5 Ways to Teach Kids to be a Cheerful Giver!

There are two kinds of kids. Kids who will gladly give you their very last fruit snack…and then there are those who would rather poke their eye out than to give up that last fruit snack!

I was taught early that giving is kind, and that there are kids who are wayyyy less fortunate than I. I never really saw kids in need firsthand, as a child myself…but as an adult, I see it all the time and it’s heart breaking.

We live in a very small and rural area. Our school districts are rather small, and so they depend on grants and donations a lot in order to keep the schools up to date with computers, etc. I wanted to share a few ways that we like to give back to our community and schools, and how YOU can too! Let’s start early and with our own – to teach kids to be a cheerful giver! It’s one of the MOST important lessons they’ll ever learn in their little lives.

1. Fill a Bag/Box

Most schools have food drives that they work on weekly. Our school actually fills bags up to pass out to kids on Fridays so that they can have food over the weekend, if they’re in need. Sign your kids up to help in filling bags/boxes if these programs are available, and remind them to be a “cheerful” giver!

2. Pack Extra in Their Lunchbag

Maybe the kid that sits next to YOUR kid at the lunch table is hungry and looking for seconds. Sometimes, kids just know that other kids need more but are afraid to ask. Ask your kid if their lunch table neighbor seems hungrier than the other kids! Pack an extra banana, juice pouch, muffin, etc. and let your child be a cheerful giver a couple of times a week to their hungry friend at school.

3. Canned Food Drives

Yep! Watch for those fliers to arrive in your kids’ backpacks. Those cans of food that will either expire or never get eaten at your house (you know what I’m talkin’ about!) can do a world of good for someone else. You pack a bag/box of canned goods from your cabinet, and then let your child pack one too! Remind them to be cheerful!

4. Clothing Drive

When the clothing drive comes around, let your kids go through their closet and pick out things that they haven’t worn in awhile. Give them a certain number of items to pull from their closets to give away at the school clothing drive. Or have them use from their allowance (cheerfully) to buy hat/gloves to donate. Using their own money, gives them the sense of accomplishment in learning to be a cheerful giver.

5. Box Tops for Education

We’ve collected Box Tops for YEARS! Even before my son went to school. Did you realize that you can earn money from General Mills® through Box Tops and that for EVERY Box Top collected, $0.10 goes to buy items for your school? They add up quickly and can be used for anything the school needs. Computers, printers, anything!

Give your kids the job of cutting and collecting Box Tops to donate to their school. Fill them in on what Box Tops are and how they can benefit their very own classroom!!! Keep a tally of how much money you’ve collected each week or month! When they see that money add up, they’ll get VERY excited!

One of kiddos favorite breakfast cereals in Cinnamon Toast Crunch! Since we go through so much of it, it just makes sense to go for the family size PLUS cha-chingggggg, on those Bonus Box Tops!

We always shop at Walmart – it’s our home away from home. We tend to always buy things that we know we can get Box Tops on. Especially when we find BONUS Box Tops!!! Always keep your eye out for those! Box Tops for Education has contributed over $525 million to participating schools since the launch of the program in 1996. Visit Box Tops to see all the participating items you can buy to help donate to your kids’ school!

Always remind them that what they’re doing is really helping others who need these things, be it clothes, food, money, or time. Giving with a cheerful heart is so much more rewarding to us and the people we give to!

How do you teach your kids to be a cheerful giver?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Disclosure: This conversation has been sponsored in partnership with Coupons.com. All opinions, including my love of saving money and giving back, are 100% my own.

Simple Ways to Give Back

Giving back is something that I think we all feel good about, as human beings. Whether we’re giving of our time, money, services, food or toys…it just feels good to give! There are so many ways that we can give back – even if it’s something simple. You know, just the other day my husband called me and said the vehicle in front of him paid for our dinner at the drive-thru. How cool is that?! He paid it forward, and paid for someone else’s dinner the next day. Giving to someone in need or to your community, is a blessing…to them, and to you!

