Learning to give is a gift in itself. If you take a moment to reflect on your childhood, you may remember the pure delight felt of birthdays and family Christmases. These occasions were opportunities to have fun, eat cake and – best of all – open presents. However, as a parent you’ll be keen to introduce the flip-side of this dynamic: the concept and importance of giving.

As a mature adult with a wealth of life experience, you’ll know the value and joy of doing things for others. Whether this means gifting your child the new toy they’ve been dreaming of, giving a homeless person some money for food, or momentarily holding the door for a stranger, giving is a social balm that shapes formative memories or just makes life a bit nicer.

Let’s explore why it is so vital to teach young children about giving back.

Why is it important to teach my child about giving back?

As adults, we often forget that children are at a completely different stage in their mental and emotional development to us. It is natural for them to lack empathy for others and essential to teach them about giving as early on as possible.

Raising your child to be caring, to prioritise giving, and to do good deeds is an important step to helping them become a good citizen. And remember – it can benefit them on a personal level in many ways. Research has shown that doing something out of the goodness of your heart actually makes people happier, and promotes social connection.

So, now we know why giving is so important, let’s look into the ways in which you can guide your child to being more giving and charitable as they grow.

How can I help my child to give back?

When encouraging your child to become more giving, charitable and all-round generous, you may find that they will protest at first! Asking a child to give something away can trigger their survival instinct, so don’t be surprised or taken aback if it takes a little practice and persuading for giving to become ingrained in their behavioural patterns.

Try these methods to help your child learn to give back:

The sharing jar

The sharing jar approach can be really helpful to teach your child not just about saving and spending money, but also about sharing. Decide on a small portion of your child’s money that they should put in the jar to set aside for charity – let’s say 30%, 20%, or 10%. Then, make sure your child consistently puts away the set amount decided on each time they get cash.

To help your child understand more about why setting aside money in this manner is important, it’s a good idea to talk to them about causes around the world that will benefit from their generosity. For example, a disaster reported in a distant country, or perhaps an issue closer to home. At this age, children are surprisingly able to latch onto causes that feel meaningful, so always take the time to delve into this topic where possible.

Some people have “plenty” and others “not enough”

Another approach that works very well when teaching young children about sharing is to teach them about the concept of being ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ in a sensitive and appropriate way. Ironically, to do this, you should avoid using the words ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ altogether! Instead, try to explain the distance between those that have enough money and those that don’t by using phrases such as “Some people have plenty, while don’t have enough”. Once your child learns about what it really means to not have enough, they will naturally adopt gratitude and feel the need to give back in their everyday lives as they mature.

Giving is rewarding

Finally, adopting tactics in order to teach your child that giving is ultimately, very rewarding, is one of the best ways to teach them about the concept. To do this, try to put your child in social situations where the opportunity to give might come up. For example, if you are holding a birthday party for them, encourage them to help cut the cake and give out pieces to all their friends. Alternatively, you could help them put together party bags with small presents inside that their friends might like. This will help them consider what others might like in a small but effective way.

Top Tip: Teaching your child about the importance of giving might take some introspection on your part too. In order to bring up your child as a caring, giving, generous and thoughtful person, you need to think about what you yourself consider to be important in life, too. Success and achievement? Caring for others? Or a balance of the two?

How do I teach my child about giving back?

Teaching your child to give back instills empathy, kindness, and a sense of social responsibility.