What is respect?

 

Respect is an important way of being kind and good to other people. Respect means not making fun of others. Respect means thinking of how somebody else feels. Respect is treating another person the same way you’d want to be treated yourself!

There are lots of easy ways to show respect! You show respect when you are polite, saying things like “please” and “thank you.” You show respect by appreciating people’s differences, like seeing someone as unique for the outfits they wear, rather than thinking they’re weird for dressing differently. You also show respect by not making people feel uncomfortable, like not pressuring another kid to play on the big slide if they say they’re scared of being so high up. You even show respect when you lend a helping hand! 

It’s important to give respect to everyone. Do you think it would feel good if someone teased you because you wore glasses, or called you stupid for saying you liked a certain movie? No way! Chatty, shy, blue-eyed, brown-eyed, girl, boy, young, old – the world is full of special people, and they all deserve your equal respect! 

Think about some ways that you can show respect! Listening to others is one good example. If someone’s opinion is different than yours, you can show respect by listening even if you don’t agree with what they think! 

You can also show respect by using good manners. Would you like it if someone interrupted you all the time while you were speaking? Probably not! Polite manners are a great way of being respectful. 

What others ways to show respect can you think of?