Teaching children to give ‘cheerfully’

Teaching children to give cheerfully and with love is very important. Loving the person to whom we give, and loving the community in which we share our lives, is just as important as the act of giving itself.

Giving becomes a JOY when we LOVE the person and the community to whom we give. We need to train our hearts, minds, and bodies toward this beautiful value—both in our own lives and in the lives of our children. This is a lifelong learning process, and it requires consistency and cheerfulness. Cheerful giving brings joy to the giver, the receiver, and above all, to God.

Learning Giving Through Family Life

We live as a family in the city of Bangalore, and I run a café in town. Hospitality is a natural part of our life, and we welcome many people into our home and daily routines. It is not always easy to share our time and resources with both known and unknown people in our community, but we try our best to love what we do with what we have.

We teach our children through our own lives—by showing them how to love cheerful giving, the giver, the receiver, and God, who has lavishly given us all things.

Examining the Heart Behind Giving

In our own selfish ways, even in the act of giving, we often expect something in return. It is interesting to observe how we react when our children, as siblings, refuse to share their toys or fight with one another. When they do not share a chocolate cheerfully, we ask them why it is so difficult to share with their brother or sister.

Yet, how much more difficult it is for us as adults to share our own resources! We find it easy to give to some people but difficult to give to others. Some things are easy to share, while others are not. I find it easy to share my life with those who love me, but I struggle to love those who hurt me. I also find myself loving certain communities more willingly than others.

This is why it is very important to ask the question “Why do we give?” before we give or share our resources. I encourage my children to always ask this question: “Why are we giving to this person or cause?” In searching for the answer, our selfish motives are often exposed.

Teaching children to give with love is essential. Loving the person to whom we give and loving the community we live in is just as important as the gift itself.

Teaching Children to Use Money Wisely

As a family, we practice some simple and practical ways to teach our children how to use their money wisely. When we give pocket money to our children, we teach them to save in three ways:

1. Long-Term Saving

We encourage saving for long-term plans such as buying a school bag for the next year, books, a pet, or even contributing toward a family holiday.

2. Short-Term Saving

Children save for sweets, clothes, movies, or gifts for their friends.

3. Need-Based Saving

We teach them to save money, time, and resources to give to others. We help them choose charities that support children’s education or provide safe spaces for those in need in our community. At times, they collect gently used clothes, toys, books, and money to share with those who need them.

Giving Beyond Money

We intentionally invest time in teaching our family to love the community in which we are growing. Children observe our words and actions closely. For us, giving goes beyond money—we teach our children to give back to the community they live in.

Practical Ways We Engage With Our Community

Having an Open Home

In urban life, it is often difficult to connect with neighbours. Everyone is busy, and many homes are closed and unwelcoming. As a family, we make an effort to connect with our neighbours and spend time playing and interacting with them. We encourage our children to share their toys, food, and space. We enjoy playing chess and UNO together and opening our home as a safe place where children can share their joys and sorrows.

Having a Responsible Home

We teach our children the importance of health, cleanliness, and care for the community. We love recycling. Clothes are shared among friends, relatives, and those in need. Our Bangalore home has a vermi-composting unit where kitchen and paper waste is turned into fertile soil using earthworms. We also practice plastic waste management and use plastic bottles to grow vegetables.

We teach our children to care for the world by saving money, water, and electricity. They are taught to love animals and birds, and we enjoy creating recycled art and craft activities using cardboard and newspapers.

Engaging Actively in the Community

We encourage our children to participate in community life—playing badminton, swimming, watching movies, and engaging in recreational activities with neighbours. These experiences help them make new friends and learn to love and share life with others. We enjoy celebrating birthdays, weddings, and festivals together.

We also give our children opportunities to serve outside the home by volunteering with NGOs working in our community. They enjoy serving and helping others.

A Lifelong Lesson

Teaching children to give is beautiful. Teaching them why we give is even more important.

Let us encourage cheerful giving and help make our nation a better place, one family at a time, by loving the community in which we live. Giving is truly a blessing.