One way to get the emphasis off of presents and materialism this holiday season is to actively involve your children in acts of kindness for others. By involving them in holiday activities that spread joy, you are teaching them the value of selfless acts of kindness, and showing them how good it feels to do good for others. Here are a few of our favorite ways to spread joy this holiday season as a family:
Write Sweet Notes and Draw Pictures
Encourage your kids to spend some time writing sweet notes, drawing pictures, or making cards for people they care about. This can be especially thoughtful when it's someone who isn't expecting to receive anything, like the garbage truck driver (especially since little kids tend to love watching the garbage get picked up), the story teller at your local library's story time, or even the nice cashier who always chats with your child when you checkout at the store.
Sponsor a Family
Most cities have programs dedicated to sponsoring a family for Thanksgiving or Christmas. The way this works is that you get a list of desired items and get to shop for a family who otherwise couldn't afford to celebrate the holidays. Involve your kids by letting them help you pick out the ingredients for a tasty Thanksgiving meal, or special toys and outfits for the kids in the family you're sponsoring.
Bring Toys to a Children's Hospital
Most children's hospitals have donation programs for toys and other needed items. Even very small children can understand the concept of helping kids their age who don't feel good and have to stay in the hospital. Picking out a few new toys for kids in need will make you and your children feel amazing.
By emphasizing kindness and spreading joy this holiday season, you will be helping to instill positive lifelong habits in your children. To keep the joy flowing, check out our gorgeous jars of motivational and loving notes at Kind Notes. These make great holiday gifts from your kids to the special people in their lives, like teachers and sports coaches.
