HOW TO ENAGE YOUR CHILDREN IN GIVING DAY

If you're a parent like me, you want to teach your children the importance of giving back. Giving Day is a great opportunity to engage your children in the act of giving. HOW? Fairfield County’s Giving Day encourages you to “give where you live.” This is a great opportunity to engage children, because it can be tangible for them. Certainly, they check out books at the local library and have probably seen a stray dog running down the street.

First set a giving budget and then discuss and decide who you will donate to. On Fairfield County’s Giving Day website, you can scroll down and review the many different participating organizations. Categories include Advocacy, Animal Related, Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Human Services, Mental Health & Crisis Intervention, Women & Girls, and Youth Development. Perhaps visit some of their websites so that you can make an informed decision. Everyone has fixed resources and there is more need in this world than our individual families can solve, so which cause do you care passionately about and why? Enjoy this family discussion. And know that every dollar counts to these small, nonprofit organizations.

It’s important for our children to learn to give back. And it’s a plus if they can find a way to do that which also fuels them creatively. Let Giving Day be a launching pad for discussions on giving back. How can your children use their passions to help others? What would your girl enjoy doing that would also help out a cause she cares about?