Do you find yourself surrounded by many toys that your child has outgrown and not touched in months, if not years? Giving them away is a good option as it can benefit the underprivileged.
But here’s a common scenario: as you select toys to be given away, in comes your child marching with a horrific scream and, somewhere in between the wailing, you can just make out that they are insisting: “Mine, mine, mine!”
Indeed, when it comes to children’s toys, a common motto is “out of sight, out of mind”. It’s easier to quietly and sneakily remove these items from your child’s toybox while he or she is asleep – although this makes you “toy thieves”, which could lead to guilty parenting!
At the end of the day, it’s always best to teach your children about the joy of giving to the less fortunate. So, how do you start imparting this wisdom to your possessive little ones? Here are some pointers.
1. Find out if your child knows how to share
Identify your child’s level of understanding about sharing and giving to others. Is your child able to share and look at things from another person’s perspective?
Speak to them about the joy of receiving from others, and also what it means to be a giver.
2. Be a good role model
While you are spring cleaning your own belongings, let your child watch how you decide on donating or discarding your unwanted belongings.
Share your thoughts aloud and take this opportunity to show your child the value of giving things away to those who could benefit from owning them.
3. Create a system for cleanup time
Set up three boxes: one for items your child still wants; one for things that are to be donated; and the third for goods that are to be repaired, discarded, or recycled because they no longer work.
Use this system whenever it comes to cleanup or decluttering time to teach your child how to make these decisions.
4. Give your child space and time to decide
This may be the first time your child is deciding to give their toys away to others. Grant them the time and space to think about what they would like to give away. Remember, this is a big decision that can be emotionally draining!
Provide your young one with support. They might change their mind the next day about giving up their toy, but let them know this is perfectly OK.
Even if your child ultimately decides to only let go of one toy, accept this as a big step forward and acknowledge their generosity.
5. Bring your child to the donation centre
Bring your child into the environment where their toys will be put to good use. Let them see for themselves what happiness their toys bring to others, and explain to them how other children may not be as fortunate due to certain circumstances in life.
6. Cultivate a ‘scarcity vs abundance’ mindset
In this context, a child with a scarcity mindset fears they will lose their toys – a prospect that fills them with pain and unhappiness. On the contrary, a child with an abundance mindset sees an opportunity to get more by making certain decisions.
As such, explain to your little one that when he or she gives away old toys, they make space for new toys that they can have more fun and meaningful experiences with.
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This article was written by Aileen Hoe for makchic, a Malaysian-based online site for chic, curious, and spirited parents. makchic has been providing trustworthy and authentic family-related content since 2013. For diverse stories of parenthood that inform, support, and uplift all families, visit makchic.com and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.