Today I'm hosting a post from an American guest author who talks about hospitality. It is a skill we all need to learn, and begins in childhood. It doesn't have to be formal, even just having friends over to play teaches children many skills that will come in handy throughout their lives...
In today's fast-paced world, hospitality is becoming a lost art. People barely have any time or energy to host meaningful connections. The bitter truth is that even the importance of hospitality has become limited to transactional means.
If you don't want such a culture to influence your kids, teach them hospitality while they're young and little. We always make time for things we consider important. When your children see the significance of this ancient practice, they will not abandon it as adults.
Indeed, children are not often great listeners, at least when it comes to lectures. However, they respond positively to fun and play. Is there a way to make hospitality attractive to kids through play? Yes, and this article will discuss three ways to do so.
Maria Montessori believed that the main goal of childhood education is to activate a child’s natural curiosity and desire to learn. Children try their best to make sense of the world around them.
This is to imply that your kids will be willing to read and learn when even those activities become a part of play. Invest in some good storybooks that feature various aspects of hospitality.
Start with the classic The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant (affiliate link). Here's an excerpt that will give you an idea of how the book paints hospitality in vibrant colors,
“In a rainbow-colored station wagon that smelled like a real car, the relatives came. When they arrived, they hugged and hugged from the kitchen to the front room.”
These two lines are enough to sense joy in welcoming and hosting guests. This particular book focuses on showing hospitality in a large family.
You can have the kids read the book out loud. Once done, they can reenact the scenes and express what the story means to them on a personal level. Let them express what they’ve picked up about hospitality from the storybook.
Another good book is A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker (affiliate link) It's a perfect learning tool for those who consider hospitality to be a nuisance. In the story, the bear likes to be alone, but the mouse keeps visiting him. It's through the latter's persistence that the bear learns the joy of welcoming someone into his space.
Besides these, other books based on the themes of kindness and care for others include -
Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson
Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson
Practice only seems real when it moves from role-playing to real-world applications. So, you can have your kids host a mini-party for all their friends. Let them know beforehand that a successful party is all about making guests feel welcome and safe.
Have your kids help out as far as possible -
They can help you plan the guest list, pick a theme, create homemade decorations, and prepare the menu.
As guests arrive, have your children greet them with joy.
Let them help each guest find a seat and offer refreshments.
Ask your children to keep an eye out in case a guest seems uncomfortable.
As you emphasize the importance of comfort, teach about safety too. Ask your kids to clear out any clutter from time to time and check for obstructions that may injure guests, as you can be liable for any harm caused.
If the party is in your backyard, encourage children to inspect the ground for loose paving stones or soil, and tree roots/branches. Backyards are full of unforeseen risks, as a woman in Colorado Springs learned the hard way. A portion of the ground opened up and she unexpectedly fell into a deep hole in her yard while casually walking. Had she been a guest invited to a party, that incident could have made a strong case for premise liability, even warranting the involvement of a Colorado Springs personal injury attorney.
According to the Springs Law Group, every property owner is responsible for making their space safe for visitors. If the property owner’s negligence is established, they could be looking at a sizable settlement.
Good hospitality factors in guest safety, not just convenience or comfort. Through the mini-party, you will have plenty of opportunities to teach complex scenarios surrounding hospitality in a way your children can grasp.
If hospitality is the theme of your education, you can use your children's favorite activities to teach this life-changing practice. Let's say your kids love to undertake arts and crafts projects. Their fun hours spent repurposing things or creating works of art can be used strategically to teach hospitality.
You can ask your children to paint a ‘welcome scene’ based on their imagination. Give them a prompt that the artwork should reflect kind actions and spaces where others feel valued.
If needed, offer a few inspirational pictures for reference. Alternatively, asking your kids to paint welcome cards as invitations for the mini-party is a good idea. Once they’re done, let them express how their art showcases hospitality.
You might just be surprised at the unique perspectives each child brings to the table. The same goes for music. Are your children fond of it? Let them sing along to songs about kindness and welcoming others. Here are a few examples -
Make New Friends
This Little Light of Mine
If You're Friendly and You Know It
The More We Get Together
Kindness is a Muscle
Children can even dance along as they sing. To make things more fun, have them sit in a circle and pass a stuffed toy till the music plays. When it stops, the child holding the toy should say something nice they’d do for a guest.
Did you know that American parents are struggling to manage their children's emotions? In a recent poll, 63% of parents were unsure as to how to help children cope with anger.
Parents need to model a good example since anger goes against the spirit of being welcoming, kind, and hospitable. Your playful classes on hospitality will help bring many difficult emotions and deep-seated negative thought patterns to the surface.
Ultimately, you won't just instill hospitality into your kids, but facilitate overall emotional development. So, take the necessary steps to raise children who are akin to a warm hearth on a cold night.
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