Raising Little Leaders: Nurturing Moral Values and Principles in Children

By Newton Giraud

If you are a parent, grandparent, or teacher of young children seeking effective ways to raise your child with a strong foundation for character development, "Raising Little Leaders" is the perfect book for you. Tailored to children between the ages of 5 and 10, this book offers 40 short stories written in simple language.

"Raising Little Leaders" is an educational book that goes beyond mere storytelling. Each story is accompanied by thought-provoking follow-up questions designed to stimulate critical thinking in your child. Furthermore, the book provides practical tips for creating real-life experiences that revolve around each specific moral value. Additionally, it suggests engaging games to further nurture each of these principles.

Consider "Raising Little Leaders" as a humble contribution to the wisdom of the old African proverb, "it takes a village to raise a child."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Aug 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9781543774900

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Copyright © 2023 by Newton Giraud.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Stories

Introduction

Ravi and the Gold Necklace

The Gossiper

The Big-Hearted Bear

The Rebellious Macaw

Hard Learned Lessons

The Naughty Ones

Melody the Rabbit

Hàoyú and the Sapling

The Newcomer

Ben’s Mission

The Walnut-Shaped Whistle

Abhoy’s Dilemma

The Cheater

Chiara’s Challenges

The Talker

The Promise Breaker

First Things First

Kenji & Riku

Anele & Kaya

The Broken Vase

The Carnival of Colors

Good for You, Good for Me

The Soccer Game

The Proud Raccoon

Farida, the Lonely Girl

Emerald Village

Kai’s Rage

The Treehouse

The Big Fire

The New Kid on the Block

Jack’s Lesson

Strength in Differences

Alex, the Soccer Player

Lost in the Woods

The Birthmark

Melati & The Old Man

Carlos & Jasper

The Magical Forest

Giving Back

The Eco Warriors

About the Author

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing my book. I genuinely hope it exceeds your expectations and provides significant value to you, your children, grandchildren, or your students.

I wrote this book as a parent first and as an educator second. As a parent, all I wanted was for my three beautiful children to be happy and develop the personal strengths and virtues that would help them go out into the world with the confidence, resilience and self-esteem needed to overcome the challenges and explore the opportunities that life would bring. I wanted them to have the courage and the strong character to stand by their decisions on doing the right thing when things got tough, and knew right from wrong at an early age. I believe most of us, parents, want the same for our children.

As an educator, I taught primary school children, later on went to High School, university teaching, and finally corporate training. I realized throughout all these years that most educational institutions I worked with were doing an acceptable job teaching their students the usual school subjects, but were missing a lot on those areas that would prepare them with the moral compass on making the right choices in life guided by a clear set of principles and values that are universally accepted and that serve as the foundation of building character. Inspired by my experiences as a parent and a teacher, I wrote this book with two purposes in mind:

First, I firmly believe that good character building plays a critical role in contributing to the betterment of society, and it is the responsibility of parents, family members, schools and educators to take on this mission. Governments also play a key role into crafting social and educational policies that allow the creation of an environment where good character is nurtured and rewarded, particularly when we know that the children of today will become the leaders of tomorrow, and many of them may be faced with high-stakes decisions that can impact the lives of millions of people. This book is my small contribution to keep this light on.

Second, I wanted to create a practical and valuable resource for parents and teachers of young children aged between 5 and 10 years old. I am convinced that the return on the investment is much higher during this phase of their development compared to adulthood. Therefore, if you are a parent or teacher working with children in this age group, this book is an excellent choice to help you cultivate and nurture those universal moral values and principles. It is more than just a storybook; it is an educational tool.

The book contains 40 stories, each focusing on one or more moral values and principles that have stood the test of time, transcending borders, cultures, nationalities, languages, and beliefs for thousands of years.

Each story is divided into four parts:

Part 1: The story – Short stories that can be read within 5-10 minutes.

Part 2: Follow-up questions – A few thought-provoking questions that encourage deeper reflection on the story’s central themes and help the child reflect and think critically about the story. You can use them or create others on your own.

Part 3: Experiential Learning – I suggest a few ways to reinforce a specific value or principle by engaging children in activities that allow them to experience and apply them in real life.

Part 4: Games – I propose some games that not only make learning enjoyable but also further reinforce the values learned from each story.

The book was written in a non-sequential manner. You can choose to read any of the stories depending on which value or principle you want to focus on.

In summary, I believe my book is a valuable resource for parents (or grandparents) and teachers of young children who share the belief that a solid educational foundation begins by nurturing a child’s character through the real-life application and role modeling of universally accepted values and principles. By doing so, we can proactively help in the development of future principled based leaders who can contribute to the creation of a better world for all.

I invite you to dive right into it and explore the contents.

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Ravi and the Gold

Necklace

HONESTY

A long, long time ago, in Jaipur, a large city in the Rajasthan state of India, there lived a young boy named Ravi. Ravi was known for his love of adventure and his courage and bravery. He loved exploring the forests and the fields around Jaipur. One day, while wandering through the woods, Ravi stumbled upon a beautiful gold necklace with several big jade stones, stunning rubies and tiny diamonds and other precious stones lying on the ground. It looked exquisite and expensive. Whilst Ravi was thrilled to have found such a treasure, he knew that it did not belong to him, and the owner of such wonderful jewelry was probably very sad to have lost it.

