Goodbye, cute yard ghosts and squishy rotted jack-o-lanterns! We’re going to miss the copious amounts of Reese’s-shaped pumpkins. What I am not going to miss is my spy-like toddler screaming MINE when he senses my hand in the vicinity of his candy bucket. I can’t sugar coat it; I cringe when the word mine flies out of his mouth. He’s almost 3 so naturally, he’s in the non-sharing phase. As we say goodbye to Halloween and enter the giving season, what better time than now to teach him about giving.
It may possibly be the first holiday season he clearly remembers. So this season of life would be the best time to start instilling the importance of sharing and giving. I put together 5 giving activates that he can actively participate in.
1. Blessing Bags
Take a trip to Target and graze down the travel-size toiletry items. Let your little one pick out a variety of shampoos, deodorants, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. Next, make your way down the snack aisle and pick non-perishable goodies and water bottles. Grab gallon zip-lock bags and have your toddler pack one of each item. Keep the bags in your car and the next time you’re out with your kids and see a person in need, hand them out. This is a great year-round activity not only for the giving season.
2. Clean Out the Toybox Black Hole
We’re all guilty of buying the toy to avoid a tantrum at Target. Those tantrum toys get about a week of use and wind up in the toybox black hole. Have your kiddos dump out the toy box and pick 5 toys that they no longer use. This may cause a ruckus, but take the time to talk about the importance of giving. As a family donate them. Here are several organizations to consider donating to in El Paso:
3. Food Pantry Donations
Another simple giving season activity is food donations. Bring out the mini shopping cart and have your toddler shop in the pantry for cans they would like to donate. This is the perfect time to teach about food insecurity. Toddlers understand when they are hungry and can communicate it. They can understand a lesson on the importance of donating food to the local food pantry like the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank.
4. Bake Cookies
Who doesn’t love a warm chocolate chip cookie? Pull out the baking supplies and get to baking with your little chef. Talk to your toddler about baking these cookies for their neighbors. Have them decorate a box to gift them in. The giving season is a perfect time for a random act of kindness like sharing a sweet treat.
5. Give a Book
My little man has duplicates of several of his favorite bed time books. We separate them and save them to donate any chance we get. If you haven’t heard, the United Way of El Paso has opened a Book Nook in Sunland Park Mall. This spot is such a great space for all ages to stop and enjoy a book. It is one of our favorite spots. The United Way Book Nook gladly takes book donations to share with the community. The donation of a book during giving season is thoughtful and thought provoking. A donated book can spark the imagination of a child that may have not had the opportunity otherwise.
Toddlers love big, and are self centered at the same time! How could they not be? One minute we give them all they want. The next we are asking them to share it. The hope is with these 5 simple activates I can begin to instill the importance of giving. At the very least the hope is that the toddler who’s favorite word is “mine” turns into the toddler that loves to give!
Love It ❤