With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, getting my house clean, shopping for gifts and ffffreeezing in this winter weather, I took a little break from writing.
The Winslow's playroom is coming along.....still not picture perfect ready just yet. Don't worry I'll post pictures as soon as I can!
Boy! Do they have a lot of toys and fun things to go through. These past few weeks have been all about sorting, cleaning and choosing what to keep and what to give away.
Ali and I were discussing how important it is to show children the importance of giving to others in need. While going through Fisher and Tanner's many, many books we chose a few that the boys had outgrown and chose to donate them. Explaining to Fisher how his books could make another child very happy was an interesting conversation.
At first Fisher wanted to keep all the books, then his mom carefully explained not all children have what he has. Some children have no toys or books, and to give those children the things we no longer use would make them feel so good! Fisher said "yeah, we have SO many books and I have two of the same things too." Although children might have a hard time at first "letting-go" to things, explaining it to them makes it easier, and don't forget to get THEM involved!
Cleaning, sorting and organizing is a GREAT time to explain to children what it means to give. The process of giving does not need a huge explanation to a child.
Here are some fun & interactive ways to teach children about generosity.
- Read them one of the many children's books about giving.
THE GIVING TREE- Shel Silverstein
RAINBOW FISH- Marcus Pfister
SOMEWHERE TODAY-Shelly Moore Thomas
-Make it a family affair
Volunteering as a family is also a fun idea. Not only does this give you a chance to spend time together, but it is also one of the greatest ways to show your children the importance of giving back. They'll be much more inclined to get involved if they see your enthusiasm for it too!
Take your child to buy a new toy (toys r us, marshals, dollar tree, etc)
Let them help pick it out, then be sure to bring them with you to donate it, let them put it in the box.
Get all that change out of the sofa, bottom of your purse and from the car. Let your children put it in those little red buckets that you can find outside anywhere at this time of year. Also gather blankets, clothing and toys no longer used, bring them to the shelter in your hometown.
As a family, have a bake sale, yard sale or make a special money jar for the family pocket change. Collect what you can and donate the proceeds to the Boys & Girls Club.
Let your children know not only people, but ANIMALS too are in need! Volunteer your time to visit a shelter, bring old towels and blankets to shelters, during the holidays buy some dog/cat food during the weekly shopping trip and bring your children to the shelter to show their kindness. Also don't EVER buy a dog or cat from a "pet store", many of those animals are sadly from puppy mills and carry illness and are inbreed. You can adopt ANY type of pet from www.petfinder.com
- CHARITY BIRTHDAY PARITIES
It is becoming more and more popular to NOT give presents at birthday parties. Once children learn, see and experience for themselves what it's like to give, many of them opt out of receiving gifts for themselves. Guests of the parties might bring a toy to donate, or give money to a charity picked out by the birthday boy/girl or bring collected items to give to shelters. There are many stories in the news about children with hearts of gold, who really understand being selfless and want to help others. Teach your children about the importance of giving, the knowledge of other lives unlike their own, and how to feel good when doing such a great and fulfilling deed!
Now go out into the world, spread some holiday cheer and teach your precious children what it feels like to do good!
"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future."
~Franklin Delano Roosevelt
