One of the most important skills that your kids can develop while in high school is their ability to express themselves in writing. One way that you can help nurture the development of this skill is to help them write their own spiritual ethical will. The following information will help you to structure a writing exercise that will not only help them to develop the writing and expression skills that they will need in college, but that will also help you to pass on your ethical values to your kids.
The first step is to explain what the ethical will writing project is and what it is intended to do. You will want to talk to your teens about the importance of self reflection and the identification of personal values and philosophies by which they live their lives. Provide them with examples of what you feel is important in life and what values you have and hope that they embrace as well. Next, explain what the writing project is all about. If you aren’t familiar with ethical wills then you can use an ethical will workbook or find an example online to use as a guide.
Step two is the actual writing process. Teenagers and ethical wills are two things that may not naturally fit together, but if you work as a family on your ethical wills then your kids will have an easier time coming up with ideas. You may want to start the writing process with a group brainstorming sessions, or you may simply want to tell family stories to inspire ideas. To make this writing project manageable, consider setting a time limit, such as 20 minutes. This sprint writing sessions will help inspire impromptu creativity, which is another valuable skill for teens to have.
Do you have ideas for ways to jump start an ethical will project? Post your ideas below.