Teaching Kids to Give Back

We had a parent conference with my son's teacher, guidance counselor, and principal just before Christmas break. One thing that was mentioned to us was that the school will recognize students who do charitable works outside of school when they have their quarterly awards assembly. That really made me think. We give throughout the year, but I'm not sure my son notices. When I asked my son what charitable things he participates in during the year, all he could come up with is Jump Rope for Heart which his school does in the Spring. I had to remind him that we donate canned goods when the school collects them, we give to his classroom, and I'm almost always one to give to the donations sought at the store checkouts. We also give when a local group is bagging groceries in our commissary, and other various things. But the one thing we need to change is donating time. I think that will help my son to see what we're doing. With two young kids, and a husband who is at the Army's beck and call, I've just never found a way to make donating time work for our family. With our youngest now being 3, I think it's time to make that change. I think we're all to a point where we can all help in some way.

Here are some other ways you and your family can give back:
1. As a family, select a charitable organization you'd like to support. Use online tools like Charity Navigator to find an organization that you trust. Give your children a budget and encourage them to decide how your family will donate to that organization this holiday.

2. Cherish the stories of your family. Have your children talk to their grandparents and write down the stories of their past. Create a book to share with the entire family or record it online through Story Corps.

3. Consider do-it-yourself gifts, like no-sew fleece blankets, that you can make with your children. Donate those blankets to a local homeless shelter. Find other homemade gift ideas at About.com’s Family Crafts page.

4. Work with your children to create a coupon book for your neighbors that might need an extra hand this year. Coupons could include shoveling their sidewalk, watching their children, or providing a meal.

5. Bake cookies or sweets with your children and deliver them to your local nursing home or school-in-need. Get started with this list of holiday recipes.

Devin Hermanson, a charitable giving expert and national director of World Vision’s Gift Catalog, is seeing a return to meaningful giving through the Gift Catalog. Despite the recession, Gift Catalog sales are higher than last year's figures at this time.

"The holiday season can be a stressful time of year. There are gifts to purchase and wrap, cookies to bake, and family and friends to visit, but when we pause to help our neighbors in need, we all experience Christmas in a more meaningful way," says Hermanson.

For each item in World Vision’s Gift Catalog, the giver makes the purchase in the name of a friend, family member or business associate. World Vision then sends special cards to those individuals, describing the gifts and their impact. Last year alone, World Vision’s Gift Catalog raised $25 million and provided assistance to more than 500,000 people worldwide. The Gift Catalog launched in 1996, and while a goat ($75) is still World Vision’s number one seller, there are many affordable items for $35 or less.

Another item I'd like to add to this list is to adopt a soldier. There are a few different sites where you can look up deployed soldiers whose names have been submitted, and sign up to send them letters and/or care packages. You can find many ways to help our troops at America Supports You.