Ravi’s dad had always told him that he should never touch what did not belong to him, but this situation was different as he stumbled upon it accidentally. If he just left it there, maybe it would never be found, and the owner would never have it back. It could also happen that someone else found it and never return it to the right owner. After much reflection, Ravi knew what he had to do. He was going to find the owner of the necklace even if took a long time. He also decided to start on his new mission by asking the people he trusted to give him advice on the best way to locate the owner of the necklace.

Ravi went from door to door, asking his relatives and closest friends what the best thing to do was. Some told him to go to the police, others told him to keep it to himself, and some others even offered to buy it from him. His dad, however, was very proud of him and told him that he would join Ravi in his quest. He also said that going to the police was a good idea, but that they should try to search for the owner themselves first, as it was Ravi’s responsibility to make sure the right person got it back. He also said that it would be fun for the two of them to do this together. Ravi was very happy to have his dad help him and felt much more confident now.

The first task they undertook was to visit the location where Ravi had discovered the necklace. Upon examining the area, they realized that the person who had misplaced it likely halted for a break, as evidenced by the presence of remnants from a small campfire and used tea leaves scattered on the ground. Furthermore, they deduced that this spot was very close to the main road leading into and out of town. With each subsequent investigation, Ravi’s enthusiasm grew. He felt as though he were embarking on a treasure hunt, and the best part was that his father was accompanying him.

After careful consideration, Ravi proposed that they made their way to the open market, since the town was hosting a special event over the weekend. He guessed that the person who had lost the necklace likely came from outside the town and would be joining the festivities. Ravi hypothesized that this person might be one of the many merchants who periodically traveled to town to vend their produce and crafts.

Once in the market, they started asking a few people if they had heard anyone talking about a lost necklace. However, no one had reported losing one nor heard anyone saying anything about it. Ravi was puzzled but decided to hold onto the necklace until the owner came forward. His dad told him to be patient as sooner or later they would find the owner.

On the main day of the weekend event, Ravi and his father returned to the market with the determination to locate the owner of the necklace. While his father decided to inquire among his acquaintances if they had heard of anyone searching for a lost necklace, Ravi chose to explore independently, hoping to uncover potential clues that might lead him closer to the truth.

During his solitary walk, Ravi’s attention was abruptly drawn to a booth where a woman was selling jewelry. He observed that her collection mainly consisted of gold chains and necklaces resembling the one he had discovered, some adorned with exquisite jade stones or rubies. Intriguingly, he also noticed a hint of sadness in the woman’s expression. Approaching her, Ravi started a conversation centered around necklaces with jade stones. As she began presenting a few options, Ravi intentionally began describing the specific features of the necklace he had found, drawing from his own discovery. As he spoke, the woman’s expression transformed, revealing a perplexed state. She confided in him that she had possessed a similar necklace, one she had lost in the woods while journeying to the town the previous day, and it held great sentimental value to her. At that moment, Ravi knew without a doubt that he had located the rightful owner. Relaying his story to her, the woman overflowed with joy upon realizing that Ravi had found her beloved necklace. Additionally, she expressed admiration for Ravi’s honesty and commendable character.

As Ravi and the woman engaged in conversation, Ravi’s father joined them, overcome with happiness upon discovering that Ravi had indeed located the necklace’s rightful owner. Expressing her gratitude, the woman extended her thanks to both Ravi and his father, along with a generous offer to reward him for his efforts. However, Ravi humbly declined, stating that he was simply doing the right thing.

The woman was deeply impressed by Ravi’s response and turned to his father with a request. She inquired if she could contribute towards Ravi’s education by covering the expenses for him to attend one of the best schools in the region. They didn’t know then, but she was a very influential and wealthy merchant in the region.

While Ravi and his father were taken aback by the unexpected offer, they engaged in a discussion with the woman to clarify her intentions. After careful consideration, and realizing that the woman was sincere and well-intentioned, they gratefully accepted the her generous proposal. As a result, Ravi was enrolled in a prestigious school, where he had the opportunity to acquire a wealth of knowledge and skills.

During his leisure time and school breaks, Ravi found immense enjoyment in dedicating his days to helping the woman in her jewelry shop. His diligent efforts and passion for the craft delighted the woman, leading her to extend an offer of employment to Ravi once he completed his studies.

When Ravi told his parents about the job offer, they were very proud of him. They praised him for his honesty and told him that it was a valuable trait to have. They also said that they would support him if he wanted to take the job.

Ravi worked at the jewelry shop for many years, learning about gemstones and precious metals. He became a jewelry expert and was known for his honesty and integrity. He expanded the woman’s business all over India. People came from all over the world to buy jewelry from him because they knew that he was an honest man.

Years later, when Ravi was much older, he looked back on his life and felt proud of what he had accomplished. He realized that his honesty had been the key to his success. He had never taken anything that didn’t belong to him and had always done what was right. And that, he thought, was the greatest treasure of all.

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Follow-up Questions:

- What if Ravi had decided to keep the gold necklace for himself?

- Do you think Ravi should have accepted the reward the woman offered him for finding her gold necklace? Why? Why not?

- Why do you think the woman was impressed when Ravi refused the reward for finding her lost gold necklace?

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Practical ways to provide experiences to teach children about honesty:

Model honesty: Children learn by observing and imitating adults. Be