Let’s be honest: there are a LOT of good ideas and programs out there for teaching our children character and Biblical virtues. I have not gone looking for any program and still I have heard about four to five new-to-me programs since the beginning of 2013.
I actually tend to get overwhelmed when this subject comes up because as soon as I start one method, I hear about something else and want to switch to that!
So, all that to say this post is NOT telling you to switch from something that is already working for your family. This is simply me telling you about a program we have recently started and fallen in love with!
We Choose Virtues caught my attention when a few online friends mentioned it, and as I look around their site, it was statements like this that made me very interested…
It has been said that character is not one more thing to add to your plate, character IS the plate. This system is not a curriculum or a unit study, it is a language that that you rehearse and demonstrate for the first 10-15 minutes every time you get together no matter what else you are teaching!
Creator Heather McMillan observed a need for more effective character instruction in her role as a teacher and pastor. Here’s more about why We Choose Virtues came to be…
As her passion continued to grow, she realized that she wanted to teach children how to change. Not just a momentary change of actions, but a more lasting change in their attitudes as well. Her observation is that children needed to be inspired by simple, positive and consistent instructions, and parents and teachers needed an effective language with which to communicate these instructions.
Our boys are very verbal and visual. They love to talk and they love to read. We Choose Virtues utilizes both to help families incorporate the twelve virtues into everyday life!
Simple sentences are used to help children learn what the virtue IS and what it IS NOT. Bible verses are included to reinforce each virtue. Cute illustrations and stories of “Kids of VirtueVille” help make each virtue come to life!
We’ve been using We Choose Virtues for three weeks now and we are using the phrases we’ve learned so far all the time! For example, I asked the boys to help with a quick full house clean-up before dinner last night, and I heard Little J say, “Ok, whatever you say, I will obey right away!” It was so cute AND he remembered that phrase from our first week!
All of the virtue posters are hung up with clothespins and twine in our school room where the boys can see them often. The Three Rules poster is also hanging in our school room. And the virtue poster of the week is clipped on to the calendar in our kitchen, with the parent card stuck in the pocket behind it!
We have been using the homeschool kit, the most comprehensive kit available from We Choose Virtues. It is an investment, but a worthy one as it includes…
- Parenting Cards (Teacher cards for families!)
- Virtue Flash Cards for families
- Kids Virtue Poster
- Three Rules Poster
- Kids of VirtueVille MINI Posters
- 100 Days of Virtue Chart and Butterfly Stickers
- 25ct pad Virtue User Reviews
- Teacher’s Handbook (no need to print this handbook. Just read and save for easy reference)
- Butterfly Awards
- Family Character Assessment
- Kids of VirtueVille Coloring Pages
This has seriously been a great experience for us so far! I’ve been working on the virtues along with the boys, particularly the virtues of diligence and self-control! I love that We Choose Virtues emphasizes these virtues are for the whole family, not just the kids!
To celebrate March as Homeschool Month, We Choose Virtues is offering the code HOME20 which gives you 20% off the homeschool kit! This sale has actually been extended through April as well!
To get more inspiration for how to use this in your home, you MUST check out the We Choose Virtues Pinterest boards! GREAT stuff there! And connect on their Facebook page for lots of discussion and specials!
Today, I have the pleasure of giving away a set of We Choose Virtues Parenting Cards! Just enter below!
*I was provided the homeschool kit for review purposes. I was not compensated in any other way for this post and all opinions are 100% my own.
**This post contains affiliate links.
I'm Erin, a wife, boy mom x 3, writer, and runner in Nebraska! I'm excited to share all my favorites relating to faith, family, fashion, and fitness in this space! Enjoy! 
Gentleness. I have two rough and tough little boys who get angry with each other often.
I’ve looked through their website before. They have some great stuff! It would be of great use in our house…for the kids and myself. Oh yeah….being helpful and obedient are two that need to used more in our house. We need help in these areas.
I have a 3 year old, so the virtue of obedience is constantly being taught in our house.
Self control is a hard one for me and for my kids too.
Self control. I think we all need to work on that in our house. I would love to win this giveaway. I did not grow up in a home that focused on bible training and feel lost at times. This would be a great resource I could use.
Self-control in this house for my almost 3 year old with his 10 month old little brother!
This sounds like an awesome program! I would love to use it with my boys.
we’re working on patience in our home right now. I will definitely be checking this program out!
