The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas are the best time to build a plan to teach a bit of gratitude to your children. At this time of year there is always a great focus on giving to the less fortunate, but how do parents make this a regular habit of charity? Here are a few tips that can jump-start the New Year for young ones learning about those less fortunate and how to grow into adolescence with a bit of compassion already developed.
Focus on the Positive – There are absolutely those around us that are less fortunate than our family. So what do we have that we can bless others with? “Out of our abundance we are able to give a little” is a great way to approach this conversation with your children. Whether it is giving lesser-used toys to someone we know, donating time at Goodwill or the local food bank, kids understand most by “doing” and being able to tangibly see what they are giving towards.
Believe in the Baby Steps – Often the need seems so great! How do we raise children that understand that “every little bit helps”? Teaching your children that our family gives to others as a lifestyle or regularly, whether we have a lot to give or not very much. Combine what we give as a family with all of those families around us giving.. and we can make a huge difference.
Connect to a Greater Good – Often giving to a national non-profit is tough for children to understand. Try finding an organization that has a large impact but allows you to understand how your family really fits into the greater good. An organization such as Operation Christmas Child allows you to fill a shoebox for a boy or girl and then “track” where it goes. It is wonderful for children to wait in anticipation of finding out the “surprise” of which country their shoebox landed in.
Make it a Habit – There are many ways to donate and give, but doing it regularly is the goal. Take a bag of dog food to the humane society, serve water at the holiday 5K run, and donate your time once per month at a charity. Each of these can be done on a family’s once-per-month “give back day” which gives children something to plan on and look forward to.
Give Thanks Daily – Allow (and expect) your little ones to express what they are thankful for each day. Whether this is at the dinner table, right before bedtime, in a “thankfulness journal”, or first thing when they get up. Being thankful is a habit that each of us can benefit a little from.