10 Easy Ways to Raise A Generous Kid

Generosity is never a common trait in kids. In order to raise a generous kid, you need to help them understand why giving can be rewarding.

We all want our children to grow up to be kind, empathetic, generous kids that care about others and are willing to give back and make a difference in this world. But raising a child is overwhelming enough so the task of raising a fully conscious and generous kid seems nearly impossible. However, giving back isn’t just about the money. There are many ways parents can motivate their children to give back to society, both in money and time.

Parents may assist their children in various ways, but these concepts must be instilled in our children from the start. And we can help them along by doing these ten things in this article!

Encourage Empathy

When a firstborn child, he’s practically deaf and blind to the world. He doesn’t have any idea how to interact with people or how to show compassion towards them. Therefore, the parent must encourage their young child to understand this and learn more about showing compassion and empathy. Here are some things you can do:

Talk about your own emotional experiences as a child.
Pay attention to your child’s actions and reactions.
Use stories, songs, and games to help shape their empathy towards people.
Instill these values into your children to make it normal for them.

Teach Financial Literacy

Financial literacy is one of the most significant lessons a parent can teach their kid since it will help them manage their finances as adults, teens, and beyond. The earlier you start, the better.

Talk to your children about money. Tell them what you’re doing with your money.
Ask your children questions about money, such as “How much do you have?” or “What if I told you that I would give some of my money to someone else right now? What kinds of things would I do with that money?”

Encourage Independent Giving

Independent giving is when children start to give money and time on their own accord, without the urging of their parents. This teaches kids a valuable lesson: Giving back is essential, even if you don’t have to.

Teach your children how to donate their money and time on their own. Talk to them about it, encourage them to think of ways they can contribute, and help them along the way.
Be sure your child doesn’t just give money and time randomly. Make sure they think through any potential gift thoroughly before they do it.
Give incentives for helping out around the house or doing well in school.
Give your children the freedom to make their own giving decisions.

Set An Example

Being generous and making a difference is one thing; putting it into action is another. For your child to learn this lesson, they need you to set an example. If a kid sees that their parent is volunteering, donating time and money, or doing something else that involves being generous and giving back, he is more likely to want to do the same in the future.

Be sure you’re volunteering with your children and doing service projects together.
Encourage your children to give back by giving them opportunities to do so.
Be sure you’re donating money and time consistently.
Make sure your children see you doing these things when they’re around. Seeing is believing, after all!

Show Pride In Your Child’s Accomplishments

Children feel proud when they do something well because they’re getting better and making progress in their lives. When giving back, if your child is proud of what he does or gives, he will be more likely to keep doing it and possibly even do more than he usually would.

This leads to two things: your child will feel good for doing these things and see that making a difference is essential. And both of those are precious lessons that you can instill in your children, so use them! Ask your child what he’s proud of, acknowledge his accomplishments, and make sure he knows how necessary these actions are.

Helping Others Through Small Acts

When it comes to giving back, small acts are more impactful than big ones. When you give money or time to a more significant cause (like donating a large sum of money), it’s not helping anyone. However, if you give small amounts of money or volunteer for a small amount of time, your child can feel like he’s genuinely making a difference.

Encourage Your Child To Make His Own Decisions

There’s no doubt that you’re the parent, so you might want to make all the decisions about giving back. However, don’t simply tell him what to do if you want your child to learn this valuable lesson. Instead, encourage him and give him options on how he can give back and what he wants to do. It’s going to be his choice in the end!

Provide Opportunities For Giving

Being generous is something that your kid can start doing very young. There are a lot of opportunities for children to give back, from donating toys, clothes, and books to helping out at animal shelters and soup kitchens. It all depends on how you want your child to give back! Be sure you’re giving them opportunities to do so because these chances to give mean a lot to them.

Cut Out The Bad Influence

You can’t cut out the bad influences entirely when giving back because that would be wrong. However, it’s also good to notice when your child is around people who make them feel bad or put their needs ahead of your child’s. Make sure you’re teaching your child to stand up for herself at a young age and that she doesn’t let others bully her or make her think of herself as being less than she is.

Be There For Your Child

Giving back is something that you and your child have to do together. It’s not something you can do on your own or something that only one of you has to care about. If you want to teach your kid the value of being generous, be sure they know they can come to you whenever they need to talk about it. It will take both of you working together for this lesson to sink in!

Final Thought

Generosity is an important lesson that your child should be learning at some point in their life. The earlier they learn about it, the faster they’ll pick it up, and the better it will be for them in the long run. So, teach your children about giving back and making a difference!

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Andrea

Andrea is currently the head of content management at SpringHive Web Design Company, a digital agency that provides creative web design, social media marketing, email marketing, and search engine optimization services to small businesses and entrepreneurs. She is also a blog contributor at Baby Steps Preschool where she writes storytime themes, parenting tips, and seasonal activities to entertain children.