4 Ways to Make Charitable Giving Part of Your Kid’s Everyday Life

Kids have an incredible capacity for empathy and a natural desire to help—especially when guided by parents who lead with compassion and generosity. You may already know the transformative power of giving and its potential to create the change you hope to see in the world. Now, imagine fostering that same belief in your children.

But keeping kids engaged in giving can be challenging, especially with so many distractions in their lives. The good news? By incorporating giving into everyday moments and aligning it with their interests, you can make it a natural part of their routine. 

Here are simple, practical ways to inspire your child to stay involved in charitable giving, build valuable life skills and nurture a lifelong habit of making a difference.

What you’ll discover in this blog:

• Make Giving a Daily Habit – Incorporate generosity into everyday activities like reading, bedtime conversations, and family discussions.
• Connect Giving to Interests – Align charitable actions with what kids already love, from animals to art, to make it more engaging.
• Use Media to Inspire – Books, videos, and podcasts can spark curiosity and reinforce the importance of generosity.
• Tie Giving to Real-World Events – Connecting donations or volunteer work to current issues makes giving feel relevant and impactful.

1. Weave Giving Into Everyday Moments

Your Next Trip to the Library or Bookstore

Books are a powerful way to teach kids about empathy, kindness, and giving—while also strengthening their reading and comprehension skills.  Engaging with stories about kids making a difference or learning about global challenges helps children expand their vocabulary, improve their ability to understand complex ideas, and develop a habit of thoughtful reading.

Actionable Tip: Explore a curated list of titles like Books That Teach Kids to Give. Use your library’s online portal to reserve copies, and turn the visit into a fun family outing. After reading, encourage your child to summarize the story in their own words or discuss what they learned, reinforcing both comprehension and retention skills.

Here are some more books to inspire generosity:

• One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference – Katie Smith Milway
• Those Shoes – Maribeth Boelts
• Each Kindness – Jacqueline Woodson

Bedtime Conversations That Inspire

Bedtime is a perfect opportunity for meaningful discussions. When the day quiets down, use this moment to ask your kids about causes they care about or charities they’d like to explore.

Actionable Tip: Share a story about someone – perhaps it’s yourself or someone you know – who helped create change by donating money, time, connections or talents. When kids think through the question, “If you could help one group of people or solve one problem, what would it be?” they learn to assess issues, weigh priorities, and develop solutions – essential skills for leadership and advocacy.

Encourage Sharing With Family and Friends

Kids love to share their stories, and talking about their charitable experiences is a great way to practice storytelling and build confidence in conversations with adults. Encourage your child to share with family members or friends about a cause they’ve supported or a small act of kindness they’ve done. This not only reinforces their commitment to giving but also helps them develop communication skills, express their thoughts clearly, and engage in meaningful discussions with adults.

Actionable Tip: Help your child practice both writing and storytelling by creating their own “giving story.” Encourage them to write about what interests them, the causes they’ve explored, and why they chose to support them. This exercise not only strengthens their writing skills but also helps them organize their thoughts and express their ideas clearly. They can then share their story with friends and family, inspiring others while reinforcing their own commitment to giving.

2. Align Giving With Their Interests

Make Giving Personal

One of the best ways to inspire giving is by exploring what they love. For example, if your child loves animals, consider charities focused on wildlife rescue or animal shelters. If they enjoy art, explore organizations that provide art supplies to underserved schools.

Actionable Tip: Use tools like ChatGPT to discover Canadian registered charities aligned with your child’s interests. For example, you might start with a query like: 

• “How can [interest] be used to support charitable causes?”.

Once you’ve received a list of options, follow up with prompts like:

• “What are some Canadian registered charities that support [cause] through [interest}?
• “Tell me more about how [Charity Name] uses donations to make a difference.”
• “What are some success stories from [Charity Name] that I can share with my kid?”
• “Are there any local charities near [City/Province] that support [specific cause]?”

