Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
— Mother Theresa
Welcome to the final installment of The Character Issue for the 2019/2020 school year. With all the time that we have been spending at home over the past few months and current events, this month’s character trait seems quite timely. (It just keeps happening!)
SLOCA defines Stewardship as:
“The careful and responsible management of things entrusted to one’s care, including one’s mind, body, time, money, environment, property, with proper regard to the rights of others.
Catchphrase: Take care of your stuff; take care of their stuff!”
When we think of stewardship, we often think of the handling of money or the care of our personal belongings. However, as the SLOCA definition reminds us, stewardship includes caring for our bodies, our planet, and our time as well.
Take care of yourself — you never know when the world will need you.
Hillel the Elder
So how has the character trait of stewardship been going with your crew these last few months? Have you found it even more challenging to care for your space when everyone is in the same space? Are your kids struggling with taking care of their stuff or managing their time? As we head into summer, we have an opportunity to really focus on this character trait of stewardship. Check out these discussion prompts as well as some ideas for encouraging stewardship.
Discussion Starters & Ideas:
- Ask your kids if they can define stewardship. See if they can give some examples of what it means.
- Why is stewardship important? What would happen if no one took care of their stuff, their bodies, their environment?
- Does stewardship mean you are only responsible for taking care of your own stuff? Why do we need to also “care for their stuff”?
- Spend time listing some of the things that have been entrusted to you.
- What are some ways you already take care of your mind? What are some ways you already take care of your body? Brainstorm ideas for additional ways to care for your mind and/or body?
- How can we be good stewards of our environment? Be creative and see if you can implement any of your ideas.
- A place for everything — When we designate a specific location for the stuff that has been entrusted to us it makes it easier to care for that stuff. As summer starts, you can implement this idea by having kids go through their school materials and discuss where they will be kept for the summer so that they can be easily accessed when needed.
- 10 minute-tidy — Set a timer or play a song or two and have everyone (or just kids) participate in picking up and putting away items that are not where they belong. Daily 10-minute tidys are an easy way to keep your space neat.
- Trash or Treasure — When it comes to crafts, art projects, and random stuff it is helpful to ask kids to consider is it “trash” or “treasure”. If it is “trash”, then it goes in the trash, recycle, or give away bin. If it is “treasure”, then it should be put it in its proper home so that it can stay treasure.
- Money — Money is an excellent way to practice stewardship. If your kid(s) receive an allowance or have a job you can help them to make wise decisions for how to spend and save. For younger students, consider giving them play money and setting up a store where they can buy items. Games like Monopoly give kids another opportunity to practice with money.
- Chores — If your kids already do chores, you can discuss how this is a form of stewardship. We all pitch in to take care of our home, pets, meals, etc. If they do not yet do chores, this is an excellent time to start.
- Care for your body — Go out for some exercise together. Make a plan to eat healthier or eliminate habits that are unhealthy.
- Natural consequences — Natural consequences are a terrific teacher when it comes to stewardship. What happens if you leave your bike outside? How do you feel when you don’t eat right? What happens if you play all day and neglect your chores? Spend time discussing these and other potential situations with your kids and when possible let the natural consequences do the work.
