Teaching our children about giving back.

[The Little Seed]

With the recent devastation in Haiti, we are constantly surrounded by images and reminders to give back to those that are less fortunate or who are in need. This message is sometimes diluted by the time it reaches our kids and since as parents, we try to shelter our little ones from such devastating sights, it is at this time that we can use this incident as a reminder to teach our children the importance of charity and giving back.

Recently, a friend of mine was motivated to finally start cleaning out her closets, something we all know we put off doing. My friend decided to employ the help of her children and created a few fun games so that each child would pull out the clothing they no longer wore or the toys they no longer used.

This activity, not only served as a little Spring cleaning chore, but it also allowed her children to learn about donating, which also teaches about “reuse” and “recycle.” Rather than simply packing up the car with the bags of items and dropping them off, she made a day of it and brought her kids on a donation tour. The children were able to experience first hand the act of charity work by being able to watch the process of donating goods and by seeing how their trash was someone else's treasure.

This is just one interactive way to teach children about giving back and not wasting. If you have any old clothing, toys, shoes or other items that are in reusable condition, try to build a fun family day around it and demonstrate to your kids that items can have a second life.

What are some other ways you have tried to teach your children about charity work? We would love you to share your ideas with us.