12 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Give Back at Christmas

Christmas is such an exciting time for children, but sometimes kids can get a bad case of the gimmes. Teaching your children about the joy of giving and charity at Christmastime is an important lesson and makes the holidays that much more rich. Below I share twelve ways to teach your kids to give back at Christmas.

Teaching Your Kids about Giving Back at Christmas

There’s very little argument about the benefits of teaching kids to give back at Christmas, but how to do it and when to start? I’m a firm believer in starting modeling charitable actions at a very young age. Being charitable yourself, and having age-appropriate discussions with your child is a good way to start.

Many of the ideas for giving back below can turn into lovely family Christmas traditions you do each year. In my family, my parents started a few charitable traditions to teach us about giving at Christmas when we were young children. We’ve done the same traditions every year since and as adults we look forward to these special times and are now sharing them with our own children.

Are you looking for more fun things to do with your children at Christmas? Check out these posts!

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Ways for Kids to Give Back At Christmas

Here are twelve charitable actions you can do with your kids to teach them about giving back at Christmastime!

Donate to a Food Bank

Involve your children in donating food to a food bank, whether that means bringing items in for a food drive at their school, church or after-school organization, or going directly to a food bank and making a donation.

You can also do a reverse advent calendar, in which every day in December you add a non-perishable food item to a box, then on Christmas Eve, deliver the box to your local soup kitchen.

Buy a Present for an Underprivileged Child

This is probably my favorite way to give back at Christmas. Let your child pick out a gift to donate to another child. In our town, there is an “Angel Tree” at the mall with paper angels hanging from it that list a child’s name, age, and Christmas wish. Let your child pick the name of a child who is their age, or has similar interests and buy a gift for them. The more personalized you can make the experience, the more meaningful it becomes to your child.

Going to the angel tree is a Christmas tradition we cherish every year. This tradition started when I was a child and we have been doing it for almost twenty-five years.

If you don’t have an angel tree, you can take your kids shopping for toys to donate and have them think about a child their age and what they might like for Christmas.

Shovel an Elderly Neighbour’s Driveway

Shoveling the driveway for an elderly neighbour is a lovely way to do a good deed for someone who needs the help! If you know your neighbours well, you could also offer to put up their Christmas decorations. This is often a hardship for many seniors, especially those who don’t have family members nearby (don’t forget to also offer to do the tear down after Christmas is over).

Donate Old Toys

Donating old toys is a great way to remind children about giving to others AND has the added bonus of clearing out clutter from your house!

You can incorporate this into Elf on the Shelf fun. Have your elf leave a laundry basket and instructions for your kids to donate some old toys before Santa brings them new ones.

Be sure to bring your children with you when you make the donation. Chances are, the workers will make a big deal about their generosity and this will reinforce the message you are trying to give them about doing good deeds.

Presents for Teachers, Bus Drivers, Etc.

So often we are parents take on buying presents for the adults in our children’s lives without really involving our children in the process. It just becomes another item on our to-do list, and often the kids are not involved in choosing the gift. Sometimes they don’t even know what they are giving their teacher until the gift has been opened!

This Christmas, try to involve your kids in purchasing or making gifts for their teachers, bus drivers, coaches, etc. You don’t have to give expensive gifts (you can read about my ABSOLUTE favorite inexpensive gift to receive as a kindergarten teacher here).

I would encourage your child to make a list of adult who have enriched their life (with your help) and then brainstorm what they could give or make each adult. This could be a craft, a thank you letter, an ornament or a drawing. Having your children recognize others they would like to honour with a gift makes the Christmas season less about getting and more about being thankful for those around us, and sharing in the joy of giving.

Bring Hot Chocolate to Outdoor Workers

Bringing hot chocolate to those who work outdoors is a great way to give back at Christmas. This could include crossing guards, construction workers, mail delivery people, etc.

Bake Cookies for Neighbours

Spread some Christmas joy around the neighbourhood by baking some Christmas cookies for your favorite neighbours (or maybe new neighbours or even someone you haven’t met yet).

Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen

If you’re looking for a powerful way to give back at Christmas and teach your children a meaningful lesson, this is it. Volunteering at a soup kitchen is a classic act of kindness and a great way to expose your children to their privilege and walking in another person’s shoes.

Soup kitchens can be crowded on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You might instead choose a day leading up to Christmas or inquire as to when the organization needs volunteers.

Fill a Stocking for an Animal at an Animal Shelter

Puppies and kitties need some Christmas cheer too! You kids will love sharing their Christmas joy with some animal friends.

Buy Gifts from Plan International

This is a great way to teach your children that giving back at Christmas doesn’t end in your community. Involve your children in choosing a gift for a child or community in the developing world. Plan International has an amazing catalog of Gifts of Hope they publish every Christmas.

You can purchase a Gift of Hope for a loved one. They will receive a card detailing your donation and the important work their gift is doing. The catalog is filled with amazing gifts from a bed net for a family to protect from insects carrying malaria to a herd of goats to support a community.

Gifts of Hope start at only $10 and many are matched gifts in which your donation is matched by a government, foundation or organizational partner. Plan International is a well-known and establish international charity that does excellent work in developing countries!

Let your child browse through the Gifts of Hope Catalogue and be sure to read the descriptions of the gifts. Let your child choose a gift that connects with them (maybe chicks or a goat for an animal lover, or school supplies). You’ll be surprised at the excitement your child has for giving to other children around the world. They may even add gifts of hope to their own Christmas list!

If you have a baby in the house, this is the perfect thing to put on their Christmas list. Our second baby has just about everything she could ever need for the first year of her life. It was a struggle thinking of a Christmas list for her, until I remembered Plan International. On the top of Gracie’s list are medicine for new moms and babies ($20)  and baby blankets for children in need ($15 and this donation is matched 5:1, meaning that other institutions will pay for FIVE baby blankets for one that you donate, how amazing is that???).

Pass Out Candy Canes to Strangers

What a great way to spread some holiday cheer! Take your kids to a park or mall and hand out candy canes to shoppers (with your supervision, obviously). It’s especially nice to give candy canes to elderly people, who will love the interaction with your children. It doesn’t take much to make someone’s day and you never know who is feeling lonely or down at Christmastime!

Bake Cookies and Deliver to Emergency Workers Working on Christmas Eve

I really feel that this is the sweetest idea to give back at Christmas. Spend Christmas Eve Day baking your favorite Christmas cookies (see my favorite kid-friendly cookie recipes here) and make a special delivery on Christmas Eve to your local fire or police station, or hospital to give cookies to firefighters, paramedics, nurses or other essential care workers. This will remind your kids of the people who give up time with their families to ensure our communities and safe and well-cared for.

Well, that makes twelve ideas to teach your children about giving back at Christmas. I hope this gives you some ideas for Christmas traditions to start with your family, centering around charity and giving.

What are your favorite ways to give back at Christmas? Comment below!

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