What Is Value?
Value is what we hold on to as important. These are the principles and standards that we use as a guide on how to live, how to treat others, and what we strive towards. The word itself means something that holds importance, worth, or usefulness. Parents are teaching values every day in what they say and how they act, but it’s also important that we lead our children and mold their character intentionally.
For Christians, our values are molded from the Word of God. The words in the Bible serve as guidance from God Himself on how we should live. That certainly takes the pressure off figuring things out on our own!
“For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 ESV
In this verse, it tells us that our goal is to seek out godliness. It gives us the perspective that life is not just limited to our time on earth but our time in heaven with God as well. It gives the sense of an eternal focus. While we need to care for our physical bodies here on earth, we are reminded that they are only temporary because our life with Jesus continues eternally and our bodies will be changed when we go to heaven. So our focus should be on what’s on the inside, rather than what’s on the outside.
Who Should Teach Your Children?
Once you establish what your values will be for you and your family, you must decide how to teach your children. Who is going to set an example for your children to model these behaviors that will instill a strong set of values in your children? Teaching values to our children, of course, must start in the home. While some families need to send their kids to public schools, it’s so important to have that foundation at home so that their children can be grounded in the values that you want since they are around influences that may not share your values.
We don’t even think about it, but we start teaching them as soon as they are born. So whether your kids stay at home or go to public school for learning, God has given us the privilege and duty to point our children down the right path. It’s also important to surround yourself with people with like-minded values that will help encourage you and your family along the way. Being around different people may discourage or sway you into moving away from your values. That’s why having the Bible as our foundation keeps us centred.
Here are some of the main values we strive towards.
Love God and Love Others - “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 KJV
Joy in Salvation - “But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.” Psalms 13:5 KJV
Peace to Everyone - “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Hebrews 12:14 KJV
Honor God in Everything That You Do - “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 KJV
Humbleness - “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem one other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3 KJV
Give Hope - “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Romans 15:13 KJV
Ways to Teach Values at Home
With homeschooling, teaching values at home doesn't necessarily come from a textbook, but we do read stories that teach us values. Other times, our children can learn by just finding those teachable moments in the midst of doing our regular day-to-day routines. You can incorporate it while teaching basic skills to your children. By doing this, it makes learning the lesson more valuable because it’s attached to traditions and special bonding moments.
Are you a SchoolhouseTeachers.com member?
SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an online homeschooling resource site where you can find curriculum and other learning resources that are all based on strong biblical standards to help enforce your teaching of Christian values in your home. Lessons are written by Christian lesson designers so you can be assured that the content you receive will help you in your homeschooling journey.
One favourite course on the site is the Breadmaking Devotional lessons. This course provides a combination of biblical truths and learning to make bread all in one place. The beauty of this course is that it is for all ages so you can do this together as a family.
You’ll find answers to “How does yeast work?” and “What does it mean that Jesus is the Bread of Life?” and topics such as kitchen safety, necessary tools, baking terms, breads around the world, storing bread, making bread centrepieces, and more all while learning life lessons along the way.
If you are not a SchoolhouseTeachers.com member, you should know that there are many benefits to becoming a member. The site allows you as a SchoolhouseTeachers.com member to get access to:
- Hundreds of Courses
- Chat & Phone Support
- 24/7 Unlimited Access
- No Books to Buy
- Tests, Quizzes, Answer Keys
- Curriculum and Videos Included
Interested in signing up? Sign up here.
This is just one example of the things you can do together with your family, combining learning with teaching values. With homeschooling, flexibility to include all the important things gives us the best opportunity to help raise our children into well-rounded adults who, in turn, will benefit our world and their families in the future.
So let’s make what we do valuable.
This article has been written by homeschooling staff writers of The Canadian Schoolhouse (TCS). Enjoy more of our content from TCS contributors and staff writers by visiting our themes page that has a new theme topic added every month!
