Six Ways to Get Going on (Guilt Free) Giving
Source:
familyeducation.com
1. Get honest. Okay, so your kids have never seen the
inside of a homeless shelter, nor donated a single item for a charity toy
drive. Talk about it! "You know, we really haven't made this a priority as
a family, and that was a mistake, so now we're going to." Done. Now move
on...
2. Remember the 2 Gs: gratitude and giving. "You
can't have one without the other," says Kendrick. "They go hand in
hand." Giving kids a chance to help others is how they learn to appreciate
what they have (and children who appreciate what they have are not only happier
people, they are less likely to whine and moan for every last item they see in
the mall!)
3. Giving doesn't begin and end with charity work.
Kendrick remembers his grandmother making cookies for the neighbors, which he
would then distribute. Jo Ann H. (profiled above) helps her children keep a
bird feeder filled throughout the winter. These small acts of kindness are
forms of giving that send the same message to children as a trip to a soup
kitchen ("Our family cares about others.")
4. Let kids decide how to give. You may think that
helping the homeless or contributing to the fight against cancer are the most
important ways to make a difference. Your five-year-old may want to donate more
money to the zoo so that the lions will have a bigger supper. The type of
giving matters less than the opportunity to empower kids, to let them
"own" the act of giving.
5. Be concrete. Dropping coins into a collection box
can indeed make a difference, but most young children, rooted in concrete
thinking, can't understand where the money goes beyond the pail. "Take as
many steps into the act of giving as you can," advises Kendrick. In other
words, although it's easier for you to write a check, it's easier for kids to "see"
what they're doing when they buy items to donate with you, then deliver them to
a food bank, and put them directly on the shelves.
6. Give non-material gifts.Making donations is a
wonderful way to give, but children can make a valuable contribution just by
spending time talking with an elderly neighbor. Make sure they understand the
value of "gifts of time" by asking questions like, "Which do you
think meant more, the groceries we delivered today or the nice time we had
talking with the woman who needed the food?" As Kendrick sees it, those
follow-up chats are an "emotional bookmark." By marking the moment
and talking about it with kids, he says, "you're engraving family
currency. Your kid's picture is on the currency. And you're giving them a
chance to spend it, to give themselves away."
Six Ways to Get Going on (Guilt-Free!) Giving
1. Get honest. Okay, so your kids have never seen the
inside of a homeless shelter, nor donated a single item for a charity
toy drive. Talk about it! "You know, we really haven't made this a
priority as a family, and that was a mistake, so now we're going
to." Done. Now move on...
2. Remember the 2 Gs: gratitude and giving. "You can't have one
without the other," says Kendrick. "They go hand in hand."
Giving kids a chance to help others is how they learn to appreciate what
they have (and children who appreciate what they have are not only
happier people, they are less likely to whine and moan for every last
item they see in the mall!)
3. Giving doesn't begin and end with charity work. Kendrick remembers his grandmother making cookies for the neighbors, which
he would then distribute. Jo Ann H. (profiled above) helps her children keep a bird feeder filled throughout the winter.
These small acts of kindness are forms of giving that send the same message to children as a trip to a soup kitchen
("Our family cares about others.")
4. Let kids decide how to give. You may think that helping the
homeless or contributing to the fight against cancer are the most
important ways to make a difference. Your five-year-old may want to
donate more money to the zoo so that the lions will have a bigger
supper. The type of giving matters less than the opportunity to empower
kids, to let them "own" the act of giving.
5. Be concrete. Dropping coins into a collection box can indeed
make a difference, but most young children, rooted in concrete
thinking, can't understand where the money goes beyond the pail. "Take
as many steps into the act of giving as you can," advises Kendrick. In
other words, although it's easier for you to write a check, it's easier
for kids to "see" what they're doing when they buy items to donate with
you, then deliver them to a food bank, and put them directly on the
shelves.
6. Give non-material gifts.Making donations is a wonderful way
to give, but children can make a valuable contribution
just by spending time talking with an elderly neighbor. Make sure they
understand the value of "gifts of time" by asking questions like,
"Which do you think meant more, the groceries we delivered today or the
nice time we had talking with the woman who needed the food?" As
Kendrick sees it, those follow-up chats are an "emotional bookmark." By
marking the moment and talking about it with kids, he says, "you're
engraving family currency. Your kid's picture is on the currency. And
you're giving them a chance to spend it, to give themselves away."
Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/holidays/christmas/29608.html#ixzz2DST2IByE
Six Ways to Get Going on (Guilt-Free!) Giving
1. Get honest. Okay, so your kids have never seen the
inside of a homeless shelter, nor donated a single item for a charity
toy drive. Talk about it! "You know, we really haven't made this a
priority as a family, and that was a mistake, so now we're going
to." Done. Now move on...
2. Remember the 2 Gs: gratitude and giving. "You can't have one
without the other," says Kendrick. "They go hand in hand."
Giving kids a chance to help others is how they learn to appreciate what
they have (and children who appreciate what they have are not only
happier people, they are less likely to whine and moan for every last
item they see in the mall!)
3. Giving doesn't begin and end with charity work. Kendrick remembers his grandmother making cookies for the neighbors, which
he would then distribute. Jo Ann H. (profiled above) helps her children keep a bird feeder filled throughout the winter.
These small acts of kindness are forms of giving that send the same message to children as a trip to a soup kitchen
("Our family cares about others.")
4. Let kids decide how to give. You may think that helping the
homeless or contributing to the fight against cancer are the most
important ways to make a difference. Your five-year-old may want to
donate more money to the zoo so that the lions will have a bigger
supper. The type of giving matters less than the opportunity to empower
kids, to let them "own" the act of giving.
5. Be concrete. Dropping coins into a collection box can indeed
make a difference, but most young children, rooted in concrete
thinking, can't understand where the money goes beyond the pail. "Take
as many steps into the act of giving as you can," advises Kendrick. In
other words, although it's easier for you to write a check, it's easier
for kids to "see" what they're doing when they buy items to donate with
you, then deliver them to a food bank, and put them directly on the
shelves.
6. Give non-material gifts.Making donations is a wonderful way
to give, but children can make a valuable contribution
just by spending time talking with an elderly neighbor. Make sure they
understand the value of "gifts of time" by asking questions like,
"Which do you think meant more, the groceries we delivered today or the
nice time we had talking with the woman who needed the food?" As
Kendrick sees it, those follow-up chats are an "emotional bookmark." By
marking the moment and talking about it with kids, he says, "you're
engraving family currency. Your kid's picture is on the currency. And
you're giving them a chance to spend it, to give themselves away."
Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/holidays/christmas/29608.html#ixzz2DST2IByE
Six Ways to Get Going on (Guilt-Free!) Giving
1. Get honest. Okay, so your kids have never seen the
inside of a homeless shelter, nor donated a single item for a charity
toy drive. Talk about it! "You know, we really haven't made this a
priority as a family, and that was a mistake, so now we're going
to." Done. Now move on...
2. Remember the 2 Gs: gratitude and giving. "You can't have one
without the other," says Kendrick. "They go hand in hand."
Giving kids a chance to help others is how they learn to appreciate what
they have (and children who appreciate what they have are not only
happier people, they are less likely to whine and moan for every last
item they see in the mall!)
3. Giving doesn't begin and end with charity work. Kendrick remembers his grandmother making cookies for the neighbors, which
he would then distribute. Jo Ann H. (profiled above) helps her children keep a bird feeder filled throughout the winter.
These small acts of kindness are forms of giving that send the same message to children as a trip to a soup kitchen
("Our family cares about others.")
4. Let kids decide how to give. You may think that helping the
homeless or contributing to the fight against cancer are the most
important ways to make a difference. Your five-year-old may want to
donate more money to the zoo so that the lions will have a bigger
supper. The type of giving matters less than the opportunity to empower
kids, to let them "own" the act of giving.
5. Be concrete. Dropping coins into a collection box can indeed
make a difference, but most young children, rooted in concrete
thinking, can't understand where the money goes beyond the pail. "Take
as many steps into the act of giving as you can," advises Kendrick. In
other words, although it's easier for you to write a check, it's easier
for kids to "see" what they're doing when they buy items to donate with
you, then deliver them to a food bank, and put them directly on the
shelves.
6. Give non-material gifts.Making donations is a wonderful way
to give, but children can make a valuable contribution
just by spending time talking with an elderly neighbor. Make sure they
understand the value of "gifts of time" by asking questions like,
"Which do you think meant more, the groceries we delivered today or the
nice time we had talking with the woman who needed the food?" As
Kendrick sees it, those follow-up chats are an "emotional bookmark." By
marking the moment and talking about it with kids, he says, "you're
engraving family currency. Your kid's picture is on the currency. And
you're giving them a chance to spend it, to give themselves away."
Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/holidays/christmas/29608.html#ixzz2DST2IByE
Six Ways to Get Going on (Guilt-Free!) Giving
1. Get honest. Okay, so your kids have never seen the
inside of a homeless shelter, nor donated a single item for a charity
toy drive. Talk about it! "You know, we really haven't made this a
priority as a family, and that was a mistake, so now we're going
to." Done. Now move on...
2. Remember the 2 Gs: gratitude and giving. "You can't have one
without the other," says Kendrick. "They go hand in hand."
Giving kids a chance to help others is how they learn to appreciate what
they have (and children who appreciate what they have are not only
happier people, they are less likely to whine and moan for every last
item they see in the mall!)
3. Giving doesn't begin and end with charity work. Kendrick remembers his grandmother making cookies for the neighbors, which
he would then distribute. Jo Ann H. (profiled above) helps her children keep a bird feeder filled throughout the winter.
These small acts of kindness are forms of giving that send the same message to children as a trip to a soup kitchen
("Our family cares about others.")
4. Let kids decide how to give. You may think that helping the
homeless or contributing to the fight against cancer are the most
important ways to make a difference. Your five-year-old may want to
donate more money to the zoo so that the lions will have a bigger
supper. The type of giving matters less than the opportunity to empower
kids, to let them "own" the act of giving.
5. Be concrete. Dropping coins into a collection box can indeed
make a difference, but most young children, rooted in concrete
thinking, can't understand where the money goes beyond the pail. "Take
as many steps into the act of giving as you can," advises Kendrick. In
other words, although it's easier for you to write a check, it's easier
for kids to "see" what they're doing when they buy items to donate with
you, then deliver them to a food bank, and put them directly on the
shelves.
6. Give non-material gifts.Making donations is a wonderful way
to give, but children can make a valuable contribution
just by spending time talking with an elderly neighbor. Make sure they
understand the value of "gifts of time" by asking questions like,
"Which do you think meant more, the groceries we delivered today or the
nice time we had talking with the woman who needed the food?" As
Kendrick sees it, those follow-up chats are an "emotional bookmark." By
marking the moment and talking about it with kids, he says, "you're
engraving family currency. Your kid's picture is on the currency. And
you're giving them a chance to spend it, to give themselves away."
Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/holidays/christmas/29608.html#ixzz2DST2IByE
Six Ways to Get Going on (Guilt-Free!) Giving
1. Get honest. Okay, so your kids have never seen the
inside of a homeless shelter, nor donated a single item for a charity
toy drive. Talk about it! "You know, we really haven't made this a
priority as a family, and that was a mistake, so now we're going
to." Done. Now move on...
2. Remember the 2 Gs: gratitude and giving. "You can't have one
without the other," says Kendrick. "They go hand in hand."
Giving kids a chance to help others is how they learn to appreciate what
they have (and children who appreciate what they have are not only
happier people, they are less likely to whine and moan for every last
item they see in the mall!)
3. Giving doesn't begin and end with charity work. Kendrick remembers his grandmother making cookies for the neighbors, which
he would then distribute. Jo Ann H. (profiled above) helps her children keep a bird feeder filled throughout the winter.
These small acts of kindness are forms of giving that send the same message to children as a trip to a soup kitchen
("Our family cares about others.")
4. Let kids decide how to give. You may think that helping the
homeless or contributing to the fight against cancer are the most
important ways to make a difference. Your five-year-old may want to
donate more money to the zoo so that the lions will have a bigger
supper. The type of giving matters less than the opportunity to empower
kids, to let them "own" the act of giving.
5. Be concrete. Dropping coins into a collection box can indeed
make a difference, but most young children, rooted in concrete
thinking, can't understand where the money goes beyond the pail. "Take
as many steps into the act of giving as you can," advises Kendrick. In
other words, although it's easier for you to write a check, it's easier
for kids to "see" what they're doing when they buy items to donate with
you, then deliver them to a food bank, and put them directly on the
shelves.
6. Give non-material gifts.Making donations is a wonderful way
to give, but children can make a valuable contribution
just by spending time talking with an elderly neighbor. Make sure they
understand the value of "gifts of time" by asking questions like,
"Which do you think meant more, the groceries we delivered today or the
nice time we had talking with the woman who needed the food?" As
Kendrick sees it, those follow-up chats are an "emotional bookmark." By
marking the moment and talking about it with kids, he says, "you're
engraving family currency. Your kid's picture is on the currency. And
you're giving them a chance to spend it, to give themselves away."
Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/holidays/christmas/29608.html#ixzz2DST2IByE
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