Share which life lessons you feel are important to teach your child about with Day Out With Thomas

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Teaching your child positive values is one of the biggest jobs we have as parents - from working as a team to helping others, it’s important that children learn these lessons early on. With this in mind, Day Out With Thomas wants to hear about the values and life lessons that you feel are essential for your child to learn, and how you help them to apply these in real life.

Here’s what Day Out With Thomas has to say:

“Peep Peep! All aboard for a Day Out With Thomas!
Thomas, the Number 1 blue engine, and The Fat Controller have travelled all the way from the Island of Sodor for a day of family fun at a heritage railway near you. Meet Thomas and The Fat Controller, take a train ride and enjoy so much more!
Thomas & Friends episodes teach children about teamwork, friendship, and problem solving, values that we know are really important to you when letting your child watch their favourite programmes.
Day Out With Thomas™ is an annual event brings these values to life, and gives children and their families the unique opportunity to meet the classic storybook character Thomas the Tank Engine at heritage railways across the UK. Families can ride on a real steam engine, pulled by Thomas, and meet The Fat Controller! There’s also lots more to enjoy at each event. Activities may include children’s rides, soft play, toy play area, a live show, miniature railway, storytime, and meeting other engines and characters from Thomas & Friends.”

Which values are most important for your child to learn? Are there particular values your child has already learnt and implemented from their favourite TV characters? Can you think of a time your child exercised positive values and made you proud?

Whichever values you feel are important to teach your children, share them on the thread below for a chance to win. There will be 5x chances to win, with one poster winning a £300 voucher (from a list), and four posters each winning a family ticket (for a family of 4) to a 2019* Day Out With Thomas event of the winner’s choice – locations can be found here.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ
Standard Insight Terms and Conditions apply

*Events from 15 August 2019 onwards

Empathy is one we've had to work very hard on over here and one that I think is really important.
My DD is very competitive and it can be difficult to manage her expectations sometimes. When she strarted in reception it was really noticeable. I can say by the end of year one though we've had lots of compliments about how well she has come on and is much more understanding of others.
Now got to work on perseverance.

Resilience is the most important for me as they are adopted and the future could be tricky. Also tolerance and understanding in the hope of understanding their history and reasons why they came to be adopted.

Only 21 months old but definitely shows kindness - likes to share (unless its food!) and gives hugs freely.

I think having my second ds has enhanced lovely qualities in both ds1 and 2 in showing love for each other, kindness, sharing , with lots.of opportunities each day to work on these too. I think modelling these values as a parent in the ways we behave are so important too. As for Tele, ds1 loves teletubbies and giving us a big hug!

Hi am I being unreasonable my partner has a son from previous which we have every other weekend. And at present we are having continuous arguments about his behaviour etc when we have him. He is 8 this year never had a bedtime routine goes to bed when he wants still sleeps with mom or aunt as they share because mom has new boyfriend. At present mom has been giving him Phenergan to help him sleep which is not recommended for over 14 days he has been on this 4 months now. He has severe anxiety when away from mom as he misses her etc and constantly says my mom never shouts at me gets me what I want etc . He doesn’t seem to have any discipline plus his diet consists of jam sandwich sweets chips nuggets pizza biscuits nothing healthy. She recently bought him a weighted blanket for sleep which I feel is a waste as he still sleeps with her so how can this help. I’ve had enough because me and my partner get no time at all all weekend as he has to stay with him all evening and takes 3 hours to settle of a night so we are having constant continuous no sleep which affects our work. She won’t do anything about it what can I do I’ve really had enough surely at neatly 8 he should be transitioned to sleep alone. Any advice welcome thanks

To be a good winner and loser, treat both situations with Grace and kindness. Be nice (but not too nice) and be kind. Always try to be the best version of you, but don't change just to make one person happy.

Empathy is top of my list- along with kindness and being non judgmental

Good manners, to be kind -to treat others how they like to be treated and tolerance.

Share which life lessons you feel are important to teach your child about with Day Out With Thomas.
Nia - the new train helped my son understand acceptance, and integration, and that someone new and different can be your friend.