We’ve been working on diligence. My oldest gets really distracted when doing school work and can lose focus.
We really need to work on patience…The kids and I both need it!
I’ve been wanting to start something like this. It sounds great!
Being generous and obedient are big ones here! 🙂
This sounds great! I will be checking this out soon!
Self Control!!
obedience
Right now we are working on obedience!
Gotta love products that help us parents infuse our little ones with valuable qualities! Thanks for this info!
Lots of patience!
Sounds like something our family could benefit greatly from!
I would have to say listening! My little one tends to ignore what I say at times when I tell him not do something!
We are working on and need help with Self Control
Honestly, all of them, but Obedience is definitely number one! 🙂
This would be so awesome!! We need this desperately!
Honesty is one we need to work on.
This looks like it would be a wonderful visual tool for my boys.
Sorry! We are working on obedience. 🙂
I would love to begin to use these in our family. I believe that the tools would be so helpful!
Obedience!
I haven’t heard of these, but they look awesome! Definitely going to check it out. Thanks!
Respect! 🙂
I am not sure of all the virtues listed in the program, but diligence is defenitely something we work on.
Respect is a big one we are working on in our house right now… but obedience would be a very close 2nd!
um…probably self-control!! for the boys and mama – lol!! this looks amazing!
I have an 8 year old with high functioning autism. Really, that just means that he needs some extra help in learning how to behave and interact with others – This looks like it might be the tool we’ve been looking for!
I have an 8 year old with high functioning autism. Really, that just means that he needs some extra help in learning how to behave and interact with others – This looks like it might be the tool we’ve been looking for!
So I guess we could use them all. Right now, self control and respect are probably highest on the list, though.
Content – lots of request for new toys or new forms of entertainment.
We seem to be constantly working on self-control and obedience in our house (kids and grown-ups too)!
Diligence and self control are the ones we need the most work on.
Thanks
This looks really cute, my kids age 2, 4 and 6 would love it!
I have looked at the We Choose Virtues Website a few times and haven’t bitten the bullet yet and bought anything, even though I love the whole idea of the program. Winning the parent cards would be such a great test to see how well my kids do with it. Thanks for the chance to win!
I would say for our youngest (she’s 3) it is obey. For the older children (12,14, & 15) it is kindness.
We are working on obedience!
Self-control and obedience. I’ve been thinking of using this program in the summertime.
We are working on obedience.
Wow, these look incredible! We need the most work right now on Self Control. Thanks for the opportunity!!
Obey and be kind are the big ones!!
self control is our key virtue right now and I would LOVE to see what kind of resourcces We Choose Virtues has to teach us about this!
I’ve wanted to get their ever since I heard of it – looks great and such fabulous customer reviews!
And patience is what we need most!
perseverance!!!!
We’re working on a mixture of respect and diligence between our 3 kids.
I too have been wanting these forever – just don’t have the finances to do it right now. Thanks for the chance!
Obedience and self-control are what we need to work on with our almost 6 year old boy and 3 year old twin boys…momma & daddy need to work on patience! 🙂
We are working on cautiousness this month.
KINDNESS!!! I have a 5, 7 & 11 yr old and I realize that if we all just focused on “Kindness” that would take care of the bickering, antagonizing, tattling, personal space issues, AND tone of voice! I love the We Choose Virtues program!!! I have the Teacher’s Cards for school – but have never seen the Parent Cards! Enjoying your blog.
Cheers to sunshine!
Jennifer
I sooo want to do this curriculum with my kids. I think the virtue we could all use the most work on right now (even me) is patience.
We would love this!!!
We are working on ATTENTIVENESS!!! AACK!! Would LOVE to have this giveaway… have been pinning and talking about it for months! 🙂
Pick me! Pick me! WE need work on all the virtues. Working on Attentiveness and Obedience
We are working on self control and obedience. Would love to win this!
I love We Choose Virtues, working on them with my kids right now.
I have been eying this curriculum for months. This would be a blessing to my family if we would win it!
I’ve been looking for something to help supplement our family devotional times and I think this would fit the bill nicely. There’s not much out there on the market to help little guys understand virtues and character qualities. I’d love to try this!
Stumbling across this set was truly a God send. We are in dire need of finding a new and kid attractive way of teaching virtue. This program would be used to the fullest in our house!