Teaching Your Child to be Generous

The jury is still out on whether or not children need to be taught to give. A study by Notre Dame University showed that children as young as two years old start to show spontaneous helping behavior. Another study by the International Journal of Cognitive Science – Cognition – showed that helping proactively comes naturally to young children. On the other hand, another Notre Dame-funded study revealed a correlation between a particular gene variation and less generous behavior in preschoolers. Whatever the outcome, if you feel your child needs lessons in compassion and generosity, here are some things to remember. You can also catch the Joy Kids Express which offers suggestions on how to share the joy with all the wonderful children of the universe.

  • Start at home – Like other types of behavior and attitudes, a child will tend to do what it sees the parents doing. If your child sees you sharing, volunteering, and helping others, chances are the child will try to emulate your behavior.
  • Talk the walk – Even if you show a good example by being generous, talking to your children about generosity helps a lot. Research by Indiana University – Purdue University showed that, even with good role modeling, talking to children about generosity increased the probability of giving by 18.5% compared with not talking.
  • Use what’s around you – Take advantage of situations in your community to teach community workgenerosity to your child. Volunteer work, donating used clothing and toys, contributing to charitable organizations, spending time to help younger kids in school – these are just some of the ways to instill a spirit of giving in your children.
  • Put them in other people’s shoes – Broaden our child’s horizon by discussing other people’s needs with him or her. This will help create the ability to empathize with others, and empathy is a prerequisite to learning how to give and share. Joy Kids Universe believes this will also establish a long-term foundation for generosity in your child that will last all his life.

 

10 Ways To Have Fun With Kids

Having fun with kids isn’t as formidable a challenge as it seems. Children, by nature, are curious, inquisitive, eager to learn new things. Fun activities should involve not just play,but also the chance to learn freely and joyfully something different each day. Here are 10 things Joy Kids Universe suggests.

  • Visit the library – It’s the opposite of a playground atmosphere. Teach the child about books, reading, and how the library system works.
  • Bake a cake – Or cook a special dish. You’ll give the child an important skill, and introduce him to different tastes.
  • Go to a museum – Here’s your chance to ease the child into the world of art and artifacts. Explain about peoples, places and cultures.
  • Take a trip to a zoo or pet shop – Children love animals. Use the time to talk about responsible pet care.

    10 Ways To Have Fun With Kids

    10 Ways To Have Fun With Kids

  • Make something together while learning along the way. Whether it’s a snowman, a Lego figure, blanket fort, or a bird house.
  • Plant a tree – Make it your child’s special plant and give your child the responsibility to look after it.
  • Watch a play – If there’s a special theater performance, that’s even better. Tell the child what the play is all about before watching it.
  • Do community work – Pick up litter at the park, visit a home for the aged or an orphanage, help at a soup kitchen. Show your child the value of social responsibility.
  • Open a bank account – Teach your child about money, how banks work, and how important it is to save.
  • Go on a camping trip – Pick a spot where you’ll just not have fun but also learn important survival skills.

Always remember to imagine brightly to create joyful feelings every day.  Joy is the most powerful force in the Universe!

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Joy Kids Universe, LLC
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