The Christmas season is filled with many opportunities to teach children how to have a compassionate heart for those in need.
Here are five ways to involve kids of all ages in giving back and being charitable:
Give the Gift of Hope
Look through the Bright Hope Impact Catalog as a family and together select one (or more!) gifts to help change the lives of the extreme poor. The act of giving cultivates a compassionate heart. Parents can describe each project and why people need specific aid.
Host a Creative Fundraiser with the Kids
Find an activity your children are passionate about and harness it to raise funds in a fun way. Host a charity soccer game in your community, a bake sale, a craft fair or even a talent show as a fundraiser for the extreme poor.
Start a Charity Box
Saving up to give it all away is a fun proactive way to develop a compassionate heart in kids who already use a piggy bank. Set up a box or a piggy bank where kids can donate part of their allowance to the extreme poor. Older children and teens can pitch in from side jobs too. Parents can set an example by selling old clothes or skipping “extras” like a morning Starbucks and donating the money instead. Making philanthropic donations a regular activity in your home will reinforce the value of being others-centric.
Nurture Compassion by Praying
Let your child choose a country to pray for. During bedtime or mealtime prayers, pray with your children for specific needs and challenges faced by the extreme poor in that given area — like food insecurity, lack of clean water or limited access to education. You can subscribe to Bright Hope e-blasts or read our Ally Connection Newsletter to see the latest prayer requests.
The Empty Plate
You may have seen this empty plate idea in a recent blog post by Bright Hope President C.H. Dyer, but it’s such a good one that it’s worth repeating. At special mealtimes, like Christmas dinner, leave an empty plate at the table as a reminder of those who often go hungry around the world. This is such a powerful way to think of others as well as to give thanks for God’s provision in our lives.
Give out of a heart of compassion.
Join us in providing nourishment for today, sustainable opportunities for tomorrow, and eternal hope for the future!
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