Our Moms Check In moms are talking all about easy and simple ways to give back this week. We’d love to hear your family’s favorite ways to give back. Drop us a comment below or chat with us on social media using the hashtag #MomsCheckIn!

Here are OUR favorite ways to give back…

“I think that it’s so important to not only to give back, but to teach your kids about giving back! We do a lot of family friendly things to get Joshua engaged in helping others. This weekend he is planning on running a lemonade stand to help raise money for charity. We’ve also donated books he’s outgrown to classrooms at school. One of our favorite things to do is participating in 5K walks. It’s fun to do (some are super creative!) and they support awesome causes!“

– Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Twitter here!

“A great way to give back and make a big impact in your community is through food pantries and shelters. You can volunteer your time and non-perishable food items to your local food pantry. Many people rely on the help they receive at their local food pantry to keep their family fed that month. At shelters, families can receive not only a place to stay but toiletries and clothing. {Did you know that socks are the most needed and least donated clothing item at shelters?} Check with your local pantry or shelter to find out the items they need, the hours you can volunteer there or how you can increase awareness and support in your community. Be the change you want to see!“

– Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration! Follow her on Twitter here!

“A simple way that we love to give back is by donating gently used toys to drives or to local schools and churches. Right now, we have a local town cleanup going on that we want to participate in. That’s a great way to give back to our community and feel like we’re doing something important that will make a difference. Giving of your time is important too, especially in your own community!”

– Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and home website, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Twitter here!

#BeTheEnd Twitter Party

We’re partnering with Coupons.com in a few days to bring you a super fun and informative Twitter party! We’ll be discussing how you can make a difference when you make a purchase through Coupons.com. 10% of your eligible purchases can go towards funding research hours at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! Make sure to join us for the #BeTheEnd Twitter party on Thursday, 5/21/15 at 1pm EST to learn more and win some incredible prizes! They’ll be giving away $300 in gift cards to Target, Sears, Toys R Us, Home Depot, Sephora, American Eagle, Gap, and Kohl’s. Winner’s choice!! Just click HERE to RSVP for the event! You must RSVP in order to be eligible to win prizes.

This month, Coupons.com makes it even simpler to give back. And the best part? You can give back to a worthy cause and save some money shopping at your favorite stores. All you have to do is go to Coupons.com/BCRF and use any offer on the page. When you do, Coupons.com will give 10% of your purchase price to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The math is simple: let’s say you buy your family some new clothes at Kohl’s for the summer. You total pre-tax price is $100. Thanks to your purchase, Coupons.com will donate $10. You can now feel good knowing that your purchase is helping to find a cure for breast cancer.

Coupons.com has cash back offers, coupon codes, and product deals for your favorite stores including Macy’s, Sephora, Gap, and more. With Memorial Day sales coming up, this is a great time to really save and give. The money from your purchase will go towards funding a year’s worth of breast cancer research hours, totaling at more than $104,000!

Throughout the month of May, shoppers will have access to qualified offers housed on a dedicated section of the Coupons.com site, www.coupons.com/BCRF. When shoppers use these offers to save, Coupons.com will donate 10% of the pre-tax transaction price to BCRF to help fund the critical breast cancer research needed to find a cure – totaling up to $104,350 (2,087 hours at $50/hour).

About Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Breast Cancer Research Foundation, or BCRF, has raised over a half billion dollars since 1993. The foundation seeks out the best and brightest individuals working in medicine and science and gives them the tools to make advancements in the field of breast cancer research. This year alone, BCRF is investing nearly $60 million in research to support 226 researchers at leading medical institutions across six continents. The mission of BCRF “is to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research.”

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Who are the moms of Moms Check In? We’re 3 moms who are also professional bloggers. We chat about a new topic each week. We talk about things from dirty diapers to date night, and everything in between. Moms love to talk to other moms and let’s face it…MOMS know everything!!