Teaching Kids About Charity

The importance of teaching children the value of charity work is hard to overestimate. While every single child should learn how to spell, read, write and do math, there is more to life than just these basics. In order for a child to grow into a responsible citizen, he or she needs to learn that life is about more than making money, going to work and having fun. Giving to others will help a child to be aware of his or her community and grow into an responsible, ethical, tolerant adult.

Volunteering

Volunteering is one of the best ways to teach children about charity work. One can find volunteer opportunities in any given city or town, as most charitable organizations are eager to accept part time help from those who would like to donate a few hours of their time. A child can help prepare and pass out food to the homeless, clean a local park or community area, care for abandoned animals at an animal shelter and more. Naturally, it is important to make sure that the volunteer opportunity is suitable for the child's age and maturity level.

Giving Used Items to Charity

Giving used items to charity is also an important way of teaching children to give back to others. Many parents have initiated a tradition that when a child gets toys for Christmas, or his or her birthday, some old toys that are no longer used are then given away to those in need. The beauty of this tradition is that a child of any age can participate in this form of giving. The items being given away can be taken to an Oxfam or Goodwill store, homeless shelter or orphanage in the area.

Charity Christmas Cards

No matter how poor a person is, he or she can invest in charity Christmas cards. These often cost less than a pack from a high street retailer, and buying one is a great way to give to those in need. Nearly everyone buys Christmas cards for family and friends, and a child will gain great joy from discovering that buying cards from a charity will provide the money that the charity needs to serve the needy.

Giving Money

Many charities hold fundraisers - sometimes in front of supermarkets and shops, or as part of a larger event, like a fair or fête. Teaching a child to give money at these fundraisers is a good way of helping them to learn to give to those in need. If the child is very young, then the parent should not only suggest that the child to put some change in the bucket - it's very important not to force children to take part in charity work; the act must be entered into voluntarily if a child is to benefit - but also explain to the child what the money will be used for (i.e. feeding the homeless, caring for needy children, helping endangered animals, etc).

Every parent should provide his or her child with a sound moral education, and one aspect of teaching a child moral values is teaching him or her how to give to those in need. Volunteering, donating cash or recycling used items and buying products sold by a charity are simple yet effective ways of teaching a child the joys of giving and helping others.

This is a guest post from Cards For Good Causes - a leading charity Christmas card company who help a wide range of charities every year. For more information on charity Christmas cards and how you can get involved, please visit the Cards For Good Causes website.



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