Honesty goes beyond simply not lying; it involves consistently speaking the truth and acting with integrity. Maintaining honesty can be particularly challenging for young people, who may sometimes conceal the truth to avoid getting into trouble.
The All About Honesty handout emphasizes the importance of honesty. It also outlines what it means to be honest with oneself and act honestly with others. At the bottom of the handout, clients discover some examples of behaviors that contradict honesty, such as leaving out some parts of a story and saying things about people that are not true.
Using this handout helps support the development of important values in kids and teens. Parents and teachers can effectively teach and model the concept of honesty both at home and in the classroom by demonstrating it in their communications and praising honest behavior.
It may also help to discuss real-life situations where honesty plays a role and explore the outcomes of honest versus dishonest actions.
This handout pairs nicely with our Honesty Worksheets for additional activities to teach the topic.
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References:
- Evans, A. D., & Lee, K. (2010). Promising to tell the truth makes 8‐ to 16‐year‐olds more honest. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 28(6), 801-811. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.960
- Li, Q., Heyman, G. D., Xu, F., & Lee, K. (2014). Young children’s use of honesty as a basis for selective trust. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 117, 59-72.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2013.09.002
- Xu, F., Bao, X., Fu, G., Talwar, V., & Lee, K. (2010). Lying and truth‐telling in children: From concept to action. Child Development, 81(2), 581-596. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01417.x
- Xu, F., Evans, A. D., Li, C., Li, Q., Heyman, G., & Lee, &. K. (2013). The role of honesty and benevolence in children’s judgments of trustworthiness. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 37(3), 257-265. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025413479861
