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Teaching Kids the Value of Charitable Giving

Kids love to help. Children as young as toddlers like to be included when we're doing household chores and delight in doing something as simple as handing us something. It makes them feel useful and valued, much the same way we feel useful and valued when we lend a hand to someone else.

The best way to ensure we raise children that will be giving adults is to teach them about giving when they are youngsters. Even children who aren't yet old enough to receive an allowance can be taught to give to others in many different ways. For example, when it's time to clean out their room of old toys, instead of simply boxing them up and giving them to Goodwill without the child knowing anything about it, we can involve them in the giving process.

When children receive new toys at Christmas and birthdays, we can take that opportunity to teach our children about giving by having them pick out an old toy to give away. We can explain to them that some children don't have any toys to play with and ask them to pick out something they would like to give another child. Once kids understand that they can make a difference, they are usually willing to help.

Another way we can teach our children about charitable giving is through monetary contributions. Whenever we give our children allowances, we should take that opportunity to teach them about how to manage finances. After all, if we don't teach our children how to manage money as they are growing up, how can we expect them to be responsible adults? We also can't teach our children about money by simply talking to them or reading from a book; we have to supplement that teaching with practical experience and an allowance is an excellent opportunity for this.

Without any proper guidance, most children are going to immediately spend any amount of money we give them. We may have to insist that certain guidelines be followed with regard to their allowance, but if we do this, after a while the child will be accustomed to it. We can sit down with our children and apportion a certain amount for savings, a certain amount for spending, and a certain amount for giving. If we allow our children to be a part of the decision-making process with regard to which worthy cause their money will go, they are far more likely to be willing participants.

For example, we can have two or three worthy causes or charitable organizations picked out and then explain to our children what kind of work the charity does, as well as who will profit from the donations and then let them make the final decision. While children who don't even know the meaning of cancer may not be excited about setting aside part of their allowance for the American Cancer Society, they may be thrilled to contribute to Toys for Tots once they understand they can help other children get toys for Christmas.

As our children grow and mature, we can incorporate more and other types of charitable giving into our teaching. We can teach them to give of themselves and their time, for example, by mowing the lawn for a shut-in, or cooking a meal, or a dozen other things they can help with as they grow older. If we start teaching our children the value of charitable giving while they are young, by the time they are teen-agers, they will be accustomed to giving and it will come much easier. That's no reason, of course, not to start teaching them to give to others, regardless of their age, because it is never to late to teach compassion for others.