November 02, 2015
The holiday season is upon us with its sparkling lights, parties, and stores packed with great gifts. For most kids, it’s difficult to focus on anything other than receiving gifts—can you blame them! As adults, it is our job to help kids recognize the true meaning of the season—highlighted by the qualities of generosity, kindness and appreciation. Young children respond better to action than conversation, so the very best way to connect them to the spirit of the holidays is by offering experiences rather than telling them how they ‘should’ feel.
Begin by taking your child with you to purchase gifts for others. Solicit their opinion, compliment them on ideas and tell them how happy the person will be to receive such a thoughtful gift. Be sure your child is with you when you give the gift and tell the recipient how lucky you were to have help. Your child will benefit greatly from the good feelings that come with giving rather than receiving. You can even take this lesson one step further by encouraging your child to create a gift or card—the time and effort offers a valuable lesson about the true meaning of generosity.
Kindness can be effectively cultivated by including your child in activities that help those less fortunate than your family. Even young children can benefit from purchasing a gift and putting it in a toy drive box or going with you to deliver cans of food to a food bank. The act of placing the toy in the box or carrying a few cans from the car will be very meaningful, especially if you help your child see that the potential recipient could be your child’s age.
The most challenging lesson to teach will be appreciation. Begin by setting a limit on the number of gifts your child can place on their list. The actual number doesn’t matter but it’s important for every child to know that there is a limit to how many gifts can be requested. Next, ensure that your child says thank you for every gift received no matter how small the gift. In some situations a thank you can be verbal but at other times a written note is appropriate. Another excellent way to teach appreciation is to start a daily tradition during the holidays where each member of the family articulates one thing they’re thankful for. It could be as simple as a delicious PBJ sandwich or as significant as a healthy family. The key is to challenge everyone to think about being grateful for each and every day and keeping this tradition beyond the holidays.
Finally, be sure to champion generosity, kindness and appreciation by behaving exactly as you want your child to behave. Your behavior will be the very best way to teach your child the true meaning of the holiday season.
Begin by taking your child with you to purchase gifts for others. Solicit their opinion, compliment them on ideas and tell them how happy the person will be to receive such a thoughtful gift. Be sure your child is with you when you give the gift and tell the recipient how lucky you were to have help. Your child will benefit greatly from the good feelings that come with giving rather than receiving. You can even take this lesson one step further by encouraging your child to create a gift or card—the time and effort offers a valuable lesson about the true meaning of generosity.
Kindness can be effectively cultivated by including your child in activities that help those less fortunate than your family. Even young children can benefit from purchasing a gift and putting it in a toy drive box or going with you to deliver cans of food to a food bank. The act of placing the toy in the box or carrying a few cans from the car will be very meaningful, especially if you help your child see that the potential recipient could be your child’s age.
The most challenging lesson to teach will be appreciation. Begin by setting a limit on the number of gifts your child can place on their list. The actual number doesn’t matter but it’s important for every child to know that there is a limit to how many gifts can be requested. Next, ensure that your child says thank you for every gift received no matter how small the gift. In some situations a thank you can be verbal but at other times a written note is appropriate. Another excellent way to teach appreciation is to start a daily tradition during the holidays where each member of the family articulates one thing they’re thankful for. It could be as simple as a delicious PBJ sandwich or as significant as a healthy family. The key is to challenge everyone to think about being grateful for each and every day and keeping this tradition beyond the holidays.
Finally, be sure to champion generosity, kindness and appreciation by behaving exactly as you want your child to behave. Your behavior will be the very best way to teach your child the true meaning of the holiday season.
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