'Tis the season! Children all across the country are celebrating special holidays now or during the next few weeks. Catalogues, commercials, and stores show our children all of the things they MUST have during this holiday season. While many of us want our kids to be happy and receive some of those special gifts they have been yearning for, how do we make sure we teach them the true lessons of the holiday season?
In many schools, parents will volunteer and go into classrooms to help with holiday parties. While many teachers ask parents to help plan fun activities, crafts, and snacks, very few ask for an activity to help teach kids the importance of giving. If you are a parent volunteer, maybe you could suggest having children each bring in a toy or can of food to donate. One activity during the party could be wrapping donations or making holiday cards to accompany the donations.
In addition, you can ask your local librarian or school librarian for a good book that would highlight the importance of giving to others in need. It would be a great way to start or end a class holiday party. As a follow up activity, students could write or draw a picture about ways they could help others in need.
At home, it is imperative that we, as parents, take responsibility for teaching our children about the importance of charity and acts of kindness. Although we hope to teach children the importance of doing this throughout the year, the holiday season is a good place to start. Before the holidays I always tell my children that nothing can come into the house until items leave the house. First, we go through all toys and sort them into three piles: trash, donations and keepers. We talk openly about the thousands of children that do not have toys to play with and what we can do to help. All items that my children no longer play with or feel they can do without are donated. In addition, we go shopping for new toys and supplies that we can donate as well.
For those that have older children, taking your family to a shelter to deliver gifts or serve food is an excellent way to show your kids how fortunate they are and how they can really make a difference in a life of someone in need.
Day in and day out we worry about homework, test scores and grades. Sometimes we forget about the most important lessons our children should be learning: life lessons, the lessons that teach about compassion and helping others.
Happy Holidays!!!
