Gifts that Feel Good #3: Teaching Children to Give {giveaway}

Teaching a child how to give is a gift that not only benefits that child, but also society as a whole. The materialistic American culture is much more about “getting” than “giving”, more about seeing what we can amass for ourselves rather than making sure others have what they need.  Giving isn’t in innate skill for most – it’s something that we need to teach, and when the concept clicks with a young one, the spark you’ve created puts off an incredibly warm glow.

My children love to create art to give to the people they love.  They also sometimes make gifts of rocks or other items they find. I try to remember to be appreciative of these little gifts, even when their quantity starts to feel overwhelming.

When my daughter was younger, she had a piggy bank themed birthday party where guests brought change for the piggy banks.  She used the funds to purchase a pig from Heifer International for a family in need.  For Christmas I bought each of them a pair of TOMS shoes, and I am looking forward to teaching them about that model of giving. Overall, at the age of 5 and 7, I hope that we’ve taught them the basics of the value of money, how good it feels to help others, and how important it is to express gratitude.

Heart of Haiti, an organization that sells a collection of goods made by Haitian artists in an effort to help rebuild the country, recently created an e-guide called Growing up Giving.  It gives a lot of great ideas on how to get your children involved and make giving a regular part of their lives. It’s a quick, inspirational read that will help guide you toward a model of teaching giving in a way that works best for your family.

Heart of Haiti sells their collection exclusively through Macy’s, both online and in select stores. You can learn more about the program, the artists and the products on the Heart of Haiti Macy’s webpage. Might I suggest that one of these beautiful items would make a great gift for that slightly unique and therefore hard to buy for person on your list?

I also have a Heart of Haiti product to give away!  This is a 12″ Rawanda Path to Peace Bowl. You can learn more about these bowls and the artists who make them on the Rawanda Path to Peace Pinterest board. To win this bowl, use the giveaway form below the image.  The winner will be randomly selected on Sunday, December 22nd and I will be shipping it directly out to you.  Consider it an early New Year’s gift from me to you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Be Everywhere and Heart of Haiti actually sent me this bowl last December so that I could write about their holiday campaign. Unfortunately the box got mixed in with the massive pile of supplies we had ordered for our new family business and I didn’t find the box til we moved everything from our bedroom to the office. So, they don’t actually know that I’m writing this post or giving away their bowl.  I hope it’s ok. . .

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