Teaching your child the art of “paying it forward”
There are many ways you can teach your child about kindness and how to pay it forward, no matter their age.
Raising children who are compassionate in a hard and often cruel world can be challenging. But, as parents, it’s important we teach our children that helping others and “paying it forward” is key to being a good and kind-hearted person.
Like most values, giving is something we need to help children to understand. Teach them that making a gift is an act of thoughtfulness, and takes time and patience. Modeling, coaching, and actively involving our kids instills the habit.
Here are a few practical tips that can help your family get started on charitable giving and thinking outside the normal comfort zone:
- Donate old toys, clothes and books to a school or crèche in your area. Take the kids along when you drop it off, so that they can get a real sense of where their ‘stuff’ is going.
- Donate time, and go and visit a retirement home, or the local animal shelter. Make sure your kids are old enough not to feel sad or stressed in this situation.
- Encourage your children to help someone without expecting to get anything back. Take the neighbour’s dog for a walk, play a board game with a younger sibling, or un-stack the dishwasher for mom and dad. Small steps set the trend.
- Set up a change jar in a visible place, and get everyone to contribute their loose change. You’d be surprised at how quickly the cents add up to rands. Decide as a family what to do with the money.
- Encourage even the smallest children to make something as a gift. Whether it’s a crayon painting in a pasta decorated frame, or just a sincere, hand-written note, it really is the thought that counts and the effort that reflects the love behind the gift.