Raising Kids With Purpose

What do charity and giving do for children? Kids get valuable life lessons from giving and volunteering.  Acts of charity teach kids empathy and social responsibility. They can learn time management and the importance of teamwork, and it can expose them to new ideas and new interests that can last a lifetime. 

Best of all, giving back and making a difference to others also provides a psychological boost to help their overall mental health.

“If someone gave you $400 to make a difference in your community, what would you do with it?” That is the question posed by the Contribution Project, a collaboration between Purpose Commons and The Purpose Science and innovation Exchange (PSiX)  at Cornell University. It’s an ongoing research project and an investment in young people to help them find purpose and happiness. 

In 2019, Cornell psychologist Dr. Anthony Burrow received the university’s Engaged Scholar Prize, a generous monetary award, to support his work in creating engaged learning and research opportunities for students. Dr. Burrow and his team decided that the best way to engage students would come from supporting the ideas students were most passionate about; they would provide them with funds to pursue a project of their own to make a difference.  

Before selecting students to receive the funds, Dr. Burrows polled all the applicants about their sense of well-being and their emotional state. Weeks after the funds were allocated, he revisited the applicants; those who had received project funding scored significantly higher than those who did not, in sense of well-being, of purpose, of belonging and feeling needed. 

While not yet peer-reviewed, the results show that altruism and contributing to others has a positive effect on young people’s sense of purpose and their overall mental well-being.

Givz.com, a retail alliance that initiates consumer philanthropy, has broken down ways to teach giving by your child’s age, beginning with your very youngest. 

While the concept of giving to charity is lost on toddlers, they do know emotions. Ask what they think others are feeling and give them positive reinforcement when they show empathy, care, and compassion.

By preschool your child is already practicing compassion without knowing it! Tell them helping around the house, smiling at someone on the street, holding doors open for people or visiting a sick relative is charity because it warms someone's heart. They will be pleased to learn that they're actually helping.

In the early elementary grades, focus on their curiosity. Whatever subjects they’re interested in, the environment, the arts, or animals, there’s an opportunity for charitable support. Help them to learn more about those topics and ways people can get involved. This is the age when family volunteering becomes a doable possibility.

Once kids begin to have money, through odd jobs or through an allowance, introduce categorizing money into “spending,” “savings,” and “donating” buckets to make charity a part of their routine. Consider a family ‘Giving Jar’ where everyone can contribute. At the end of the month have a family discussion to decide where the money will go.  

In middle and high school volunteering helps kids build soft skills and confidence that will help them throughout their life. If college is the next step, their efforts can improve their admissions opportunities and for young people looking for a job, volunteer positions will kickstart their resumes. Volunteering at a nonprofit, a hospital, or a political campaign office may give your child a glimpse of what it’s like to work there. 

Making philanthropy and giving part of each day can enhance your child’s entire life; it’s never too late to begin!