While I love receiving gifts, nothing makes me happier than giving someone else a gift. For me, it's the best feeling in the world. I so badly want to pass this feeling on to my kids. The holiday season is the perfect time to look for opportunities to bring others joy. Teaching generosity is a process; it's hard for kids to think beyond their own little world. But the rewards are life-changing. Here are a few things you can do to teach this important lesson, starting right now:
- Food Drives – Let the kiddos help raid the pantry and pick out food to donate.
- Tree of Sharing – Have the kids pick an item off the tree and take them shopping to buy the gift. It's fun to see what age/gender child they choose to buy for and what they pick out for them.
- Coat Drives – Go through those winter jackets that no longer fit and donate them to kids that don't have something to wear on those cold winter days.
- Special Delivery – Have a holiday craft day and deliver the special projects to a local nursing or retirement home.
- Salvation Army – My kids love putting spare change into the buckets outside of grocery stores. Sometimes they even get to ring the bell. Bonus!
