With the holidays knocking on our door, your little ones have probably already started a list of all the exciting things they’ll be asking for this year. Before all of the excitement of gift giving begins, take the time to explain to your children the importance of giving back to those who need it. The holidays are the best time to install the values of charity and service into your little ones. Inspired by an article posted on SheKnows.com we’ve suggested a few different ways to get your children involved in giving back this holiday season.
Utilizing Technology
If your older children spend a lot of their time on the computer or on their phones, encourage them to get involved in digital donating. Websites such as The Hunger Site allow visitors to click a button once a day and for every click a cup of food will be donated to countries in need. This website is completely free and does not even require an email address to participate. This is a nice way to remind your kids at a young age that the Internet can be used to help people.
Give Before You Receive
When preparing for Christmas morning or any holiday where your little ones will receive a lot of gifts, including birthdays, have them donate some old toys first. This is a way to make space for their new things while giving to those that are less fortunate. When they are still young, donating old toys will be easier to do on your own. However, once they’re old enough, sit them down and explain to them how some children are not as lucky as they are to get new toys all the time and giving away their toys that they don’t need anymore could really make a little girl or boy’s Christmas special.
Salute the Brave
The holidays are a great time to remind your children about the sacrifices men and women make for our country. Support Our Troops has guidelines and information on sending care packages to our active troops. This is a nice project if a few families in your neighborhood are looking to give back. Get a group together to go shopping for bulk items and have your children help pick out what to buy, as well as, make cards and decorations to add in the box. Another great idea is to have your children make cards and cookies to bring to the local police station or firehouse in your neighborhood as a thank you to the men and women that protect your community.
Reaching Out to Elders
A very nice idea around the holidays is to visit local nursing homes or hospitals. A lot of residents of nursing homes don’t have regular visitors and some don’t get any at all, so even just having your little ones make some cards and sweets would be a gesture that goes a long way. This is a great way to emphasize that not everyone has a big family to spend the holidays with so giving some of your time to people that are alone will really make their holidays much more special.
We hope you and your children will enjoy spreading the love this holiday season. If there were any ideas you really liked or if you have any charitable activities that are a tradition for your family, please tell us in the comments! Please share with your family and friends so we can all do a little more good this year.