I know. We’ve mentioned this kind of thing before. Generosity and children…now? It seems almost impossible to think about teaching your children to give at the same time as they are thrusting their holiday gift list in your face, Santa Claus is Coming to Town has been playing since the day after Halloween, and the commercials are vying for your attention and your every dollar. I say, it’s the most wonderful time of the year to talk about generosity and children!
I recently was asked to be the expert on generosity and children for GreatSchools.com, an educational website that reaches 35 million unique visitors per year and is an amazing resource for parents of all different backgrounds and who have children in K-12. Teaching generosity to children is incredibly important at a time of year when so much talk is about receiving. It’s also a vital time because, with so much technology and more “Facebook” then “FaceTime” it’s important to remind people to give of themselves. This is not just about being generous about giving money– as many are dealing with financial hardships at this point– but also about giving of your time, talents, treasures, and thanks. Being generous reaps many returns and we must teach children to seek out these opportunities so that they can truly see that they are worthwhile, valuable, and helpful to so may others.
Read the article on elementary-school age children:
Get kids thinking about these things. Give them some examples — do some brainstorming with them. Say: “We can do anything. We can help anybody. Children, the elderly, dogs, cats, the rainforest. What would interest you?”
Read the article on middle schoolers:
When you are buying things for your kids and upgrading, remember not to just put the old ones in the closet. Make them understand that “When I buy you this new backpack, it means the other one really needs to go to somebody else who is in need, because that’s one of our treasures. You loved it last year. Remember how you felt? Let’s give it to somebody else, so that they can have it for school.” Those kinds of things can be status symbols for that age group.
Read the article on high school age kids:
You’re preparing them to develop their own talents and their real-world experience. If they love violin, then say to them: “You only have concerts once or twice a year. What do you think about doing it more often? Who else would like to hear you play the violin, besides the family? I wonder if some of the rehabilitation centers, hospitals, or senior centers would enjoy hearing you, because we love it. How nice it would be for them, and you’d be able to practice at the same time.”
Please share the way YOU and your family show generosity. It not only fulfills us and helps others, but builds other Powerful Words like empathy, gratitude, and, our Powerful Word of the month, Dependability.
