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4 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Give Back During Christmas

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Empathy and acts of kindness are the heart of Christmas, which can be a perfect time to teach your kids about giving back.

Here are four ways to teach kids gratitude and generosity during the holidays.

4 Activities to Teach Kids to Give Back

Rezen Holiday Comfort_Give Happiness
Rezen with Christmas gifts she received at the hospital.

1. Read stories to help your kids develop empathy for others

Have your family read about and share the stories of Rezen and Arcelia and what their experience was in the hospital during the holidays.

Stories like these can help teach kids empathy as they understand the experiences of and share the feelings of others. 

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Georgia with a Starlight Toy Delivery

2. Model generosity and acts of kindness

You can lead your kids by example by showing them what generosity and acts of kindness looks like in your everyday life.

One thing you could do is, after reading Arcelia and Rezen's stories, brainstorm ways you might be able to help families in similar situations.

Talk to your child about what you can do as a family to support those in need. 

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3. Choose a charity and give opportunities to donate

A practical activity is to look for charities on Guide Star and Charity Navigator focused on supporting a cause your family resonates with.

Give your kids a chance to practice generosity by donating to a charity. 

You can give with confidence to Starlight, who has earned four stars with Charity Navigator for eight years in a row. 

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Lemonade stand fundraiser for Starlight

4. Volunteer your time and raise money for a cause

You can think of creative and fun ways to raise money with your kids, such as holding a lemonade stand or making custom accessories.

If you’re not sure where to start, we can help.

Learn how you can fundraise with Starlight to impact over 3 million children nationwide.

Model Generosity with Starlight, a Top-Rated Charity

As you teach your kids to show generosity to others consider donating to Starlight.

Committed to its mission of delivering happiness to seriously ill kids and their families, Starlight has impacted over 3 million kids nationwide in 2024. 

This holiday season, we want to ensure that kids can enjoy the happiness of the holidays. We are leaning on community support to make sure that all kids in the hospital have gifts to open by December 25th.  

We need your help.  

Join us in being kind and give joy to families when they need it the most! 

Model generosity and help seriously ill kids today
Donate Now

More Ways to Give Back

Discover how our Starlight community supports hospitalized kids through events, streaming, and more!

This blog was last updated September 14, 2026.

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