People will never know how far a little kindness can go. ~Rachel Scott

Hospitality is cheerfully sharing food, shelter or conversation to benefit others. In the home, hospitality includes being friendly to others by talking with neighbors, meeting new people and greeting strangers with a smile. When entertaining, hospitality includes organizing and cleaning the home, as well as preparing meals and other comforts to make your guests feel at ease. Encourage hospitality with your family by practicing good etiquette and conversational skills on a daily basis and keeping your home free of clutter to make it available and ready for unexpected guests.

Encourage hospitality in your family by saying these “I will” statements aloud with your children and applying them to everyday life. I will:

• welcome visitors
• make others feel important
• prepare for my guests
• gladly share my things
• not expect anything in return.

Read about thoroughness to bring the lesson home to your young children:

• In Ribbit (by Rodrigo Folgueira), a group of frogs learns to make friends with a pig by welcoming him to the swamp.
• Snippet (by Bethanie Deeney Murguia) the snail has his own ideas about showing hospitality to his family members.
• The Bus Driver (by Todd H. Doodler) is a hospitable sort who ensures everyone in town gets where they need to go.
• Mr. Noah and his Family (by Jane Werner) shares the Biblical tale of Noah and how he shared his Ark with the animals.
• In The House that Wanted a Family (by Susan Spence Daniel), hospitality is considered from the viewpoint of a house.

Courtesy of Character First, www.characterfirst.com.