by: Liam Marven
How much does your child think charity is important? This may sound like the beginning of a lecture on charity, but questions like this can start at home with your child at a very young age. Children can't immediately comprehend the benefits of charity unless this concept is broken down into steps that are age appropriate. Even a toddler can grasp the importance of sharing and caring, although as adults we call this compassion. What makes some children more adept at thinking about charity has a lot to do with how you nurture these qualities.
Many children have a naturally limited and idyllic view on how the world works. This starting point works well to introduce charity-minded traits. Some tips for helping grow charity-oriented behavior is listed below:
1. Modeling is important, especially in the early stages. When charity begins at home, children see the importance that this behavior has on all around. While children pretty much start out by mimicking your behavior, in time these actions become internalized as a healthy set of beliefs and self-motivation to assist others. One way to do this is select one charity at holiday time and letting your child donate to that charity. As the child gets older, involve the child in selecting a charity.
2. Talk about charity. Brainstorming about charities takes away mystery and prompts discussions. It also expands a child's mind beyond thinking just about himself and his needs. For an older child, discussing the concept of charity helps a child understand the concept of a global society. Many times after a disaster or encountering someone with a disability or personal tragedy, a child wants to help out but has no clue on how to go about doing so. In this case, discussing different charities and a little bit about what those charities do helps a child focus on benefiting rather than dwelling on negatives. A great source for finding a charity is at Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org).
3. These discussions have a cathartic value that can enhance a child's social development. Upon seeing how others are helped, children also build compassion. Children who partake in charity giving, according to many child development studies, test better when it comes to higher-level thinking, creativity, moral standards, self-confidence and self-reliance.
A child's age and development benefit most when the discussions are brief. According to "Bloom's Taxonomy" on children's cognitive thinking stages, the mind absorbs words and concepts appropriate to a child's age and development. For instance, is your child ready to discuss proposing charities that better a global society or topics that involve what is a charity? Two books that introduce charity to young children are "Bear in the Big Blue House: Everybody's Special" and "Berenstain Bears: Think of Those in Need".
5. The American Dream asks everyone to help those in need and treat everyone as special human beings. The American society is especially philanthropic. According to the Catalogue for Philanthropy, the top states that rate high on the charitable index are Mississippi (first place), Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The index measures the amount of discretionary income given to charities.
Giving to charity is great lesson in reality - there are times when everyone needs help. The sooner that a child starts to learn the importance of sharing, giving and participating in charity the better off the future of the world is for everyone.