Money Jars: The Kid-Proof System for Saving and Spending Money: Part 4

“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.”

-Aesop

The topic for today is giving. How do you teach your child to give cheerfully? Well that life lesson is made simple with the Donation Jar.

Dylan’s Story

When my son Dylan turned three years old, we had leftover cupcakes from his birthday party. He wanted more cupcakes than I would allow him to have. I thought this would be a great opportunity to teach him a life principle so I told him we’re giving the cupcakes away to the local shelter.

At first he was hesitant, but when I gave him the look like he didn’t have a choice, we drove over to the shelter. We walked into the shelter and had a whole tray of cupcakes. We walked around and gave one cupcake to every person in the building. Every person said “Oh, he’s so cute. Thank you so much; you just brightened up my day.” You could imagine what this did for my son’s self-esteem.

Wealth Principle

Contrary to popular belief, most wealthy people are very generous. You may have been taught that rich people are greedy and dishonest. However, there are greedy and dishonest people at all financial levels.

Why do the wealthy have so much? It’s because they’re utilizing a very important law. And that is the law of reciprocity, also known as the law of giving. Whatever you give out, is always returned back to you. Often times it’s even multiplied when it returns.

Teach your child young that giving is a routine part of managing money. When money flows freely through his or her hands, it comes back quickly and easily.

*Side Note: They shouldn’t give just for giving’s sake. They should genuinely feel good about it and want to give.*

Have them allocate 5% of his or her earnings for the Donation Jar.

With that experience from the shelter, Dylan learned that giving was not taking away something from him. Instead, it made him feel good to give. Ever since then, he loves taking money out of his Give Jar to donate or buy something for the local shelter in need.

Thank You for Reading Part IV of the Money Jar Series. Stayed Tuned for Part V.

Please join the conversation and let me know your thoughts below. Feel free to comment, share, and ask questions.

To You and Your Kids’ Wealth,

Melanie Jane