Here we are in the holiday season again…already! It’s time for decorating and lights, for shopping and gifts, and for traditions and extra fun. In this season of activities and craziness, we might need reminders to keep being intentional in our parenting. And what better way to focus our efforts than to help our kids learn a spirit of giving. It’s what the season is truly about. So let’s look at a few ways to teach preschoolers the joy of giving!
The best way to teach our preschoolers the joy of giving is to include them in our own giving activities. Are you participating in a donation event? Let your preschooler in on what you’re doing, or let them participate with you. Giving gifts to family members? Have your preschooler join in on the decision. Or you could let them do little jobs for you that will earn them gift-giving money to spend on family or friends. As always, our kids learn by our example and by joining us in our efforts.
But if you’re looking for specific, simple activities to teach preschoolers the joy of giving, here are three easy things you can incorporate to help them give of themselves.
Donate toys
Many parents do a toy purge as the holidays approach. Decluttering experts tell us that it’s wise to have our kids take part in deciding what will go and what will stay. Along with this, we can have our kids help pack up the toys they are letting go. And then, they can help drop the toys off for donation. You might want to work together to choose a child or an organization to share the toys with. Or you may want to just drop them off at a thrift store. Either way, you can talk about how giving up their toys will provide a blessing for another child. Knowing they are helping another child can mean a lot to your child. It’s a great, simple way to teach preschoolers the joy of giving. And it clears up the clutter in your home a bit.
Make holiday cards
Kids love to make things. So let’s pull out the paper and crayons, and maybe some scissors and glue. Give your children the job of making some holiday cards for their friends and neighbors. If your neighborhood does holiday neighbor gifts, you can include your kids’ cards with those. Your neighbors will love that personal touch! And if you don’t have a tradition of holiday neighbor gifts, how happy would your neighbors be to receive a cute, homemade holiday card from your little one?
Our kids are so proud of the things they make, and we can help them use those efforts to learn the joy of giving.
Pack up food for a food bank
The holiday season is filled with food drives to help stock our local food banks. Many of us are already participating in some kind of food drive, so why not let our preschoolers participate as well? We can teach our preschoolers the joy of giving by letting them help pick out the food we donate. Or we could have them help to bag or box it up and deliver it. Either way, it’s a chance to talk to our kids about the needs around us and how we can help. Again, this is something we are likely already doing, so let’s get our kids involved too!
Signs to go with your giving efforts
While you’re working on the joy of giving with your preschoolers, you could learn a few signs to go along with your efforts.
How about learning the sign for share? We can use this in our donation efforts and in our everyday lives too!
And when we give and share, we are helping other people. So let’s learn the sign for help!
If you’re making cards, check out the Creativity section of our free Signing Time Dictionary. And if you’re choosing foods to donate, take a look at our Mealtime section to see if there are food signs to help you.
Let us know how you will teach your preschooler the joy of giving this season. And Happy Holidays from My Signing Time!