{"id":30735,"date":"2021-03-02T10:24:16","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T15:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/?p=30735"},"modified":"2021-03-02T10:25:52","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T15:25:52","slug":"5-creative-ways-to-teach-children-generosity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/5-creative-ways-to-teach-children-generosity\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Creative Ways to Teach Children Generosity\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Raising generous kids is one of the most significant things parents can do. But it doesn\u2019t happen by accident. Parents need a strategy for teaching kids to be givers. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Here are five simple ways you can encourage generosity in children. Whether you\u2019re a parent yourself, a Sunday school teacher, or just feel called to set a good example for future generations, take a minute to think about them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Demonstrate financial generosity<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re reading this post, you probably take church and charitable giving<\/a> seriously. One of the best ways to teach kids to be generous is by showing them what it looks like. They need to see people they look up to demonstrate that generosity is important. Help parents find ways to include kids in the process of giving\u2014even if they use a <\/span>digital giving solution<\/span><\/a> and have recurring giving set up, running in the background.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Encourage parents to talk to their children about why giving is important to God (and them). Help them find ways to talk to their kids about their giving philosophy and how much they give, and see them giving money to those in need.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

2. Model the right relationship with possessions<\/span><\/h2>\n

The youngest children struggle with the idea of personal ownership. One of the first words they learn to say with any feeling is \u201cMine!\u201d They need to see that Christian adults don\u2019t have an idolatrous relationship with their belongings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a big difference between demonstrating how to care for your belongings and considering them overly precious. When things around the classroom or house get broken (and they will), try not to lose it. How you respond can help teach kids that \u201cstuff\u201d should not be considered overly valuable to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember, when Jesus said, \u201cYou can\u2019t serve both God and mammon<\/a>,\u201d he was talking about more than cash.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

3. Celebrate their generosity\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

When kids demonstrate acts of generosity, praise them. Tell them how proud you are of them. Take them out for ice-cream. Find ways to show them that you notice and appreciate when they\u2019re unselfish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a tricky one to get right because you want them to be legitimately generous. If you reward them every time they\u2019re not stingy, they\u2019ll start linking generosity with praise. And you don\u2019t want to raise someone who has to tell everyone every time they do a good deed. So it\u2019s OK to be a little inconsistent with this one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Point out generous characters in movies and stories<\/span><\/h2>\n

Another way to positively reinforce generosity is to point it out in stories. Point out how nice it was for that little boy to offer his lunch so Jesus could feed the 5,000. When you\u2019re talking about the crucifixion, point out the kindness of Joseph of Arimathea when he lay Jesus in his expensive tomb. Get overly excited about Ebenezer Scrooge\u2019s change of heart in <\/span>A Christmas Carol<\/span><\/i>. Say, \u201cWow. Did Snow White just clean the dwarves cabin just to be kind?! THAT\u2019S AMAZING!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This teaches them to look for the givers, but it also reinforces how important it is to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

5. Teach them to follow through on compassionate impulses<\/span><\/h2>\n

Inevitably, children will see a homeless person and make a comment, or they\u2019ll tell you about a need someone has at school. Any time they express empathy, ask them, \u201cWhat should we do about that?\u201d If their idea is doable, then help them accomplish it. If it\u2019s over the top, find a compromise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s too easy for all of us to feel bad about something and think feeling terrible is doing something. It\u2019s not. We need to encourage follow through so that when God moves our kids with compassion, they respond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Generosity matters<\/span><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s no question that the world needs more generous adults, and it starts with investing in generous kids. Use class time to reinforce the significance of being unselfish. Give parents tips for fortifying the teachings at home. When churches and families work together, everyone wins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a way to get more parents involved at church, download a free copy of our ebook <\/span>The Practical Guide to Recruiting and Retaining Kidmin Volunteers<\/span><\/i><\/a>. You\u2019ll find some smart ideas for getting (and keeping) help all year \u2018round.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Raising generous kids is one of the most significant things parents can do. But it doesn\u2019t happen by accident. Parents need a strategy for teaching kids to be givers. Here are five simple ways you can encourage generosity in children. Whether you\u2019re a parent yourself, a Sunday school teacher, or just feel called to set […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3603,"featured_media":30737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-30735","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogrouting.sharefaith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/nathan-dumlao-puWkYFKJVbA-unsplash-1-e1614698736689.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 Creative Ways to Teach Children Generosity\u00a0 - Sharefaith Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2021\/03\/5-creative-ways-to-teach-children-generosity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Creative Ways to Teach Children Generosity\u00a0 - Sharefaith Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Raising generous kids is one of the most significant things parents can do. 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