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There are a lot of traits that we hope to pass on to our children: kindness, confidence, resilience, and more. One of the best things we can teach our children is the value of being generous. Imparting this trait to them can seem daunting, especially if they’re very young, but that is the best time to start. Here are a few ways to get your children interested in giving so they can grow up with generous spirits.
Create a Giving Environment
One of the most important things in a child’s life is their home life. From an early age, children learn to mimic their surroundings, so it’s very important to give them an environment where everyone views giving as a good thing. Reward generous behavior with words rather than gifts so that giving doesn’t become something they only do for the reward.
Show Them How It’s Done
It’s no secret that kids imitate their parents. You can use this to your advantage, though, if you’re smart about what you show them. Showing a positive attitude as you box up donations or taking the kids with you when you drop items off helps to make giving back a normal behavior in their eyes. The first step to having a generous child is to be a generous person yourself.
Get Them Involved Early
Your kids are eventually going to grow out of many things. Letting them decide when they are ready to give something up is a wonderful way to get them involved in the process. When you are looking at their old baby clothes and toys for donation, let them help you decide what they are ready to give up. This step is crucial because you don’t want them to look at giving back as an action in which they lose something they still care about.
Have Them Contribute To a Donation Jar
Getting everyone in the family involved in giving back is another way that you can show your children how normal it is to be altruistic. Take time to explain to them why you are doing this. As gently as you can, explain why people need the money and how much the donations your family makes will help someone in need.
Now that you have a few ways to get your children interested in giving, you can spread the word to other parents as well. Teaching your child to be giving and generous doesn’t have to be hard, but it may require some concerted effort on your part. It’s well worth it, though—the world needs more people in it that care about others.
Sincerely,
Brittney
Thank you for sharing. Generosity is something my husband and I have been wanting to teach our kids. My daughter is already a good at sharing (maybe a little too good lol), but I want to keep that trait in her and these are great things to keep in mind.
Trina
We always worked to teach are children to be giving and serve others. We wanted them to serve in the community. We taught them tithing, volunteering and invoked them in civic organizations at school as early as we could.