Your child's birthday doesn't have to always be all about him or her.
It’s a Charity Birthday Party.
That’s a new concept to me, maybe it’s because I’ve always associated my birthday with receiving gifts, not giving them away.
For some kids birthdays are a big deal. A birthday marks another year of growth, another year’s worth of knowledge, and another year closer to what they want to do. Of course, let’s not forget the awesome cool gifts.
Birthdays are an excuse to receive gifts without seeming selfish. But you can teach your kids that seeming selfless isn’t good enough–that actually being selfless is more important, and it’s totally possible, even at their own birthday parties.
Some kids, especially the younger ones, probably won’t take this charity birthday party thing very well, so you have to explain yourself first.
Check out these tips to help your kids be enthusiastic about giving away what they get.
- Don’t just tell your kids that you’re going to be giving all their presents away. This will be a totally new idea to them, so maybe suggest that they can keep half or their gifts and give the other half away to charity.
- Find out which kind of charity your kids want to help. If they’re interested in animals, for example, match the birthday party with an animal shelter.
- Surprise, surprise! You can host a charity birthday party without actually giving away any of your kids gifts. Instead, you can hold a charitable project as part of the activities – this way, everyone at the party will be rewarded, not just your kids.
- You can also encourage the other kids to bring an old toy with them to the party, something they grew out of or don’t use anymore. Let those kids know that they’ll be helping out others in need.
- For younger children, gifts make them feel special, so if all their gifts are going to charity, make sure you have a special gift to give your children, for keeps.
- Communicate! Your kids may not understand the meaning behind a charity birthday party, and this may take some time for them to get used to, so talk with them and let them know they can have fun but also help others at the same time.
- Monkey see, monkey do. Set an example for your kids. Give up something of yours and this will hopefully make them see the good in giving.
Have you ever hosted a charity birthday party for your kids? How did you go about doing it? Do your kids have difficulty grasping the concept of a charity birthday, and how do you deal with it? Share your experiences and thoughts below, in the comments!
How To Have A Charity Birthday Party For Your Child [Smashits]
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