托福独立写作经典话题：乐于助人

　　考题回忆：

　　Which one of the following values is the most important to share with a young child(5-10 years old)?

　　1.being helpful

　　2.being honest

　　3.being well organized

　　解题思路：选 being helpful

　　1.乐于助人可以使孩子获得家庭和社会的归属感，认识自己的价值。

　　2.帮助孩子培养同情心。

　　3.诚实是儿童本身具有的内在品质，需要家长保护这种品质。而由于这个年龄段的小孩很难做到完全照顾自己，所以良好的组织能力对他们而言有些难度，短期之内难以提升。

　　参考范文：

　　The age between 5-10 is a critical period for children to develop intellectually and emotionally as well as to form life values, which aroused concern for parents as to how to cultivate them to be good members of society. Of course, being ready to help others, honesty and excellent organizing skills are all good qualities, but I would highlight being supportive to others.

　　Fundamentally, instilling a sense of helpfulness in children comes by helping them feel part of a family and larger community. By assisting parents with some house chores, purchasing goods for a family get-together, or contributing some idea to family decision making, a child would realize that he is not an outsider but actually plays a role in family affairs. Similarly, in kindergarten or primary school, helping teachers with class management or shedding some light on fixing a big problem for his peers can not only allow children to gain a sense of accomplishment but also to confirm his indispensable role in the community.

　　In addition, being supportive also contributes to being sympathetic, which is an increasingly valued quality in today’s society. Children naturally have a desire to be helpful. In fact, children as young as 12 months old can recognize when others are in distress and may try to comfort them. Between age 12 and 24 months children begin showing signs of empathy and concern. Everyone will experience troubles in real life or at work when they are easily to be depressed and feel hopeless. It is imperative that parents show their children that a comforting word, a helping hand, an understandable hug would be a healing portion for people in need. It needs no further explanation that a child with sympathy tends to be welcomed and easy to make friends not only at home but also at school or other occasions.

　　On the other hand, it is, of course, undeniable that honesty and a good sense of management are also cherishable qualities. Children should be made aware that being honest means being trustworthy. But it is generally accepted that, young children, in essence, are honest deep down and would not tell lies intentionally, so honesty is an innate feature. It is due to bad influence from others that the innocent young children learn to tell lies and become dishonest. Thus, parents need to protect this treasure instead of simply telling kids how important honesty is. As for managerial ability, for children between 5-10 years old that can barely look after themselves, it can hardly be developed in a short term.

　　In conclusion, showing kids how to be helpful is a value that can stay with them as they grow and make them useful and heartwarming adults.