Generosity is a trait that we often need to provide guidance and understanding for our youth. The excitement is already starting to build during the Christmas season. Who doesn’t anticipate what they might receive? Receiving gifts and anticipation is part of the season. Yet giving and sharing generosity can be just as rewarding if not even more important to the development of our children but requires some guidance to understand and appreciate entirely.
Some children struggle with understanding giving and generosity. Depending on age, they mostly think about receiving that toy or game within their understanding. Sometimes, we have to step in and provide guidance on how rewarding giving can be to the person giving. It can provide just as much joy as receiving, and many times even more. Teaching our children about generosity allows them to step over their feelings and recognize others’ emotions.
You might explain generosity to a child as being kind, loving, and helpful in many ways. It doesn’t just mean monetarily. You are doing or giving something without any expectation of reciprocation. Generosity emphasizes the willingness to give more than the size or importance of what is being gifted.
Research has shown that the act of practicing generosity has a positive effect on both physical and emotional health. Communities and groups thrive when generosity, giving, and gifting is practiced.
Guiding our children to understand the importance of giving and helping others through generosity helps build stronger and happier communities. Taking the time to model and talk with your child about giving helps them to understand and experience the feeling of giving to others. You may also have them share how they felt after giving a gift. Have them communicate later what they noticed about the receiver. Ask them if they seem surprised, grateful, or thankful. Noticing and learning to recognize these feelings in others promotes further giving.
Along with building an understanding of generosity and giving, this will teach children about sacrifice. The giving of something you would like to have. Often, this is a difficult concept for children to understand, yet it is an experience that can have lifelong benefits for them and definitely for others.
As this giving season comes upon us, it provides an excellent opportunity to spend time with our children and practice the art of giving. After you have engaged in giving, helping, or supporting something, make sure you talk with your child about their feelings and how they felt after giving something away or helping someone struggling.
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Scott Smith, Doctor of Education, has been in education for the past 43 years. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Western Oregon University, his Masters from Lesley University, and his Doctorate from Northcentral University. His major focus areas are pre-reading skills, reading instruction, and classroom instructional support. He authored “Discovering Effective Reading Instruction.” Smith currently lives with his wife in Mosier and serves on the Board of Decoding Dyslexia of Oregon.
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