Christmas is just two days away! It’s a day that most people, especially children, cherish and look forward to all year along. Though we fundamentally understand that the season is about giving, it can be a challenge to get our kids to move away from receiving mode. Though there are only a few days left until Christmas Day, here are a few tips for helping your kids to learn the value of generosity for the Christmas Season.
A Culture of Giving
One of the best ways to instill a culture in your home is through tradition. After all, the Christmas culture sticks with us so well because it’s a tradition. Every year, we essentially have the same routine, whether it’s conscious or not. So, build in a tradition of being thoughtful about gift giving every year.
One way to do this is by having your children develop a gifts list alongside their “wish list.” For everything that they put on their wish list, they have to decide on a corresponding gift to give to someone else. This could be a gift that is purchased or it could be something that they already own that they plan to give away to someone else. This could really help to balance out their giving and receiving relationship with Christmas. These giveaway gifts could be for a particular person, or they could be donated to a family that is less fortunate or to an organization that helps those in need.
Another element to throw into the Christmas tradition is to have your child go through their stash of toys and create two piles. One pile for the toys that they plan to keep and another pile for the toys they plan to give away. This keeps them thinking of how they can bless someone else and also makes some extra room for the new toys they will be receiving on Christmas Day.
Another important detail in this equation is the element of modeling and teaching. If you’re wanting your children to be generous gift givers, they need to be personally taught the value of generosity. Secondarily, it cannot just be taught, it must also be caught. They must “catch” you doing it yourself. If you’re attempting to teach a value that you don’t own yourself, it will never be truly embraced. Your children need to SEE you being generous. When you’re teaching it and modeling it, you will be able to successfully instill the value of giving into your children. The benefit is that this can carry far beyond the holiday season.