Tell elementary school children that everyone has their own personal property. Have them make a list of things that are their personal property. Let children take turns sharing how they would like to have their property treated by others. Ask the children to make lists of other people's property, such as things that belong to their mother, father, sister, brother, teacher or best friend. Tell them they must treat other people's property the same as they would like their own property to be treated. Tell them that treating another person's property with as much care as they would like their own property treated is showing respect.
Share that society feels it is so important to respect other people's property that there are rules and laws to make sure everyone respects the property of others. You can have a local police officer be a guest speaker in your classroom to discuss laws around respecting property and consequences if these laws are broken. Ask children to give examples of when they thought someone did not respect their property, such as when a brother or sister broke one of their toys. Have children share what happens in their family if property is disrespected. Talk about school rules about respecting property and discuss consequences for breaking these rules.
Once children grasp the concept of respecting each other's property, introduce the idea that society also feels it is important to respect each other. Share that everyone has differences that make them special such as where they are from, special skills they have, how tall they are, or what church they attend. Have children write down a list of differences that make them special and ask for volunteers to share these differences. Tell children that in the United States everyone has the right to be different and that you must be as considerate of each other's differences as you would like them to be considerate of yours.
Pair different children together on homework activities to teach them to work cooperatively. Hold a festival for children to celebrate their cultural differences and have each child bring an item or a baked goods from home that represents her heritage. Encourage each child to interview family members to learn more about her culture and share this information with the class. Establish classroom rules that promote respect, such as having children wait in an orderly fashion to try a new activity, sharing toys or asking permission before using school supplies.
Be a good role model by treating each child in the classroom with respect, regardless of that child's beliefs, habits or background. Establish and maintain eye contact with children and wait until they finish speaking before you respond. Ask children to treat you in a respectful manner and confront and give consequences for any disrespectful behavior toward yourself or others the moment it occurs. Reward respectful behavior by telling children that they have good manners or you enjoy working with them when they are respectful. (See reference 2)