When you teach your child the spirit of giving at a young age, you give them the skills they’ll need to make the world a better place as adults. We all want our kids to grow up to be helpful and compassionate. After all, they’ll inherit this world and it could use a little more of both of those things! But, it can be hard to encourage kids to be charitable because giving doesn’t always get results right away. Here are a few ways to get your child thinking about others and instill in them the spirit of giving.
Creative Ways to Teach Your Child the Spirit of Giving
Giving Matters
- Help them go through their clothes, and pick out things to donate to a charitable organization like Goodwill. Make sure that they pick out the clothing (or at least some of it,) and tell them about how much their donation will mean to someone in need.
- Make a charity jar that your family can keep change in to donate to a charity. Decide on a charity with the help of your family, then label and decorate it as a family. Once the jar fills, count up the change together, and make a donation to that charity for the amount that you saved.
- If any of your neighbors have a big yard that needs a lot of care in the spring, volunteer yourself and your kid to spend an afternoon doing yard work. Helping someone who lives right in your community is a great way to show them the difference that a bit of giving can make.
- Have your kids pick out some canned goods and nonperishable foods to donate to a food bank in your area. Then, have them come with you while you drop your donation off so they get a chance to meet some of the people that volunteer at the organization.
- When you buy school supplies for the year, buy your child extras so they can donate them to kids who may need them.
- If your child is a part of any after-school sports, see if you can volunteer to help the staff or other families with anything. Whether you’re manning the concession stand for a game or two, or giving your kid’s teammates a ride to and from practice, your child will see the positive impact that volunteering can have on an after school event.
- When it’s time for your child’s class to take a field trip, volunteer to be a chaperone. Not only will this show your kids the importance of giving, it will give you the chance to share the experience of going on that trip with them.
- Take your child with you to buy some pet food, and take it to the local humane society or animal shelter. While you’re there, see if your kid can feed a few of the animals. Getting the chance to feed and play with kittens or puppies is sure to put a cute face on charity and giving for them.
- Encourage good manners. Even an act as simple as holding the door open for someone is a good way that you can give a little to help someone in need. Always look for ways that you can help someone else out, and your child will follow suit.
Giving is More Than Donating
Remember, teaching your kids about giving is more than having them make a donation. Make sure you talk to them about why their actions are important, and how important giving can be to those who are in need. This will encourage your kid to go beyond your expectations and seek out ways that they can give on their own.
These are definitely some great ways to teach our kids the spirit of giving. We like to go through our stuff and donate items to those who are less fortunate. They actually love doing that!
This is a great thing to teach your kids. If more parents taught their children to be giving, this would be a much better world to live in.
I have taught my kids the privilege of being able to give back all their lives. I think it is so important
I love this post! It is so important to teach children the spirit of giving. I love all of these creative suggestions.
These are really great! I think its really important to teach kids all about giving all year long, not just around the holidays so this is all some great info!
what an amazing post! I wish all parents could read this! I love seeing my kids give to others without expecting anything in return. Such a great attitude.
Teaching giving is so very important. It can be tough to do in this day and age, but when it is done, kids carry it with them well into adulthood.
My girls save their money all year and they will each adopt a girl their own age to buy holiday gifts for. We’ve been doing that for about 6 years. It really makes them realize that there are children just like them out there that aren’t as fortunate as they are.
This is so important. I love teaching my kids to see beyond their own home.
With as many greedy people there seem to be these days teaching kids that giving is better than taking is more important than ever. These are wonderful ways to show them how to give back.
It is so important to teach kids about giving back. We volunteered as a family and would take donations to the animal shelter and women’s shelters.
Ah, these are really clever ideas. Learning by doing is always helpful and these are things everyone can do.
I think all of these ideas are great for kids to develop. I especially liked the animal kindness and work at the shelter.
Thanks so much for sharing these tips! I think there is far too little giving in this world these days.
I love all of these! We always buy extra school supplies for the food pantry in town who distributes them.