Talk about your feelings when you give.
Tell your children how you feel when you make charitable contributions or buy things for those in need.
Do you feel proud, helpful, kind, or generous?
Does it make you feel good that you can make a difference in other people’s lives?
Take time at dinner or even while driving in the car to discuss what you do to help others and how it makes you feel.
Do it together.
Ask your children to help you when you pack up donations of clothes or household items or when you help a friend. Spend an afternoon at a food bank or at a community clean-up project.
Let them experience first-hand what it feels like to give their time to a cause. Often these activities become the highlight of your family’s time together. Get input from your children and include them in decisions about how your family is going to give to others or be charitable.
Praise the giving impulse.
When you see your children being generous, point it out and praise them. Help them put into words the positive feelings they may have as they help others.
If, for example, your son helps his sister find something she lost, tell him that was a kind thing to do and that he can feel proud for taking the time to help her.