It is never too early to talk with your kids about the charitable causes you support and why you support them. Children will be excited about your enthusiasm for the organization, ask questions, and want to be a part of it.
Children who are involved in giving have the opportunity to:
- Explore and develop their own values as they learn about their community. Volunteering as a family at the organizations that you give to, provides children the opportunity to see the impact the dollars have on the lives of others.
- Manage money and understand spending, saving, and giving. Encourage a three-part allowance where children distribute their allowance in to jars for spending, saving, and giving.
- Make decisions. As children become interested in their own causes, they can then become involved in selecting recipients for the contents of their giving jar.
Build character and self-esteem. As Susan Price writes in her book The Giving Family, “Volunteering gives children the opportunity to acquire new skills, develop confidence and maturity, put their own problems in perspective, meet people from other backgrounds, and learn teamwork and civic responsibility. For families, volunteering is a good way to spend quality time together, to share experiences, establish tradition, and have fun, all while helping the community.”