Have you ever wondered how to raise a patriotic child? With January being the month where we not only celebrate Republic Day but Martyr’s Day too, it is a great time to teach the value of patriotism to our children. Patriotism is not only a word but a feeling. It means love, respect, and loyalty towards one’s country. Patriotism as a value must be passed on to our next generation.

 Celebrate national festivals

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We should not treat a national festival like just another holiday in our daily life. We can make it special by involving our little ones in the celebrations. We may spend it by watching a Doordarshan live programme together, attending community flag hoisting, or creating a DIY Tiranga batch for all members in the family. By doing such tasks, it makes them feel special and proud to be an Indian.

Appreciate unity in diversity

India is the best country to see unity in diversity. Here, people of many religions, races, cultures, and tradition live together without affecting each other’s feelings. Let’s teach our children to appreciate it.

Visit national museums and monuments

Children should never miss a chance to visit national museums or other important historical places. A visit to the National Museum, Gandhi Smriti, Raj Ghat, and other such places will really excite them to learn more and more about national heroes and the history of our country. By doing this, we are actually instilling the value of patriotism in our children, which is a worthwhile thing to do.

Answer their questions

Children are curious and always come up with all sorts of questions like why we do celebrate 26th January, why it is called Republic Day, what is the difference between 15th August and 26th January, what is Independence Day, and so on. As parents, we should try to have a proper answer for each question. If we do not know how to answer a particular query, we can tell them to get back with the right answers soon and we should keep our word.

Share important facts and trivia

In our daily conversations, we can try to share some trivia and facts on patriotic things like who wrote the Constitution, who wrote Vande-Mataram, or who wrote our national anthem. We can tell them childhood stories of our national heroes like Gandhi, Rani Laxmi Bai, and Sardar Patel et al. They need to know about India’s great educational beginnings — that it’s very first in the areas of mathematics, university education, natural wealth, and rich cultural heritage.

Respecting national symbols

Last but not least, it is important to honour and respect the national flag, the national emblem, and other important symbols. Standing up during the national anthem is mandatory. As children learn best by example, we as parents need to be sure that we don’t fidget and whisper when the national anthem is being played.

Topics like patriotism are never irrelevant. Be proud and make your children feel proud to be an Indian.

(Parul Jain is expert at Momspresso, a content sharing platform for women)