The Charity Allowance

Presented by Capital One ® Moments throughout this time of year highlight how successful I was at my goal of raising giving children. Successes warm my heart. Mis-steps on that journey can make my entire mother-body cringe! It is what we all want for our kids.  I want them to embrace giving with an open-hearted attitude of gratitude that comes to them without thought or effort.  I want it to be second nature.  Kids Activities Blog is excited to have this giving discussion today inspired by Capital One’s {Kids Activities Blog sponsor} Wish For Others campaign this holiday season. Continue reading to find out how you can make someone’s dream come true.  

Raising Giving Children

So how does a parent move from the dream of giving children to the warm-hearted results? The first step always starts with us.  Kids do more watching than listening.  They do more modeling than following directions.  The first step to raising a giving child is to be a giver yourself. I adore the many ways that people can give these days.  There are the traditional routes of donations and volunteering, but technology has made it even simpler.  One thing that we might not have considered is that our children see when we create a box to go to the food pantry, but may not observe a click on the computer to “donate now”.

The Charity Allowance

Being conscious of involving kids in family giving makes it part of what the family does.  Different things are going to fit each family, so it is good to have options! We created a charity allowance!  This started over 9 years ago with the first  allowance.  Each week, each of my boys are given a dollar per for each year of their age plus $2.  Their age dollars go into their spending allowance.  One dollar goes into their saving allowance each week and the remaining dollar goes into their charity allowance.  So, my 8 year old gets $10 a week with $1 each week set aside for charity. This charity fund adds up pretty quickly! If they find a cause they want to use it for during the year, that is great.  What I often find is that it is during the holiday season that they use that money.  Whether it is at the mall’s angel tree or creating the most awesome Operation Shoebox ever seen, it is their money and their donation.  Because they are in control of that money and where it is going, it is fun to see them budgeting for charity and trying to figure out where that money is best spent.

Wish for Others

During the holidays, we are asked by friends and family what we want for ourselves.  This holiday season, Capital One is asking you to share your wish for others!  Share your wish for someone else – a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a community – with #WishForOthers on Twitter, Instagram, or the Capital One Facebook page from now through December 23 for a chance to make it come true.  No purchase necessary. Check out this video and then visit WishForOthers.com for more information, official rules, and to see the wishes that other people have submitted so far! Hope to see your #WishForOthers message soon! A big thanks to Capital One for sponsoring this post.  All opinions expressed are mine.