Also Charubala the female controller can help children in accepting anyone can do any job - no gender stereotypes here ! (The good Reverend may have turned in his grave - but we have moved on - for the better)

Kindness, self-sufficiency and humility

Being part of a family - The DC have age appropriate jobs around the house, they don't get paid for these / pocket money isn't linked to them because I don't want them to only do something for the £, it's part of being a family and they should pitch in and help each other out.

Teamwork / helping siblings - I do group rewards sometimes (for things they don't normally have to do), so maybe if all of their bedrooms are properly tidied and cleaned then we will go out, this makes them work together to make sure the rooms all get sorted as just doing your own and then stopping may lead to no reward if one of the other two can't do it alone.

Trying your hardest - I don't make a real fuss about grades, it's about how hard they have tried, and how their behaviour has been. If I see them practicing their spellings over and over, and then they get 3 out of 10 then I make a big fuss about how impressed I am with how hard they worked and how we can work together to get more right next time as long as they keep trying. On their school reports I want to see great behaviour and that they try their hardest, I'd rather have a child getting Ds and trying their best, than getting straight As without trying

Manners - from before they could speak I was saying Tar as I handed something over or they gave something to me, so that when they started talking they soon picked up tar as an early "thankyou". Then it was please and thankyou, with "what's the magic word" etc. I hate the lack of manners I see all the time now, and it's old people who are the worst for it I've found! My children will hold doors open, and it really winds me up when adults just walk through without a smile nevermind a thankyou. My children know that those magic words are the difference between you getting something or not, and they are expected to use them in school, at friends houses, at clubs etc, not just for my benefit.

a positive body image

kindness.compassion and the belief that they are good enough but so is everyone else too.so especially not to judge others and to see everyone qaulities.you can put a focus on calling out all their unique qaulities and praising them for even the tiniest and odd thing they might do.
to see them sharing.to see them offer dad a cup of tea or a friend a sweet.or once when we were crossing the road she went and grabbed a younger ones hand to help them.

kindness and awareness of themselves and others

We are trying to teach DS about empathy which is quite a hard one. Whenever he is unkind to someone we ask him how he thinks it made the other person feel. Also, when someone is unkind to him we talk to him about his feelings. It seems to be working as he is very kind to his friends. I now just need him to remember to be kind to his younger brother.

He's quite a timid child and we have actually used lessons from Thomas to help him. One train tells Percy something along the lines of 'being brave doesn't mean not being scared, its what you do when you feel scared' which has been a great lesson to help him push himself to be a bit braver.

I think it's very important for children to learn about safety, manners, how to treat people etc at a young age, I think it's not only parents that should encourage this but also teachers at nurseries/schools. As children get older they understand more of the world, what happens around us, death, responsibility, independence, confidence. I think as soon as children can talk or even asking for something please and thank you is a first, the start of that child's future.
Teaching a child to have morals and principles is hard work but it definitely worth it.

All of the above mentioned and the same ones have been said countless times.
I think at a young age it is important to teach them basic first aid 🤕(without scaring them ofcourse)
And in an emergency who do u call ie Ambulance Police or Fire.👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

You do not have to be the best and everything but make sure you always try your best with everything. You do not have to be 'perfect'. Everyone finds some things easy and somethings challenging. Everyone have different passions, different likes and dislikes. Embrace that everyone is different and everyone is amazing!

The courage to be your own person and stay true to yourself instead of following the crowd.

I was very proud of my DD for standing up to a boy who was bullying her friend because of her looks.

I think it’s important to teach patience, kindness and manners.

Kindness to others politeness and to be there self's

Good manners, kindness and being non judgemental. I want them to know that some struggles are unseen.

Treat others like you'd like to be treated.
Kindness, patience, just be nice!
Explain equality & diversity in ways they understand.
Don't leave people out / be inclusive.
Oh if only everyone was like this!!!

I think that kindness is a very important life lesson. It encompasses so many behaviours. I often say to DD as I leave her at nursery, I love you, be kind! It's about being well behaved, making good decisions , being nice, including people, looking after people.