Teaching Kids About Honesty and Integrity: A Character-Building Homeschool and SEL Workbook for Ages 8–12
As teachers, parents, and homeschool educators, we all want to raise kids who tell the truth—even when it’s hard. But between peer pressure, fear of getting in trouble, and the desire to fit in, kids sometimes take shortcuts that chip away at honesty.
You may have caught your child bending the truth or struggling to take responsibility. It’s frustrating—but it’s also a normal part of growing up. What matters most is helping them understand why honesty matters and how to choose integrity, even when no one’s watching. If you’ve ever wondered how to teach honesty and integrity at home in a way that feels natural and meaningful, this workbook gives you the tools to do it.
That’s why I created Teaching Kids About Lying and Telling the Truth: A Building Character Workbook on Integrity for Ages 8–12—a social emotional learning workbook designed to help children explore honesty and integrity through stories, self-reflection, and hands-on activities that make these big ideas personal and practical.
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A Workbook That Builds Habits of Integrity
This workbook goes beyond surface-level lessons to help kids form lifelong habits. Inside, your child will find guided reflections, thought-provoking and relatable scenarios, and goal-setting tools that bring honesty and integrity to life. This workbook is also perfect for families looking for a character-building homeschool curriculum that nurtures honesty and personal responsibility through everyday examples and reflection.
They’ll learn to:
Consider the consequences of dishonesty
Reflect on their choices and values
Set realistic goals for being truthful and acting with integrity
Track honest moments and habits using a fun calendar-style tracker
Celebrate progress through end-of-learning reflections and declaring on-going goals
By the end, kids don’t just know what integrity means—they’ve practiced it in ways that feel real and achievable.
Inside the Workbook: What Kids Will Learn
The Teaching Kids About Lying and Telling the Truth workbook is organized into 5 sections. Each section builds on the last, starting reflecting on their current behaviors, opinions, and beliefs, then guiding them to deepen their understanding of the meaning of integrity and looking at examples and opportunities to apply honesty and integrity in their daily life. Later, students reflect on what they’ve learned and accomplished through their work in the workbook. While I’ve taught 11 years in public schools, this workbook was designed with parents who simply want to encourage their child’s growth and homeschoolers in mind. It’s perfect for classroom-based teaching and an ideal fit as a homeschooling workbook and character education for elementary learners.
Learn more about the included sections below:
1 - THE HEART OF INTEGRITY
Kids start by defining integrity and exploring what it really means to be honest. Reflection questions and belief statements help them think about how honesty and integrity currently show up in their words and actions.
2 - INTEGRITY IN EVERYDAY LIFE
From school to home to friendships, children see integrity (or a lack of) in action. Through real-life examples and fun activities—like Integrity in the Real World—they learn that doing the right thing feels good and builds trust.
3 - INTEGRITY AND TELLING THE TRUTH
Why do people lie? What happens when trust is broken? This section helps kids understand the emotional side of honesty, explore natural consequences, and discover the power of making things right.
4 - INTEGRITY AND CHARACTER
Here, kids dive deeper into character, reputations, and peer pressure. They’ll learn that acting with integrity shapes the kind of person—and friend—they become.
5 - CARRYING INTEGRITY FORWARD
The final section empowers kids to commit to lifelong honesty. They’ll create a personal pledge, set new goals to continue applying what they have learned, and celebrate their progress as they carry integrity into every part of life.
BOOKS THAT BRING INTEGRITY TO LIFE
Throughout this workbook, I’ve paired each section with a carefully chosen picture book that helps children connect emotionally to the lesson at hand. While not required to use the workbook, these stories are powerful teaching tools that give kids the chance to see honesty, courage, and integrity in action.
At the back of the workbook, you’ll also find a longer list of recommended read alouds for parents and teachers to check out from the library or add to their home collection. These stories extend the conversation and keep the theme of integrity alive long after the workbook activities are done. Many parents use these books as part of a social emotional homeschool curriculum or a homeschool character building curriculum to spark deeper discussions about truth and integrity.
