To help your child thrive in school and develop crucial personal skills, it is important to teach them the difference between right and wrong, and how to treat other people.

The earlier you start with these life lessons, the better! The morals you teach your children will stay with them as they grow into adults. That is why it is so important for parents to demonstrate integrity, compassion, good manners and respect within the family unit.

To give you a little guidance, I have teamed up with an independent day school in Oxfordshire.

Start by being a good role model for your children, as they learn by observing those closest to them. Always demonstrate kindness and respect when you’re speaking to others, whether they are friends or strangers.

Demonstrate good listening skills so that your child understands the elements of a healthy conversation; it is rude to interrupt.

What’s more, try and model giving behaviour by volunteering to help those in need where possible, whether it’s donating money to charity or helping an elderly person with their food shopping.

Essentially, your child needs to comprehend what constitutes as respectful behaviour, from listening during a conversation to following instructions from parents and teachers.

Give them some examples of both respectful and disrespectful behaviour so that they can start to develop an understanding of what is right and wrong. For instance, taking something that doesn’t belong to them is both disrespectful and in some cases, illegal.

Respect, politeness and kindness are just a few moral values that merely scratch the surface.

Sharing is another moral value that’s important for children. When playing with their friends, if they don’t share their toys they will find it harder to keep those friends. They need to understand the importance of fairness and equality.

Other moral values to explore are things like honesty and telling the truth. If you require some further guidance, don’t be afraid to contact your child’s teachers for some more ideas.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.