Raising Charitable Children

Whitney Fogg, mother of 3 and Director of Human Resources, is back on the blog today with tips on how to support your community by raising charitable children!

#GivingTuesdayNow is May 5. Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement that has sparked an international day of charitable giving. How can we involve kids in our Giving Tuesday activities to help encourage them to develop the important skills of empathy and charity? We have some tips!

Tip #1: Make a Charitable Donation As a Family

If you are fortunate enough to be able to celebrate Giving Tuesday by making a donation to your favorite non-profit organization(s) this year, choose the lucky recipients together as a family.

Talk to your children about what causes or topics are important to them, translate their interests into action, and sneak in an educational opportunity. Maybe your child has a few allowance dollars saved that they want to contribute.

Does your child love dogs? A donation to your local shelter or rescue group is in order, perhaps combined with a conversation about how to properly care for a pet.

Does your child love dinosaurs? A donation to the closest museum with a dinosaur exhibit would be perfect along with a virtual tour.

Does your child want to be a doctor? A donation to a medical charity would be in order together with a timely conversation about germs, viruses, medicine, and vaccines.

Tip #2: Give Goods

If you are unable to give monetarily, perhaps you are able to give goods. Many organizations are still accepting donations.

• Clean out your book shelf and discuss the importance of literacy, then donate to your closest Little Free Library or book bank.

• Clean out the toy bin and discuss what these toys have encouraged you to learn through play, then donate to your favorite charity.

• Clean out your pantry and donate some much needed shelf stable items to your closest food pantry, then have an age appropriate conversation about food insecurity.

Tip #3: Volunteer (or plan to!)

Often Giving Tuesday is celebrated by giving time through volunteerism.

Though there aren’t many volunteer opportunities for families at the moment — there are organizations distributing free food and meals that need volunteer drivers. Otherwise, brainstorm a list of volunteer opportunities you can take advantage of at a later date, discuss why volunteering is important, and how you can help your community.

Tip #4: Give Kindness

Finally, Giving Tuesday can also be celebrated by giving kindness, which is probably how most of us will participate this year.

Thank you notes and drawings seem more important than ever right now; consider drawing a picture or writing a note for your mail or delivery person.

Some children are video conferencing with their teachers; consider how to express appreciation for your teacher during your next call.

If you know someone who works in a hospital, send them a picture or note.

All of these activities give you the opportunity to discuss different jobs and how they function.

Perhaps you live near a sidewalk or other paved surface. Draw a picture and leave a note of encouragement for those walking by. Take the opportunity to discuss how to offer kind words, and how that may make others feel.

Most importantly, discuss how you can incorporate giving and kindness into your lives all year long!

Here’s what we’re up to at the Children’s Museum — where it is Giving Tuesday every day!