Once you’ve found a few promising options, research them together. Researching charities not only helps kids feel connected to the causes they support but also teaches information literacy and analytical thinking. Explore a charity’s website, look at their socials, or watch videos about their work. Let your child pick their favourite and add it to a giving list—a curated collection of charities they care about. This process also teaches them the importance of making informed decisions about their giving.

Explore New Hobbies Through Giving

Charitable giving can also introduce children to new interests or practical skills. Supporting causes like environmental conservation, clean water access, or technology in education can open doors to exploring subjects they might not have considered before. 

Actionable Tip: Check your library or community centre notice board for volunteer activities that allow kids to learn hands-on skills while giving back. For example, volunteering at a community garden also teaches gardening and sustainability. Harvesting fresh produce might even spark an interest in cooking and nutrition!

3. Engage With Media That Inspires Giving

Watch Videos or Listen to Stories Together

Visual and auditory stories about giving can be powerful tools for engaging kids. Watching a video about kids raising money for clean water or listening to a podcast about climate change can spark curiosity and compassion.

Looking for inspo? Check out these free YouTube videos:

• 14-Year Old Raises $100,000 and Visits Her Water Wells
• Kids Take Action Against Ocean Plastic
• Greta Thunberg: School Strike for Climate

Actionable Tip: After watching a video, encourage them to summarize it or explain why it was impactful. This strengthens their communication and public speaking skills.

Curate Inspiring Media

Create a playlist of family-friendly content focused on generosity and global issues. Include TED Talks, short documentaries, or podcasts tailored to your child’s interests.

Some TED Talks to get you started:

• Alana Davis: “Take a Stand for Kindness.”
• Chris Anderson: “It’s time for infectious generosity. Here’s how.”
• Ami Campbell: “Radical Generosity Is A Way of Living, Not An Act of Giving.”

Actionable Tip: Choosing a weekly “giving night” where the family watches or listens to one piece of inspiring media is not just about exposure to different causes—it also helps children develop critical thinking and discussion skills as they analyze and reflect on what they learned.

4. Find Real-World Examples

Connect Giving to Current Events

Real-world events can be a great way to engage kids in giving. From natural disasters to local community initiatives, news stories often highlight causes that need support.

Actionable Tip: If your child hears about an event, like a forest fire or a fundraising drive for a food bank, use it as an opportunity to explore related charities. For example, research how you can support reforestation efforts or local shelters, and involve your child in deciding how to help.

Here are a few news sources with age-appropriate, educational content:

• CBC Kids News: A platform by the CBC that presents news stories relevant to young Canadians.
• Brainspace Magazine: An award-winning Canadian magazine designed for kids aged 8-14, combining traditional articles with interactive digital content.
• National Geographic Kids: A trusted source for science, geography, and environmental news, tailored to kids.

Encourage Hands-On Involvement

Kids are more likely to feel connected to a cause when they can see their impact firsthand. Volunteering at a local soup kitchen, participating in a charity walk, or even helping organize a toy drive or bake sale can make giving feel more real and rewarding.

Actionable Tip: Pair a donation with an activity. For example, if they donate to an animal shelter, plan a visit to meet the animals or learn about how the shelter works.

Final Thoughts

Incorporating giving into your child’s everyday life doesn’t have to be complicated. From aligning charitable activities with their hobbies, to sharing inspiring stories, to connecting giving to real-world events, there are countless ways to nurture your kid’s sense of empathy and compassion.

By incorporating these small, meaningful actions into your daily routine, you’re not only nurturing a lifelong habit of generosity but also helping your child develop valuable life skills. And who knows? Their giving journey might even inspire your whole family to find new ways to make a difference together.

Empower your kids to make a difference

Kids have an incredible ability to care and take action when given the right tools. A monthly Charitable Allowance gives them the opportunity to do just that. With your guidance, your kids can use the allowance to support any Canadian registered charity and discover how good it feels to give back. Along the way, they’ll learn about social responsibility, financial literacy, and how to make thoughtful choices. Learn more about Charitable Allowance.