Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old

The prompt

“Was there ever a time you returned something that wasn't yours, even though you could have kept it?”

What to listen for

If they can describe that moment, it shows their sense of honesty is becoming their own, not just something they follow because they're told to, a real marker of a developing conscience.

Listen for whether it was hard to give it back, if they really wanted to keep it, the fact that they didn't is worth naming and praising specifically, since that's where real character shows up.

If they say they've never faced that choice, ask what they think they'd do, the hypothetical still tells you a lot about where their values currently sit.

What this tells you

This shows how solid their sense of honesty is when there's something to personally gain by not being honest.