Apologies

Apologizing can be a hard thing for a child to do. It’s not so easy to say I’m sorry, especially when the person you are apologizing to may not respond in a kind way. I have tried to teach our kids to apologize and to accept and apology from a very young age. As soon as they can say the word sorry I have them start using it. They may not know what it means but it starts a habit.

Once they get a little older and understand what they are doing, they are asked to use a sentence when apologizing. The sentence is something like this: “I’m sorry for ________.” The child then fills in the blank with what they did. By repeating their actions it’s a reminder to them to try not to repeat the action. I also have the other child accept the apology. They are asked to say, “Thank you for apologizing.” This ends the conversation and both parties do not need to bring up the incident again.

I have found this to work very well and it really does become a habit. The kids even remind each other now to “use a sentence” when they say I’m sorry.