Character Quests, the idea.

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built." -Elenor Roosevelt


    I have two sons A 11 years old and R 7 years old. They have huge kind hearts and would help just about anyone who needed it. But, they still have moments when I wonder about their character. Sometimes they don't share, say mean things, feel insecure about putting themselves out there, don't think outside the box, act ungrateful, and forget to put others first. They also have moments when they get down on themselves and feel inadequate or struggle to see their potential. These moments can be worrying for me. What kind of people are my boys going to grow into? 

So, I decided it was time to do something more. I did some research on how to help children be happier and feel more fulfilled. In my search, I found a study on the prosocial behaviors of pre-teens. They evaluated the initial happiness and satisfaction levels in the children's lives as well as peer reviews of the children. Then some of the children were asked to perform three acts of kindness a week. The acts of kindness could be as simple as give mom a hug and help grandma with groceries. The other group of children was asked to go to three places a week. The places were things like go to the mall or a baseball diamond. After the four week study, they concluded that both groups gained happiness, life satisfaction, and improved likeability among peers. What was surprising to me is that the increased levels were about equal between the groups. This got me thinking... If I incorporated going places and an act of kindness regularly, it could improve my children's lives too.

I had already been doing something I called "question quests" with my boys. They both tend to be in-the-box thinkers and they have a hard time thinking about abstract ideas. They struggled to see the importance of just being creative and not worrying about being correct or factual. They were also very critical of not only themselves but, each other too. I wanted to encourage them to respectful of other people's ideas. Even if they didn't agree or understand them. So, I started asking them questions that would force them to think creatively. They weren't allowed to criticize each other and we created a safe environment for them to be silly. There was no wrong answer and the skys the limit on the answers they could come up with. The questions were things as simple as "what color would you name purple if it needed a new name?" Or "What is the best shape and why." Read more about how I introduced Questions Quests to my boys here.

The study about the preteens and the question quests inspired me to take those ideas and push them further. I could incorporate ideas like those into memorable moments that promoted happiness and help them build character. I spend hours online looking up acts of kindness and free places to visit in my area. I read article after article about what happiness is and how we attain it. I finally came to a set of criteria that would help me build Character Quests!


Character Quests have 5 principles: 
Acts of Kindness- Selfless acts done for others.
Determination- Believing in yourself and pushing until you attain a goal.
Gratitude- Being thankful and expressing it.
Expression- Using your imagination and sharing your thoughts.
Health- Eating healthy and being active.

Each of these has a unique attribute that helps build confidence and promote a positive and healthy mind. In my next blog I will be explaining how I introduced Question Quests to my boys and how I've brought that into Character Quests.