Appropriate age group(s):
Preschool on up

Values taught:
Positive attitude
Respect for others
Leadership (by setting a good example)
Caring and empathy for others

Description of technique for teaching kids values:
Forgiveness is a power tool. When you forgive someone for their wrong doing, you not only help them, but you help yourself. When we choose to continue our life with a postive attitude and not carry the baggage of anger, frustration, and injustice of a situation, we become lighter and happier people. And we all know how good it feels to be forgiven. But we also know forgiveness is not always an easy task. Here are some steps that can help you and your kids forgive and forget more easily.

1) Teach your kids to let their feelings out and to acknowledge and understand rationally what was done to them. Tell them not to hold it all in, but to talk to you or a friend about it. Encourage them to find a safe way to release their anger by throwing or punching a pillow.

2) Teach your kids to seek accountability and talk with the offender (using kind words) making sure they understand how they caused hurt. If the offender has destroyed your child's property, encourage your child to ask them to help fix it or pay for the damage. If the offender has broken a school rule or law, encourage your kids to report the offense to their teacher or to the police. Offenders should be held accountable for their wrong-doings, but keep in mind that this is not always possible.

3) Encourage your kids to forgive and forget. Tell them they can choose to be angry and hateful or to forgive. It's much healthier for them to choose forgiveness and move on. Teach them to see it as within their own power to move past an incident by dealing with it rationally.

4) It may sound crazy, but you may want to encourage your kids to do something nice for the offender. What? Are you nuts? Look at this way, people who hurt others are just people who are hurting within themselves. Sometimes all it takes is one act of kindness to turn a person's attitude of anger into compassion.