PARENTING
Om
32
january 2018yogajournal.com.auservice and helping. In the book,
Teaching Your Kids to Care, author
Deborah Spaide says that volunteering
gives kids “the chance to experience the
deeply rewarding payoff that comes
from making someone else happy.”DO AN ANONYMOUS
GOOD DEED
In the spirit of Christmas, teach
children the joy of giving to others
simply knowing that their lives will
be better because of you. A fun exercise
I teach in my childrens’ yoga training
courses is to make a Kindness
Card. On the front write the words,
‘Kindness Card,’ and on the back, write
the words, ‘Please pass this gift of
kindness on.’ Then encourage them to
think up random acts of kindness that
will make someone smile. It could be to
buy their teacher a bunch of flowers, or
leave a crystal on the desk of a student
who is sad or having a tough time.HOST A YOGA PARTY
This is my favourite! Invite friends over
for a yoga party where your child is the
teacher.Teach your kids what’s really important this Christmas
PHOTO: SUSAN HUGHESWHAT’S THE MOST IMPACTFUL present
you can give your child this Christmas?
When we think of presents we usually
think of receiving, but maybe the best
present is giving.
Of course all kids love receiving
presents, but teaching them the joy and
meaning of giving will last long after the
holiday season is over. As adults we
experience the pure joy of watching
children from the moment their faces
light up when they see a gift to them
unwrapping and delighting in what’s
inside. We also see the happiness when
children hand a present over to a friend
and watch them share the experience of
joy, delight and happiness. But they
get an added bonus when doing this–
studies show that when we focus our
attention on others and give a gift, our
happiness levels increase, we develop
compassion, connection, awareness and
it builds self-confidence, self-esteem
and a greater level of responsibility.
Who doesn’t want this for their child?
What a perfect time of year to instill
these in children so the real gift they get
is the knowledge of how to cultivate
happiness, kindness, compassion and
confidence by simply helping others.By Loraine Rushton
5 WAYS TO TEACH
THE ART OF GIVING
MAKE A LIST
Empowerment begins the moment
you involve your family in the decision
making process of how you wish to
serve. Schedule a time when you can
all sit down and make lists of how
and who you would like to help. An
easy place to start is listing all your
neighbours who are elderly or
struggling in some way, then make
lists of how you can help them.
This could be your yearly Santa
Service List.GIFT YOUR TIME
Find out what interests your child. If
they love animals, maybe look for a
local animal shelter and volunteer for
a day in the holidays. Maybe they love
the outdoors, so find out when your
next local environmental group is
meeting for a clean up and spend
time with like-minded people while
teaching your child the satisfaction
and power that comes from taking action
to help the planet. Children love being ofA Time for