The Best of Character Builder Newsletter
Teaching character traits is, first and foremost, the responsibility of parents. Educators form the second line of defense. Both parents and educators will find help here in teaching specific character traits – and will see the great benefits that accumulate when they help build those traits into lives.
Character traits are presented with definitions and practical ways of teaching. We purposefully offer these tools in a non-lesson-plan format to make them useful to the widest group, and applicable to any age, toddlers through teens.
Click on a specific character trait to open the teaching tools for that quality . For additional articles on a specific character trait, type the character trait into the search box at the top of this page. Adaptability
Adaptability – Important for Everyone
Adaptable Investments Adaptability Endears You to Your Spouse Adaptability Is a Noble Quality
Appreciation
Appreciation…
Appreciation Lists Appreciation is Basic Appreciate Character Traits!
Attentiveness
Attentiveness Can Be a Matter of Life or Death
Attentiveness Math The Attentiveness Advantage!
Availability
Availability – Do You Exercise It?
Get a Job with Availability Improve Academic Achievement Do NOT Be Available!
Basic Character
The Valuation of Character Enough is Enough Is Self-confidence Good? Character Doesn’t Matter Value of Celebrating a National Character Week Is It a Duck? Test Your Character Knowledge Character Appetite Benefiting from Character Using a Letter-Number Grading System How Character Can Improve Life and Save You Money Voting Character Into Office What About Self Esteem? YOU Can Teach Character Successfully Teenagers and National Character Week Rate My Character Character Assessment Then I’m Not Interested What Would Make YOURS an Ideal School? What a Pitiful Scene! But Wait – There’s More! Most Likely to Succeed in Character Education! So You’d Like to Teach Character? Part 1 So You’d Like to Teach Character? Part 2 Proactive Character Building Are We There Yet? Evaluate Your Character Education FREE Character Education Lesson Plan on Basic Character Book-Centric Character Education Character Challenge!
Bullying
Lesson on Bullying
Citizenship
Citizenship of our Fathers!
Commitment
The Best-laid Plans … Call for Commitment!
What Kind of Commitment? The Commitment Factor Applies to Marriage, Too Teaching Commitment at an Opportune Time Daring Commitment to Your Beliefs Whole School – Whole Family
Compassion
YOU Can Jump the Hurdles!
The Compassion We Would Like to Receive Compassion Relieves Need True Caring is Powerful and Voluntary
Concern
Concern about Character
Concern Gets Involved Concern Takes Risks
Confidence
Confidence Requires Thought
The Best Self-Confidence Building Confidence in Teens and Children How Building Your Own Confidence Benefits You!
Consideration
Consideration Looks Outward A Lack of Consideration Practical Ways to Exercise Consideration Ways Children Can Show Consideration
Consistency
Consistency – How Do You Rate? Consistency with Children Consistency or Ritalin? A Very Consistent Critic Consistency, Responsibility, and a Freedom Wardrobe Think about Consistency
Contentment
Contentment Makes a Great Gift A Bird in the Hand Contented as a Cow? Contentment or Misery? Practical Contentment Contentment with Aspiration Contentment in Marriage
Cooperation
Absolute Cooperation Cooperation Can Be Life Saving! Cooperation Resolution Is Cooperation AWOL? Practical Cooperation
Courage
How Courageous Are You? What Would Make YOURS an Ideal School? The Man with Two Brains Exercise the Courage of Your Convictions Do You Have the Courage of Your Convictions? Courage to Die for Convictions How to Build the Courage of Your Convictions The Courageous Student
Creativity
Creativity Can Save You Money! Family Creativity Endeavor Creativity Solves Problems Creativity for Results in Character Education
Decisiveness
Decisiveness – a Leadership Trait A Two-headed Man or Woman Waffles Do Not Exercise Decisiveness! Indecisiveness
Dependability
Hope You Have Two Enormous Feet Button Your Lips! What’s in It for Me? Think You’re Dependable – Trustworthy? Trustworthiness – Dependability Craft Project
Determination
Determination: Not Available in Tablet Form Determination for Teens Practical Determination Chess Teaches Determination
Diligence
Back to School with Diligence Diligence Contributes to Success Beware the Rickety, Dirty Soapbox!
