Developing Empathy: How to Teach Children to be Charitable
Feb 24, 2022
kids hands together
Children are naturally empathetic and generous, but they need guidance to learn to be charitable. Follow these tips to grow these values in your kids.
Talk about the importance of giving back.
When you teach your children about charity, they need to understand why they should give. As a parent, this means explaining the importance of giving back in simple terms that they can grasp.
Explain why it's necessary to help the less fortunate and how it makes the world a better place. You may even want to show them movies or television shows where characters do good deeds and explain how this makes everyone feel good.
Help your child understand that there are many different ways to be charitable and that everyone can make a difference.
Make charity fun.
Children will be interested in helping others when the work is fun, not a chore. Have them help pack food boxes, collect donations, or write letters to soldiers overseas.
It could be even packing and providing breakfast to a local charity. There are many different ways for kids to be charitable, and finding one they enjoy is crucial.
Bring them along when you donate money or items to charities. Again, explain why this is important, and encourage them to do it whenever possible. It may seem difficult at first for some kids, but once they see how happy they make others, they will be eager to do more.
Let them choose a charity.
Allow your kids to choose their own charity. Everyone has different choices and interests. So, their compassion and empathy won't revolve around the same subjects.
Ask them to research different organizations and find one they feel passionate about. This will encourage them to stay involved and learn more about their charity's work.
Encourage volunteering.
Volunteering is another excellent way for kids to get involved in charity work. Help them find a cause that they're passionate about and then encourage them to volunteer at their local soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
They will realize how less fortunate people live their lives through these activities. They will learn about the organizations and see how they can help make a difference.
Providing food to a shelter.
Shelters mostly run on donations, and letting kids see where their food goes can be really eye-opening.
The whole family can have a good time by going together and packing meals or providing dinner at a shelter.
The Final Words
Remember to be patient and encouraging when teaching your children about charity. Helping others becomes second nature when children learn to put themselves in other people's shoes. Motivating kids to do charity work translates into an improved life for many people. With small acts of kindness, the world becomes a better place.