Guidance on Instilling Character Values in Early Childhood Through Habituation and Role Modeling

Abstract

Purpose- Instilling character values ​​in early childhood is an important foundation in building a generation with morals, personality, and mature social-emotional intelligence. Early childhood is often referred to as the golden age, a developmental phase that greatly determines the direction of a child's life in the future. Therefore, appropriate guidance through habits and good role models is an essential strategy in the early childhood education process. This community service article aims to describe the process, strategies, and implications of mentoring the instillation of character values ​​in early childhood by emphasizing consistent habitual practices and role models provided by teachers, parents, and the surrounding environment.

Design/Methodology/Approach - The method used is a descriptive qualitative study through observation, interviews, and literature review to explore the concrete forms of habitual practices and role models in children's daily lives.

Findings - The results of the study indicate that habits, such as getting children used to praying before doing activities, saying hello, maintaining cleanliness, and sharing with friends, can foster attitudes of discipline, responsibility, and social awareness. Meanwhile, the role models of adults, particularly teachers and parents, have been shown to be concrete models for children to emulate in positive behaviors, such as honesty, patience, independence, and respect for others. Warm and affectionate interactions strengthen the internalization of character values, enabling children to internalize and apply them naturally in their daily lives.

Originality/Value –This research confirms that instilling character values ​​cannot be achieved instantly but requires a continuous, integrated process of mentoring between family, school, and community. Continuity of habituation practices and consistency in providing role models are key to the success of early childhood character education. This is expected to produce a generation that is not only intellectually intelligent but also possesses noble character, is competitive, and is able to face the challenges of life in the future.