During the month of December, many parents work very hard to create special traditions and select gifts for their children to open on Christmas morning. Even when everything is perfectly planned, the reality is that when the last present is unwrapped, your child is looking for another present or is overstimulated by all the family activities.
This holiday season; try to incorporate ways to teach your child the gift of giving to others. Not only will it help shape your child’s values, but it will create lasting memories for your family. Here are a few simple ways to teach young children to give:
Volunteer – Find an organization that allows children to help with simple duties.
Organize a Food or Coat/Mitten Drive – Ask your friends and neighbors for donations and have your child help with the collection and delivery.
Visit a Nursing Home – Have your child make holiday cards and deliver them to a local nursing home.
Make Gifts – Spend an afternoon with your child doing simple crafts or holiday decorations to give as gifts to teachers, friends or family members.
Adopt a Family in Need – Let your child shop with you for gifts that you are buying for the family you are sponsoring.
Donate Books – Have your child select books they no longer read and donate them to a local organization.
It is important to teach your child that giving to others is not just for the holiday season. Enroll your child in a program where giving to the community is part of the curriculum. Or, work with your child care provider to plan activities that will give back!
At HoneyTree Early Learning Centers, teachers work very hard to incorporate the importance of giving into their curriculum. Throughout the year they plan food drives, hat/mitten drives, visit nursing homes, write letters to soldiers overseas and adopt animals at the Mill Mountain Zoo. This past year, in conjunction with the HoneyTree Foundation, children at each of their twelve centers presented checks to over ten local non-profit organizations.
