Lessons On Giving For Kids

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posted by: Mark Bradshaw - email

With Thanksgiving two weeks away, giving may be on your mind. How do you teach your children to give? Any parent can tell you that's a tough one. Children love to GET things, not give. Actually that goes for all ages.

The holiday want lists are starting to take shape. 'Tis the season for getting, especially for children. Nothing naughty about that, but how do you teach your kids about giving? We went to Betty Casey, editor of TulsaKids Magazine, to tackle that sometimes difficult chore. She gave us some advice.

Start by how we teach kids to do anything... by example. "If you are showing the example of giving and being a giving person then children pick up on that."
She also recommends starting the giving lessons at a young age, by teaching your kids to donate a portion of their allowance or gift money to their church or a charity. "It gives them a sense of power that somebody is out there doing something for people who are less fortunate so I think that's a good thing for all of us to feel."
She says make giving a family project. For example, adopt a needy family through your church or a non-profit.
And get them to buy something small for a grandparent or make a gift for a friend. "Anything like that can help your children develop that good sense, that good feeling that they get from giving to others."

Casey says giving is an ongoing process that parents need to instill in their children, during the holiday season and beyond.