Encouraging children to give their time, talents or treasures
Giving without expecting anything in return is fundamental to raising a financially independent and generous adult. Teaching children how to find the balance between active saving, mindful spending, generous giving and long term investing shows them how to live life with abundance.
“The greatest gift you can give a child is encouraging them to be compassionate citizens that understand the power their actions have to help others and improve the world around them.” Says Ellen Sabin, author of “The Giving Book”.
As well as making a difference by helping those in need, research tells us a “helpers high ”, the term used by Allan Luks to describe the good feelings we feel when we do something kind isn’t just ‘in our heads’, it’s in our brain chemicals. Studies have linked random acts of kindness and generosity to releasing dopamine, one of the feel good chemicals often causing a sense of euphoria.
Encourage this feeling in children by creating opportunities for them to consistently give either their time, talents or treasures. These feelings don’t last forever so giving is most beneficial when practiced daily as part of a normal routine.
Ellen Sabin says “kids should grow up experiencing charity as normal behaviour.”
A recent UK Study, ‘Growing Up Giving: Insights Into How Young People Feel About Charity’, found that young people are interested in charities and have “great charitable expectations”. The report also found that schools “lie at the heart of the bond between young people and charities” and are the primary means by which charitable giving is encouraged.“
To help children acquire the habit of charity, consider implementing some of these ideas:
Create giving cards for family, friends or neighbours.
Start by talking about how giving is something we do to help someone else (or an animal or the planet). We can give time, talents (skills and effort) or treasures (money).
Encourage them to think of five activities they would enjoy doing that could help someone else. Write each idea on a separate card and decorate beautifully.
Suggest they do one of these activities each day for the next five days.
Some ideas could be to find and decorate happiness rocks and place them on the sidewalk for others to find, offer a neck massage to a parent, or create inspiring, kind and helpful sidewalk chalk messages.
Help children find examples of how they are already giving
Discuss how every act of kindness, no matter how small, is warming someone’s heart and making a difference in their lives. Some examples are smiling at someone on the street, helping
a stray or lost animal, saying thank you, donating food to
a supermarket charity box or doing somebody else’s chores without being asked.
Pay It Forward
Suggest children do something nice for two other people each time someone does something nice for them. Acts of kindness, no matter how small will show children the positive impact of their efforts on others. Encourage them to share what they did, why they chose that act, how the person reacted and what impact it may have had.
Donate
Encourage children to go through their ‘stuff’ and select which clothes and toys they wish to donate. For maximum benefit, let them select the items and be part of the delivery of the items. Even one item is a win.
Start a Children’s Book or Toy Exchange
An exchange is a lovely way for children to help their community . Create a “library/toy store” with an unused bookshelf. Create a sign encouraging others to take a book or toy and donate one of their own. Spread the word on a message board or in a Facebook group.
Everybody Is A Philanthropist
Make a “I’m a Philanthropist”poster.
Let Them Choose
When children choose their own charity, they are part of the decision about where their money is going so feel more in control and will more than likely keep giving. That is the goal, after all! Help them research different charities and suggest they look around their community and think of ways they can help others. If a child loves dogs, suggest the SPCA, if they love
bears, introduce them to the World Wildlife Fund or if they are bookworms, help them find a charity that supports children reading.
Use Current Events:
Help children feel less overwhelmed by showing them how kind, caring people and organisations are using their time, talents and treasures to help those affected by these events. Together, find ways your family or school can help. It could be through volunteering, donating money or goods or sending supportive messages.
Philanthropy doesn’t come naturally to all children and the act of giving money away can feel unnatural. Keeping it fun, personal and hands on will help children understand they have the ability to make a difference, no matter how small their action. And they will feel a whole lot happier in the process.
