How to Get Your Kids Interested in Doing Good

Left unchecked, even the most precious little darlings can
become entitled — but, as a parent, you have the power to thwart the
development of egocentric characteristics and replace them with positive,
philanthropic ideals every thriving community needs.

As soon as your baby starts interacting with the outside
world, you can begin building compassionate traits in his or her little
personality. Here are some top tips to encourage benevolence in your kids.

Every home in America is filled to bursting with stuff, and
more than half of that stuff is no longer needed or desired. Instead of letting
it decay while more stuff piles on top, you can use it to foster the values of
sustainability and community in your kids. Twice a year, in the spring and fall
— or more frequently, if your storage spaces require it — gather your kids and
systematically sort through everything in the drawers, closets, and cupboards
of your home. You should make three distinct piles: save, donate, and throw
away. Most likely, after a couple of hours, you will have a sizeable pile of
stuff that you can give to needy families and individuals in your area.

If you want to make an even greater impact on your kids, you
can also find larger items to donate to
charitable causes. Cars, boats, appliances, furniture, and more are all
avidly sought after by organizations, and you can demonstrate even more
generosity to your kids by giving these valuable items away instead of selling
them for cold hard cash.

You might already feel overloaded balancing work and family,
but sometimes the most altruistic donation is that of your time. If your kids
see you putting time into your community through your volunteerism, they will
learn that maturity requires active compassion. When they are old enough, you
can start bringing your kids along to volunteer
opportunities where they are welcome, like any of the following:

There will always and forever be a loud and persistent call
for volunteers in every city around the U.S., so you and your kids will never
find your desire to help unanswered.

There is almost nothing kids love more than a good arts and
crafts project, and you can give direction to kids’ explosive creativity with
projects designed to help others. There are hundreds of small items, letters,
and packages that needy people look forward to receiving, so you could feasibly
organize a different caring craft project for every day of the year. Here are
some quick
and easy ideas to get you started:

Older kids, like tweens and teens, might enjoy constructing
more complicated crafts for others, like baked goods, knitted scarves, and
birdhouses, which can be given away or sold to generate a donation fund.

The more isolated you and your family are from your greater
community, the less likely your kids are to develop a giving nature. Instead of
just donating time and items every once and a while, you should regularly
participate in activities and events that are close to home. For example, you
can organize a block party to engage your neighbors, or you can plan a
community-wide carnival to mix and mingle with people from your greater area.

Being an active member in your community — by donating,
volunteering, and participating in community events — is not only beneficial
for your kids’ upbringing; it makes you and the world around you better in
every way. Strong communities are more likely to be mentally and physically
healthier and have less crime and poverty. However, to achieve these highly
desirable results, you must cultivate importance in giving back, which starts
with you and your kids.