Parenting Tips: 5 Effective ways to raise charitable kids

Spirit of Giving: 5 Effective ways to raise charitable kids

Sarah Khan

10 Jan 2017

updated the Tuesday, January 10, 2017

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Create a family culture of compassion & generosity
Children should grow up believing that giving and offering help is something that everyone does. And because children learn by watching and observing the actions of those around them, it is best to lead by example.
Look for opportunities throughout the day to be generous, whether it be helping a neighbour out or donating to a homeless man on the street, and do it visibly in front of your children. Even better, get your children involved in any of your personal charity projects. This sets the standard for them and creates a culture of giving that your children will innately take in.
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Get your children involved
Seek volunteering opportunities or charitable projects that are aligned to your children's interests and talents, and let them take the reins in managing it. The more direction they have over it, the more they'll appreciate the experience. If your child loves baking, have him or her organise a small bake sale for instance. Since volunteering opportunities for younger children are hard to come by, consider enrolling them in a service-oriented group or CCA like the Girl Guides or Boy Scouts.
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Show your kids that there are others in need
Have discussions with your children about issues in the world or expose them, through travel or reading, to situations where others might be less privileged. Rather than building pity, the goal is to instill empathy in your kids towards others.
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Make birthdays a charitable affair
Rather than making birthdays an occasion to spoil your child, approach it as a day for them to give to others instead. At their first birthday party when they're of school-going age, ask that the guests bring a gift to be donated to charity instead. Get your child in on the idea, or even let him choose the designated charity organisation or cause.
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Allocate generosity
Set aside a portion of the amount you intend to give away to charity for your kids to give instead. Let them decide on the cause or charities they want to support. It doesn't strictly have to be cash either; you can periodically go through your closets for clothes you want to give away and encourage your children to do the same. Get them involved in choosing the items they want to donate and take them with you when you're planning to drop them off.

Create a family culture of compassion & generosity

Here are 5 simple tips to grooming your kids into becoming charitable individuals.

Christmas might be well over at this point, but it definitely does not mean that the spirit of giving should cease. Empathy, consideration and compassion are, if anything, exactly what the world needs and it’s important to instill these traits in your children from young. However, we acknowledge that not every kid gets excited about volunteering their weekends away or donating their gifts to charity. So how exactly can you encourage your children to be charitable and giving individuals?

Well, the simple answer is that giving is not something you can ‘teach’ a child. Rather, it’s a value you adopt and practise as a family. Ellen Sabin, author of The Giving Book, attests to this and says that “Once children are exposed to helping other people, it starts to become a habit”. Head up to our gallery above for 5 simple tips to groom your kids into charitable, socially-conscious individuals!

Sarah Khan

Photos: GettyImages

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