There is no time too early to teach your children the value of empathy, volunteering, and charitable giving. Mary Gordon, founder of the Roots of Empathy program in Toronto, says, “Empathy can be caught, not taught. When children develop empathy, it seems to come ready-made with courage and imagination. Children understand marginalization and social justice issues in clear and uncomplicated ways.”
Introduction
It is important to teach children the values of empathy and charitable giving from an early age. This can lead to the development of cooperation and politeness in their behavior. In this article, we will present four tips to help you teach children the values of empathy and charitable giving.
Defining Giving at an Early Age
When discussing interactions with others, parents should discuss the concept of empathy with their children as early as possible. As Gordon mentioned, developing children’s ability to take the perspective of others early on can lead to cooperation and politeness.
Young children may not realize that others have their own feelings, thoughts, and emotions. However, you can help them understand this in the following ways:
- Talk about others’ feelings: (Sarah feels sad because she lost her toy. Should we go buy her another one?)
- Suggest ways to help others: (Let’s go get Billy a Band-Aid for his scraped knee. He will feel better if we help him.)
- Read stories about feelings: (For example, “The Little Book of Big Feelings” by Marzi Wilson or “My Many Colored Days” by Dr. Seuss.)
- Teach self-awareness using “I” statements: (“I don’t like it when you kick me. It hurts and makes me feel sad.”)
By the time they are three years old, children typically begin to understand and respect the fact that everyone has feelings.
Setting a Good Example
It is important for parents to create a family environment that encourages charitable giving and makes it feel natural. Therefore, it can be very helpful to involve your children in your volunteering or charitable activities. Here are some examples:
- Let them see you putting money into donation boxes.
- Encourage them to help you choose canned goods during a food drive.
- Let them accompany you when participating in a march for a cause that matters to you.
- Encourage them to help you write cards for the elderly.
Every time your child sees you donating to charity, the good behavior is reinforced and gives you the opportunity to explain the importance of giving and how charitable work can be rewarding.
Exploring All the Different Ways to Give
According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States alone. To help you get a better idea of which organizations align with your charitable efforts, a charity organization monitoring group provides an easy-to-use way to sort and browse the best charitable organizations.
Some main categories of charities that a child can learn the value of giving from include:
- Supporting communities facing discrimination and minority issues.
- Animal protection.
- Improving the health conditions of blind and visually impaired individuals.
- Fighting cancer.
- Helping with international relief and development.
- Fighting hunger.
- Promoting peace and international relations.
- Women’s rights.
- Youth development.
There are many ways for a child to learn the value of giving and charity. For example, establishing a charity box at home can show how a little money can make a difference when given with a good heart. Encourage donating old toys, school supplies, and clothing to other children in need.
It is also helpful to teach young children that donating time is often just as powerful as donating money and things. Take the whole family to serve dinner at a local kitchen for the needy, or make it a habit to keep a basket of fruit or snacks in the car to give to hungry people in need.
Engaging
Children in Volunteer and Charitable Activities
Younger children may find it easier to understand empathy and charity if more direct and tangible examples of giving are provided. They know they love their favorite toys, so you can explain to them that not everyone is fortunate enough to play with them.
Similarly, you can help them set up a charity box where they can contribute part of their allowance or spare change. Regular charitable donations as an activity at home can reinforce charitable values in your children’s lives.
Source: https://www.thebalance.com/tips-for-teaching-kids-about-charity-and-empathy-5194032
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-to-teach-kids-about-charity-2085333
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