Four Ways to Teach Children about Generosity
During December, Lower School children at Pinecrest Academy have been practicing the virtue of Generosity. This comes on the heels of practicing the virtues of both Humility and Gratitude. In Humility, we recognize that all we have is a gift, and in Gratitude, we are thankful for all of the gifts in our lives. In Generosity, we share those gifts.
A few ways that students have been living the virtue of Generosity at school include:
Here are a few ways parents can help to teach kids generosity at home:
Sarah Oryschak a consecrated member of Regnum Christi and is a campus minister for the Lower School at Pinecrest Academy.
- Looking to share without expecting something back or receiving applause
- Being generous in giving positive attention to others
- Learning how to share what we have as a good steward of the gifts we have received
Here are a few ways parents can help to teach kids generosity at home:
- Exposing your children to the needs around them, especially the less fortunate. This helps them to open their eyes so that they can learn to look out for the needs of others.
- Modeling generosity in your own actions, and modeling how to respond generously in certain situations. Instead of telling your children what to do, ask them questions so that the response comes from them. For example, instead of “Help your mother with the groceries,” you could say, “It looks like your mom has a lot of groceries to carry. Is there something you could do to help?”
- Help your children realize that generosity is not just about giving material things to others. There are many things you can be generous with, such as time, attention, and kind words.
- Helping your children to be good stewards of what they have. Sometimes generosity will mean giving all of something, but most often, it is a sharing of something. For example, if a friend forgot his snack, the idea would not be to give one’s whole snack away. It would also not mean giving the friend the food one likes least. But a generous action could be sharing what one likes best in his snack.
Sarah Oryschak a consecrated member of Regnum Christi and is a campus minister for the Lower School at Pinecrest Academy.
