Teaching the young the act of charity can be a daunting task. Everyone likes to get stuff. It’s not so easy to give stuff away. Our world is full of want. But teaching charity can help us to learn the difference between wants and needs and also the joy of giving. Parents and family members have to make a conscience effort to teach children about charity in everyday life. They can also make a conscience effort to help their children find opportunities to give to others through charitable organizations in their society and community and also through daily acts of service and kindness to others.

There are lots of great ways to help children instill a tradition of charity in their hearts and actions every day. The Christmas holidays always create tons of great opportunities for giving to charities and other service organizations. But the act of having charity in mind needs to be something we consider all year long. Society doesn’t just need charity at Christmas. There are people in need all around us every day. You don’t need to turn on the television to be reminded of that. Some great things that families do include doing a monthly donation run to a charitable organization like the Salvation Army. Some families will take a monthly load of groceries or even a small bag to the local food pantry. Kids need to know where these places are and understand that they are a wonderful gift to a community. Children need to see their adult family members going into these places and having positive experiences there. When schools offer charity events, families can support their children in giving generously if finances allow. Let children get excited to be involved in charity events and acts of service. Families can also enact their own charity activities and let their children help plan and do them.