Here are three of my personal favorites from that list:
Oliver and his Lies by Esme Keffe
A relatable story about a boy who learns how small lies can grow—and how telling the truth brings relief and real connection.
A Day’s Work by Eve Bunting
A touching story about a boy who learns that honesty matters more than impressing others.
The Empty Pot by Demi
A tale that shows how courage and honesty shine brighter than any result, reminding kids that integrity is its own reward.
How to Use This Workbook
Whether you’re teaching at the kitchen table over breakfast, having heartfelt conversations with your child while driving them to their after school activities, or running a full homeschool curriculum, this workbook is flexible and family-friendly. For the best results, I recommend using this workbook and having conversations about its content 3-4 times a week. This will allow you to gain momentum on the topics and teachings and build on previous discussions more easily.
FOR PARENTS AND GUARDIANS
Discuss one of the honesty and integrity quotes and reflection questions together at breakfast.
Help your child add to the “I Am What I Do” Habit Tracker before bedtime to celebrate honest choices.
Share a “moment of integrity” story from your day during family dinner or on in the car.
Replace a bedtime story once a week with one of the included reading passages like A Race for Integrity, The Honor Wall, or The Dare and discuss the reflection questions together.
Choose a quiet 10-15 minute window a few times a week for your child to complete an integrity activity; weave this in to their after-school snack time, riding in the car to practice, or winding down before bed.
FOR HOMESCHOOL OR CO-OP EDUCATORS
Use it as part of a weekly character education block or SEL unit.
Pair activities and reflections with these picture books for literacy integration.
Assign journal pages or discussion questions for small group time.
Integrate with writing or social studies lessons on moral reasoning.
CLASSROOM TEACHERS
This workbook was designed based on my SEL Morning Meeting Unit for Integrity. The workbook is perfect for your character education efforts in the classroom, too. Whether you use it as a foundation for morning meetings, counseling lessons, or social-emotional learning instruction, each activity invites students to think deeply about the concepts of honesty, trust, character, and reputation. You’ll find opportunities for class discussion, personal reflection, and skill-building woven throughout. These lessons can help you as you encourage students to be thoughtful and responsible members of their school community.
NOTE: The digital download version on TPT includes daily lesson plans, printable student journals, a bulletin board, and Google Slides component. Consider whether the workbook curriculum or TPT version will best meet your needs.
INTERESTED IN MULTIPLE COPIES?
Contact Tammy at tarheelstateteacher(at)gmail(.)com for a quote for multiple copies for small groups or purchase orders for your campus or district.
WHY PARENTS LOVE THIS APPROACH
Families tell me that this workbook opens up the best kind of conversations—ones that go beyond “Don’t lie” and into why truth matters. It helps kids see honesty not as a rule, but as a reflection of who they are becoming. You’ll have the opportunity to discuss situations that your kids may or may not have already experienced, allowing you the chance to prime them for the best responses when they encounter challenging situations on their own.
When children understand that integrity is built one choice at a time, they begin to take pride in doing what’s right—even when it’s hard.
feedback for my integrity unit from classroom teachers
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fabulous resource! My kids loved engaging with this resource and it made my life so much easier. I love a product like this that saves me time but that students still enjoy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We have loved reading and discussing the stories to go along with Integrity. What a great resource and very easy to use. Thank you!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I love how you connected integrity with reputation. This will be perfect for my upper elementary students!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Gosh, we need these resources on integrity now more than ever! Thank you so much for providing teachers with such meaningful tools!
START BUILDING INTEGRITY TODAY
Help your child strengthen their moral compass with Teaching Kids About Lying and Telling the Truth—one of the best homeschool workbooks for building character, honesty, and integrity.
Give your child the confidence to choose honesty, take responsibility, and act with integrity—at home, at school, and for life.
