The Twelve Days of Giving!

The holiday season is upon us!  And no matter what your spiritual, religious or personal beliefs might be, this time of year presents an opportunity to teach our young children about the joys of giving.  As I explained in my previous post, generosity is a wonderful quality to encourage in our children.  And while the recipient of our child's generosity will benefit, the research shows that our child will benefit immeasurably as well.  It seems that the most generous among us are often the happiest!

Therefore, knowing that my children will be showered with a plethora of gifts from our families on Christmas morning, (and knowing how easily this can become the sole focus for young ones during the holiday season), I set out to create a tradition that would balance this experience with an understanding of the joys giving.

Now don't get me wrong, Dear Readers!  I have nothing against receiving!  I would be lying if I said that I wasn't looking forward to seeing my kiddos' little faces light up as they open their gifts!  Heck!  I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't looking forward to opening a gift or two myself!  But with the traditional focus on making a Christmas list, visiting with Santa to ask for a coveted toy, and the ripped-wrapping-paper frenzy of Christmas morning, this is my attempt to give my children some hands-on experience with the other side of the holiday craziness!

So I will now introduce you to the Twelve Days of Giving;  The positive psychology-informed exercise I created to teach my children about generosity and fostering the holiday spirit.  The idea is to give your child assignments that will help create a desire to "give back" during the holiday season.  This can be incorporated into whatever holiday you recognize within your family.  As we celebrate Christmas in my household, I have created this in conjunction with our Advent calendar.  Instead of receiving the traditional chocolates and cheap plastic toys, my children are waking up to holiday-themed missions that are geared toward experiencing the joys of Christmas.  While most of these missions incorporate some aspect of positive psychology, (mindfulness, savoring, relationship building, etc...), twelve of my children's holiday missions are focused specifically on giving.  

What You Need:

• List of 12 Missions Focused on Giving, (For suggestions, see below!)
• Method of Presenting the Missions to Your Child - We used popsicle sticks, a gold marker, and an Advent calendar with pockets.  You could use slips of paper and a grab bag, a sign taped to your child's bedroom door each morning, or any number of creative, fun ways to present this exercise!

Giving Missions:

Here is the list of preschool appropriate missions I created for my children:

1. Pick out a toy to donate to a child in need.
2. Make Christmas cookies to deliver to our friends.
3. Have a gift making day to create Christmas presents for our family and friends.
4. Bake doggie treats for Duncan.
5. Do something nice for someone.
6. Make and send a Christmas Card.
7. Bring food items to the food pantry.
8. Make an ornament to give to a friend. 
9. Bring Daddy breakfast in bed.
10. Call someone and sing a Christmas carol.
11. Help make a special dinner for Auntie.
12. Draw a picture to give to your sibling.

My goal was to provide structure, introduce our family's holiday traditions, and provide opportunities for my children to make choices about what and to whom they might want to give. Thus, the 12 Days of Giving incorporates recipients who are family, friends, animals, peers and strangers.  We will be giving gifts that we buy in stores, that we create ourselves, and that already belong to us.  Equally importantly, we will be giving of our time, effort, attention and energy. 

When my children have completed their missions and the Twelve Days of Giving have been counted down, I hope that they see the riches of Christmas morning as a wonderful reward for their efforts.  But more than this, my hope is that their experience of giving enhances the joy they feel this holiday season and sets the course for a generous and happy life for years to come!  So, Dear Reader, from my family to yours I wish you a very happy holiday season!