Discernment
The Gift of Discernment More than 600 Years Old! Discernment Can Produce Greater Academic Success Measure Your Discernment
Discretion
Discretion – Great Antidote to Gossip! Apply Discretion to Dress How to Exercise Discretion Discretion Strengthens Friendships
Efficiency
Efficiency, Henry Ford Style Teacher Efficiency How to Build Efficiency
Equitableness
Applied Equitableness Equitableness Does Not Mean Equality Equitableness Never Tips the Scales Equitableness for Young Children Equitableness for Secondary Students
Fairness
Don’t Have Strongly Held Beliefs … That’s Not Fair… from a Child’s Viewpoint. That’s Not Fair… from an Adult’s Viewpoint. Unfair! Unfair! Unfair!
Faithfulness
FAITHFUL: Firm, Steadfast, True, Loyal, Constant Faithful Teenage Friends Faithfulness Is Easy to Teach Little Ones 10 (poor) Excuses for Not Exercising Faithfulness
Flexibility
Flexibility Like That of Bamboos Bendable Bunnies How Much Flexibility Do You Exercise? How to Build Flexibility Teaching Flexibility to Teenagers and Children
Forgiveness
Practical Forgiveness Love Means Having to Say You’re Sorry
Friendliness
Do You Have Enough Close Friends? Friendliness Is Not Friendship Did You Ever Think…? FREE Character Education Lesson Plan in Friendliness
Generosity
Generosity Does Not Require Money! Teaching Generosity Practical Generosity Generosity Tickets
Gentleness
Gentleness: a Character Trait? Gentleness in Ancient Greece Challenge Young People to Gentleness The Fruit of Gentleness Power under Perfect Control Gentleness: Misunderstood and Undervalued Practical Gentleness
Gratitude
That’s Gratitude?!?! How Gratitude Would Revolutionize the Thanksgiving Holiday
Honesty
The Cherry Tree Never Fell… What’s the Limit? The Truth, the Whole Truth… Teaching Honesty Honestly
Humilty
Uriah Heep Said He Was ‘umble, But … Humility Test
Integrity
Integrity, Poise, or Experience? A True Story of Absent Integrity IQ: What’s Your Integrity Quotient? To Thine Own Self Be True, Integrity Requires Objectivity. Sexual Integrity is Vital For Teens and Adults The Integrity of Job Leadership Integrity The Most Dangerous Employee
Joyfulness
The Benefits of Joy Joy Makes Us Agreeable How Does Joy Look? Oh, Joy!
Kindness
Kindness – Exercised by the Strongest Kindness Week Give Teens Kindness Kindness Exemplified Practical Kindness Chopsticks
Love
YOU Can Teach Love Successfully in February! Wanted: Authentic Love Love Test Love Is Not for Cowards! When Children Learn to Love Teaching Love in All the Wrong Ways? Love and the Cell Phone
Loyalty
Loyalty that Surpassed Death Loyalty that Cannot Be Bought Loyalty Against All Odds Teaching Loyalty to Any Age Loyalty in the Home Loyalty – to Whom Might You Owe It?
Mercifulness
Teaching Mercifulness The Quality of Mercy
Optimism
Optimism is Realistic Optimism about the Obstacles in Our Paths An Optimism Challenge for Adults and Young People Alike Identical or Not?
Patience
Anger Control and Patience Patience Is Anger Controlling Test Your Patience or Your Teen’s Are Your Emotions Like Cars?
Perseverance
Perseverance unto Death Pinky Promise Perseverance Genius or Perseverance? Practical Perseverance Teaching Perseverance to Children and Teens Persistence and Perseverance YOU Can Teach Character Successfully! Using a Letter-Number Grading System
Persistence
Persistence – in Four Stages Persistence with a Great Ending Persistence – Important Ingredient of Success Practical Persistence Sir Edmund Hillary – Example of Persistence Persistence – Only Way through SPLAT!
