Teach your children the joy of giving

THE festive season can be a jumble of excessive consumption – even more so for children, who view this as an extremely exciting and special time of year. But they typically approach it with an attitude centred on what they will receive.

What does this teach our children, if they view the festive season purely as a time to receive? That is why using Christmas as an opportunity to teach them about giving, is a much more useful attitude to take.

Here are some ideas on how to do this:

Sign up to Santa’s Shoebox

This charitable giving initiative is popular for many reasons: one being that it’s a simple, effective way to teach your children about giving to others who are less fortunate. You sign up on their website and pledge your boxes, knowing the name, gender and age of the children you are giving to. You then wrap a box and fill it with quite specific items, including toiletries, stationery, sweets and a gift.

You drop it off at a drop-off point and the boxes are then distributed to the children before the end of the year. From a modest 180 boxes in 2006, this incredible initiative now distributes over 600 000 boxes in South Africa and Namibia.

Get them to sort through their own books and toys

If they’re going to be receiving new toys or books over this time, it makes sense to clear out some space in your home. After all, there are so many children who are in desperate need of good quality items which can encourage their development and creativity, and also provide happiness. Ask your children to choose three high-quality toys that still work perfectly, and donate them to a nearby children’s home. Get them to sort through their bookshelves and find good books that they can spare, and donate them to organisations like Little Libraries, who stock up crèches and daycare centres, which are all in desperate need of books. – Lifestyle Reporter