SHOP KIND! Top Gifts That Promote Kindness

Jenny Friedman

December 5, 2017

elementary schoolers, parenting, preschoolers, play, trends, holiday

SHOP KIND - TOP GIFTS THAT PROMOTE KINDNESS

Any parent would agree: The top lessons we can teach our kids include generosity, kindness and sharing. These lessons should be joyful (not nagging or lectures!), which is why Doing Good Together has offered families engaging service projects, big-hearted book suggestions, unique printables and more for over 10 years. Now we have another way for you to share the joy of kindness with your children -- a collection of products that make "giving back" fun.

You'll find ideas below and on our newly launched Shop Kind page.

-Jenny Friedman, Executive Director

BIG-HEARTED GIFTS THAT TEACH GIVING

Making a Difference...

To help encourage giving, spread compassion and reflect your deepest values, consider giving your child a kindness-themed game, kit, toy or book this holiday season.

For-Purpose Kids Kits: If you want to send your child the message that kindness and generosity matter to you, this is the ideal "starter kit." It includes an activity guide, journal and much more. There's also an option to have a box around a giving "theme" delivered quarterly to your door. Just right for kids ages 5-10.

Stone Soup: Have you read the traditional tale of stone soup? This game gets young players working together to "cook" soup. It encourages collaboration, creative thinking and problem solving -- and everyone can win! It should also spark conversations about healthy eating.

Stars of Hope: If you're looking for a fun, meaningful service project for your family or group (like a holiday gathering or birthday party), this is the one. It brings people together to paint large wooden stars that are donated to communities that have suffered hardship. Your creations will be hung in a public place to promote healing.

Make-Your-Own Cards Kit: This high-quality card-making kit by Made by Hands empowers kids to share love, support and kindness through thoughtful, handmade cards. Then check out our Greeting Cards Project Page for ideas on how to create cards for those in need of happy mail.

Vertellis Classic: At DGT, we love sparking big conversations with kids. This game, which gets rave reviews, does just that. Appropriate for ages 10 and up.

Moon Jar: You can help your kids learn to donate to charity by using this sweet, sturdy bank. It encourages them to divide their allowance into three buckets: share, save and spend.

Charity cards: Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer? Consider a gift card to Kiva that your child can use to make a loan to a needy entrepreneur. Or choose a charity gift card that allows the recipient to donate to the nonprofit of his or her choice. Talk to your child about how to choose an organization that's doing important work and that matches their interests and passions.

BEST BOOKS THAT BUILD COMPASSION

Talk About It...

When you present the kindness gift to your child, talk about why you'd like to make this a traditional part of your family's holiday.

Why do you think it's important to include gifts of kindness and acts of service in our holidays?
People often say, "It's better to give than to receive." Do you believe that's true? Why or why not?
What ways can we all share more kindness in the year ahead?
What skills, talents and passions do you have that you can use to help others?

Learn About It...

Here are our picks for the best 2017 big-hearted picture books (plus one old favorite) for gift giving. (Scroll to the bottom of our Shop Kind page to find a short description of each one.)