges. For this game set up two sides with at least one child to a side. Say that you are going to mention certain actions and you want one side to write either "hard" or "easy" to define each action. The other side should write "good" or "bad" about each action. (Each side needs a paper numbered from one to ten and a pencil.)

1. Get up early and study for a test.
2. Say you're sorry to someone even though it's embarrassing.
3. Try smoking with your friends so they won't call you chicken.
4. Make friends with the new kid at school, even though everyone else is ignoring him.
5. Sleep in on Saturday instead of getting up to do your household job.
6. 6-10 Add your own (try to draw from real experiences).

When the game is over, match up the two team lists. Show how "hard" almost always matches up with "good."

Method for Adolescents: Decisions in Advance

This can help adolescents make right -- and courageous -- decisions before they are in situations conducive to wrong choices. Explain to adolescents that many decisions are best made early -- before we're confronted with pressure to decide. Help them to make a list (preferably in the back of a journal or diary) of "decisions in advance." For example, I will not smoke. I will not cheat. I will not be cruel or rude even if others around me are, and so forth.

With each "decision in advance" help the adolescent to imagine a future situation where it would be very difficult to keep the decision. Think it through together. Point out how much easier it is to do the right thing when the decision has been made in advance.

To illustrate the point tell them the story of Abraham Lincoln, who was riding in a coach with an important and influential man who was insistent that Lincoln smoke with him. He said he would be offended if Lincoln did not.

Abraham Lincoln said he had made a decision twenty years before not to smoke. He had committed himself to that decision and had even made the commitment to his mother. Because he had made the decision in advance, courage to keep it came easy for Lincoln, and his friend did not push him further.