Persuasiveness
Persuasiveness: Synonym for Argumentativeness? Persuasiveness for Teenagers Persuasiveness for Children Persuasiveness Is Never Bribery Almost Persuasive
Prudence
Absolute Prudence Practical Prudence
Purpose
Teaching with Purpose Purpose and the Five Learning Styles To Speak and Purpose Not Men and Women of Purpose
Respect
Bowing from the Heart Respect is Vital for Our Teenagers “Get Out of My Way, Woman!” Respect vs. Bullying: Which Comes out the Winner? Measure Your Personal Respect Ratio Teacher’s Apple’s Got a Nasty Worm! “Don’t Get No Respect” Mathematics of Respect
Responsibility
“I Can’t Get My Teenager out of the Shower.” Teen Best-seller Helps You Teach Responsibility Responsibility and Teen Girls Why I Wrote Cubby Bear’s Big Responsibility
Security
Practical Security Measures You Can Take Security, Self-confidence, and Self-esteem Is Self-confidence Good? What About Self-esteem?
Self-Control
Whose Slave Am I? YOU Be the Judge Who’s Controlling You? Social-Control or Self-Control More Power! You Can’t Run the Country If… Hang onto the Strings! Tomato Juice for J.C.Penney Control of the Tongue No Forwarding Address
Sincerity
The Transparency of Sincerity Sincerity Meter Without Wax!
Submissiveness / Obedience
Submissiveness Is Strength! Who’s Afraid of Obedience? Submissiveness Makes Safe Schools You Have a Dream… Teaching Proper Submissiveness The Truth about Obedience Submissiveness Test Obedience Is Not to be Given Globally Why I Wrote Little Zoh’s Submissive Trunk Example of Submissiveness What’s In It For You?
Tactfulness
Tactfulness and Honesty Must Be Inseparable Child-Sized Lesson in Tactfulness Tactfulness in Dating and Marriage Tactfulness-in-Action Humorous Tactfulness
Thoroughness
New Year’s Resolutions Require Thoroughness Don’t Need Thoroughness? Thoroughness Is One Measure of Character
Thriftiness
Thriftiness Is Not for Losers Thriftiness – Save Money! Jaguar Thriftiness
Tolerance
Tolerance – Trait of Controversy Faulty Tolerance Modern Tolerance Addicted to Tolerance Tolerance Top Ten Chew on This
Trustworthiness
Hope You Have Two Enormous Feet Button Your Lips! What’s In It For Me? Think You’re Dependable – Trustworthy? Trustworthiness – Dependability Craft Project Trustworthiness – Common or Rare? Trustworthiness Tested by Lions Practical Trustworthiness Not Very Trustworthy Trustworthiness and Cheating
Truthfulness
Truthfulness – the Winning Edge! To Tell The Truth Truthfulness Is Different… George Washington, Revisited What Is Truth? Practical Truthfulness Truth Detector
Virtue
Are We There Yet? Celebrate “Take Your Virtue to Work Day!” What is Virtue
Character Activities
Character Dating Project – Especially for Teenagers!
Security Service Project Puppets and Stuffed Animals Help Teach Character Respect Service Project Red Is for Integrity – An Activity for Students of Every Age Maze of Courage – An Activity for Every Age Trustworthiness – Dependability Craft Project Sincerity Craft Student Creativity Project Equitableness Scale Craft Humility Stairs Project
Character Stories
“The Character Family Visits Ophlemia”
Theo’s Thoroughness Galen and Gabby Goose Learn Faithfulness How Much Courage Did Daniel Have? It Was Regina’s Responsibility Unfair! Unfair! Unfair! The Lying Parents Andy and Abby’s Attentiveness Student Council President Oh, Joy Persistence Story for Children Sincerity for Samuel and Samantha Generous Jerry Giant Panda’s Quiet Discretion
Miscellaneous
Criminals Don’t Wear Labels
If You Build It… Dating with Character More than Hearts, Candy, and Flowers Looking for Character in All the Right Places FREE Character Education Lesson Plan Secret of Teaching Students Any Character Trait
