How to Teach Generosity
Generosity is an important quality for a person to possess, especially when it comes to young and impressionable children. Being generous is beneficial in a variety of ways. It can make you feel good, and it also can make other people feel good, as well. Learn how to encourage generosity by teaching other people how to use it in their daily lives. Make it known that a little bit of generosity can go a long way in making the world a better place.
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Instructions
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Discuss the concept of sharing. Sharing is an easy way for people to exercise generosity in their lives. Show people that sharing doesn't only mean letting someone borrow a jacket, but is also about thinking outside the box. For example, teach kids about donating their used toys to local charities, or perhaps about giving a homeless person a doggie bag after eating out at a restaurant.
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Speak about the value of reaching out. To teach generosity, indicate the importance of reaching out to other people with no other intention in mind but to connect. For instance, talk about perhaps calling a grandmother on the phone just to tell her that you love her instead of simply for an annual, obligatory "Happy birthday."
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Talk about wanting less. Reducing the things that you want can go far in nourishing a personality that is generous and not materialistic. Many people are consumed by the things that they "need," which in reality are simply just "wants." Talk about the idea of not taking more than you need, and giving to less fortunate people things you do not need or do not use. Discuss the difference between necessities (winter coat and shelter) and wants (expensive sneakers and new toys).
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Suggest volunteering. One way to be generous that doesn't involve any kind of donation is volunteering. Any able-bodied and healthy person can put in a little bit of time and energy for a community in need. Some ideas are picking up trash in local parks, visiting elderly or disabled people in nursing homes and helping out at a soup kitchen during the holiday season.
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Promote the idea of doing favors for other people. In life, it can be helpful to "pay it forward" in order to promote a generation that may be just a little kinder, more considerate and empathetic than the last. Teach generosity by encouraging people to take just five minutes out of their time to make life easier for another person. Discuss examples such as picking up the mail for a neighbor while she is out of town for the weekend. Another example is, perhaps, to offer to cut the grass for an elderly and sick man in the area.
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Talk about small gestures. Little gestures can make a world of difference to other people. If you're having a bad day and a stranger smiles at you, it can instantly make you feel a little bit better. Discuss the importance of not being "greedy" with smiling and taking some time out to pay attention to others. From opening doors for other people, to asking the postman how his weekend was, generosity adds up.
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References
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