A charitable attitude and the ability to have compassion and empathy are learned skills. As a parent, it is your highest responsibility to teach your children how to be caring, successful adults. When you set an example in your home that encourages charitable giving, your children will learn the value of generosity.

Child studies have found that those that embrace a charitable lifestyle in their early years move on to be more well-adjusted and happier adults. Learning empathy starts by exposing your children to the varied lifestyles and challenges of others in their world. Once they see that not everyone has the advantages that they enjoy, they will be able to use their empathetic skills to help where they can.

Introducing your child to charitable giving at a young age can help them to develop their skills for caring for others naturally. Following this guide to encourage giving can help you to introduce your child to charitable giving. Let’s take a look at a few ways to raise a generous child.

Be a Role Model

Children learn what they live. This simply means that a child that observes charitable giving in their everyday life is more likely to adopt the same attitude. Asking your child to expand their philanthropy without any evidence of their parents getting on board can interfere with their motivation to succeed. Parents that regularly give their time and care to others are more likely to raise a more charitable child.

Encourage your child to follow your example by sharing the joy that giving can bring. Let your child know how you give back to your community, support your friends and loved ones, and give to your church. Always share the satisfaction that you get from your charitable giving, and they will be more interested in following in your footsteps.

Start Young

Children start off being kind and caring when they are young. It’s never too early to teach your child the value of a charitable lifestyle. Even toddlers can learn about the joy of giving when encouraged. Make it a habit for your young child to give away a present during the holidays and remind them how much their actions can mean for another child. Reacting with enthusiasm and encouragement when your child displays empathy and caring is a great way to positively reinforce this behavior.

Prioritize Kindness

Educational performance is a priority for many parents. Encouraging your child to excel in their studies is an essential part of parenting. However, developing other skills beyond the academic, including empathy and kindness, should also be made a priority. Becoming a caring person should be made as important in your home as getting a great report card. To reinforce this balance to your child, make sure that both their scholarly achievements and charitable giving are both celebrated and rewarded. You can start by displaying their test paper alongside a photo of their charitable activity on the fridge to highlight the importance of both.

Giving Routine

Your child is not likely to engage in charitable activities without your help. When your children are very young, it will be up to you to organize and schedule your charitable giving as a family. As your child grows, it’s important to start discussing their ideas as a family. 

Setting up a weekly or monthly schedule that outlines your charitable activities can help to instill a strong sense of responsibility to the community and caring for others. Whether you give weekly at your place of worship or volunteer a few times a month at the local homeless shelter, starting a charitable routine can help encourage your child to be more caring about the needs of others. Find out what Centrepoint is doing to address the homeless crisis.

Personalize

As your child learns more about becoming a charitable person, it’s important to personalize their experiences. Instead of always giving as a family, take the opportunity to make your child’s charitable activities more personal. If they are acknowledged for their own contributions, they will learn to take more pride in their giving and be encouraged to continue. Allowing your child to donate a toy or money they have earned through their fundraising in their own name can have a powerful impact and help them to take pride in their charitable giving.

Celebrate Giving

Giving once a year during the holidays is not always enough to encourage a giving attitude in your child. Look for occasions to include your child in your charitable activities throughout the year. Celebrating your child’s caring behavior is an integral part of instilling charitable giving as a habit. Although showing charity should not be rewarded with material things, as your child could misunderstand the proper motivation, it’s important to acknowledge their kindness and encourage more of the same behavior. All children look for the approval of their parents, so letting them know how proud you are of their kindness to others can help to encourage them to continue their charitable giving.

Find Your Child’s Passion

Kids are much more likely to enjoy and pursue charitable activities that they enjoy. As you participate in philanthropic activities as a family, pay attention to the things that seem to really excite your child. They may have a passion for helping other children, visiting with seniors, or working with animals.

Once you identify your child’s passion, try to find more charitable giving opportunities that match their interests. You can arrange for your child to help feed animals at your local shelter, visit the retirement home to entertain the seniors or help kids that are less fortunate. Your child’s interests may change over the years, but what is essential is that they participate in charitable giving that gives them the most satisfaction and happiness.

Children won’t learn how to be kind and charitable by reading about it in a textbook or watching a show on TV. They learn about the reward and satisfaction of charitable giving at home. If you want to help your child to become a more empathetic and giving person, try some of these tips and watch your child grow into a successful, caring adult.