Children are never too young to start giving, and teaching your child to give is so important. Giving to those in need makes you more thankful for what you have and reminds you of how blessed you truly are. Teaching your child to give of their time, money, or toys, teaches them they can make a difference.
As Christians, we are to be cheerful givers, and as parents, we are to be training our children in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t let your child miss out on the many blessings that come with giving to others. Teach your child to give, and as they grow, it will become part of who they are and what they love to do!
1. Teaching Your Child to Give of their Time
Teach your child to give of their time by taking them to a nearby nursing home or to visit someone who is disabled or can’t easily get out. Let them help you prepare dinner or some cookies to take with you when you go. Maybe they could draw a homemade card or pick up some flowers on the way.
Encourage your child to take part of their day, to make a difference in someone else’s. Encouraging someone by paying them a visit doesn’t cost your child a thing, but it does teach them a very valuable lesson. Sometimes our time is a more valuable than money.
Kids have a way of making you feel better and lifting you up. Let your child use that gift to brighten the day of someone in need.
2. Teaching Your Child to Give by Sponsering a Child
Choose an organization such as World Vision or Compassion and let your child choose a kid their own age to sponsor. For $35-$38 a month, you can teach your child an abundance about giving and about the world they live in. Teach your child about the millions of children without homes or families, who are starving or without clean water. Not only are you helping them to see outside of the “world” they live in, but you’re showing them how they can be a part of changing a child’s life for the better. Encourage them to write letters and find out about the place where their sponsored child lives.
Teach your kid to give by reaching out to those in need and show them they can make a difference. They can’t save every child, but they can help one or two or three…
3. Teaching Your Child to Give by Passing it Along
On your child’s birthday or during Christmas time, have your child pick one or two of their gifts to give to a kid in need. Share with them about the many children who go without and don’t receive presents for their birthday or at Christmas time. Find a local foster care center or family shelter to donate the presents to and let your child know how much they were appreciated.
This is something you can do year around. Whether you’re picking your child up a new pair of shoes, something for their room, or a new outfit for school, let them pick out two and share the extra with someone in need.
Giving something that’s brand new helps teach your child to give God, and others, their best. It also makes it more personal and teaches them that giving to others sometimes takes sacrificing. Let them know how proud you are of their choice and share with them what the Bible says about cheerful givers. Sometimes giving is hard, but it’s also very rewarding!
It isn’t the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it.
~Eileen Elias Freeman
