{"id":9430,"date":"2024-09-24T15:27:28","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T21:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.olinca.edu.mx\/2024\/09\/24\/teaching-kids-about-the-importance-of-giving\/"},"modified":"2025-03-04T16:49:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T22:49:00","slug":"teaching-kids-about-the-importance-of-giving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olinca.edu.mx\/en\/2024\/09\/24\/teaching-kids-about-the-importance-of-giving\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Kids About the Importance of Giving"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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People give gifts for all kinds of reasons: holidays, birthdays, or random Tuesdays. And kids like few things more than a surprise gift just for them. But learning how to give gifts and be generous is a skill that will turn them into well-rounded, thoughtful teenagers and adults.<\/p>

This article explains how generosity \u201crewires\u201d the brain, how generosity is best learned, and ways that you can engage your children so generosity becomes a shared family value.<\/p>

Remember! Children younger than 2 years old don\u2019t have the ability to understand generosity or empathy. Most children don\u2019t fully understand the concept of generosity until they are 4 or 5 years old. So feel free to start introducing the concept to your children at any age, but don\u2019t expect it to \u201cclick\u201d until they are in preschool.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Science of Giving<\/strong><\/p>

Any time an activity or action makes us feel something, science is happening. That\u2019s because all of our feelings and emotions are tied back to our brains. There can be very strong emotions connected to giving and receiving gifts, which means there is a \u201cscience\u201d to generosity. And the results show that people who give well seem to live well, too.<\/p>

Good Feelings \u2026<\/em><\/p>

In one study,\u00a0researchers performed fMRI scans on two groups of people: those asked to spend money on themselves and those asked to spend money on others. They found that people who spent money on others showed increased activation in the parts of the brain associated with generosity and pleasure during a social sharing task. They also reported higher levels of happiness after the experiment was over.\u00a0<\/p>

In short, their study reinforces the idea that it really is better to give than receive!<\/p>

\u2026 and Bad Ones, Too<\/em><\/p>

It\u2019s true that many people feel strongly when they give a gift, but it can be strong anxiety and worry instead of excitement and happiness. Can you relate? It can take the fun out of gift giving when the pressure to give a \u201cgood\u201d gift or one the recipient loves eclipses everything else.<\/p>

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If you or your child finds it stressful to give gifts,\u00a0Dr. Scott Rick<\/a><\/span>\u00a0at the University of Michigan suggests taking a few minutes and reframing how you define a gift. \u201cA good gift involves some sacrifice \u2014 money, time, or both,\u201d Rick said. \u201cIt shows that you understand and know the person and can surprise them.\u201d<\/p>

So for you and your kids, don\u2019t let the price, the size, or the complexity of the gift get in the way of finding ways to be generous to those around you.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Ways to Give Back<\/strong><\/p>

When it comes to kids, the most obvious way to express generosity is through material gifts\u00a0 (i.e.<\/em>, things that cost money). But instead of defaulting to giving away things your child already owns (and you want out of the house), show and share with them that they can give back in lots of ways, including:<\/p>