Talk About Giving

At Talk About Giving, we read a lot. We research, follow blogs and keep up with news on a variety of subjects that have to do with philanthropy, children and families. While reviewing our notes and considering the upcoming holiday season we realized that over the past year, we’ve come across some really neat items that might be the perfect presents for your little – or not so little – philanthropists.

Gifts that educate and inspire giving. What could be better? So here are some of our favorites. If you have others, we’d LOVE to hear about them!

Happy Giving!

Literature: Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen

The 2010 ‘We Give Books Poll on Reading and Giving’ found a direct correlation between reading and interest in charity and helping others.  The study concluded that “children who were read to daily said that reading helped them understand how they could make a difference and were more likely to be identified as giving teens.” Makes sense, right?

Learning about others

We are a huge fan of the book Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen, by Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan. In it, a young boy tells of his experience helping his uncle one day at the local soup kitchen and the people he meets.  Our friends at Doing Good Together did a great review of this book recently that includes some wonderful questions you can use with your children in conjunction to reading the book to initiate discussion about the ideas it introduces.

Check it out:

• Cost: $6.99
• Ages: 5 and up
• How to Order:  Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen, Amazon

Boom Boom Cards: Intentional Acts of Kindness

Pay it forward - or start the ripple!

We recently learned about Boom Boom cards from our friends at The Blogunteer.  Think about a boomerang – you throw it out there and it comes back to you.  Boom Boom cards encourage intentional random acts of kindness and the premise is that whatever you put out into the world will eventually come back your way. Some call it Karma, others call it the golden rule. Regardless, the lesson is that we should do unto others as we would have others do unto us and change can be made with one simple act.

Check it out:

• Cost:  $10 – $15
• Ages: Young to old
• How to Order:  Visit Boom Boom Cards

The Modern Piggy Bank

So modern ...

In providing our children with a foundation for a life of financial literacy, we found that the piggy bank that we all know and love actually doesn’t offer the whole story of economic learning. Saving is only one piece of the puzzle and with it our children need to understand the concepts of sharing, spending and investing.

Fortunately, this does not mean that we need to just throw away the notion of a piggy bank. We simply need one that provides the entire lesson. Modern piggy banks can offer just this, with different compartments for each of the three to four components of basic lessons in finance.

... and cute

Check it out:

• Cost:  $34.99 – $40.00
• Ages: 3 and up
• How to Order: Fun options
  • Money Savvy Pig (pictured above)
  • Money Scholar Children’s Banks (numerous cute options … including our favorite: the cheetah purse)

Talk About Giving Game

Yes, this is self promotion at its finest, but we think the Talk About Giving game is a pretty fantastic resource for helping you and your family do just that: Talk About Giving.

Great stocking stuffer or gift for kids's friends!

Research shows that a child’s future behavior is heavily influenced by parental behavior and dialogue. The Talk About Giving game is a conversation card game designed to prompt and maintain discussion about generosity and the needs of others by addressing four different categories: Giving Matters, Money Matters, Family Matters, and What Matters to Me.

Additionally, every Friday we feature one conversation starter from the game in our Question of the Week. So you can follow along online and/or order your own set!

Check it out:

• Cost: $7.99
• Ages: 3 to 105
• How to Order: Talk About Giving Game – order online/shipped or for pick-up

Resource Book: A Kids Guide to Giving

A guide ... and a Trapper Keeper.

We recently reviewed the book, A Kids Guide to Giving, by Freddi Zeiler and received great feedback from parents interested in introducing it to their adolescent children. A Kids Guide to Giving is a resource and reference book that informs kids about how to give and provides them with the information and inspiration they need to get started. It covers everything from how to make monetary donations to volunteering, donating goods and organizing charity events.

We love the way it approaches the subject, speaking to older kids as adults but keeping the content fun, easy to understand and interactive. Plus it comes in a cool, hardback, spiral-bound book complete with a magnetic closing flap (that reminds us of a mini Trapper Keeper … not that any of our children even know what that is).

Check it out:

• Cost:  $9.99
• Ages: 12 and up
• How to Order: A Kid’s Guide to Giving, Amazon

Little Passports: A Global Online Adventure

This little girl spent the day in Egypt.

Are you interested in introducing your children to different cultures throughout the world? Awareness about other places, people and ways of life open our minds to the world and can set a foundation for considering the needs of others. But unfortunately most of us don’t have the time or resources to jet set the globe exposing our children to the world outside our neighborhood.

We learned about Little Passports from our friends at Cool Mom Picks, and it’s truly the gift that keeps on giving (but even better than the jelly of the month club). Sam and Sofia travel the world and send your little traveler a package every month from their latest trip including a letter, a souvenir, and games/activities with online codes that introduce your children to different countries, cultures, geography, history and language in a fun and interactive way.

Check it out:

• Cost:  $10.95 – $13.95 / month (several subscription options available)
• Ages: 5-10
• How to Order:  Visit Little Passports