Even as we continue the work of building a stronger, healthier, more equitable world, the everyday challenges of work and parenthood are still with us. We don't have the answers to these challenging issues, but we do have a few ideas for how your family can have fun, get outside, be creative, and help others this summer.
Finding Purpose in the Time of COVID-19
How (and Why) to Make Caring a Habit This Year
Many families have told us they want to put more focus – intentional focus – on kindness, serving, and justice in 2020. You know by now that a child raised to be kind does better in school and in life. But how do you find time for ONE MORE THING in your already-too-busy life? And once you've started, how do you keep the caring habit alive?
Our Best of 2019: A Recap
A Crisis of Imagination
The Joy – and Challenge – of Gift-Giving
Giving gifts can be a joyful thing. We get to imagine what others might enjoy receiving. For kids, giving gifts is important for teaching generosity and empathy. But how do you offer children the undeniable pleasure of giving without encouraging consumerism? What gifts can you, in turn, give them that model these values? We offer some guidance for striking a gift-giving balance.
How to Raise a Good Sport
Sports give kids opportunities to cope with failure and success, work hard toward a goal, cooperate with others, learn fairness – and get away from screens for a while. It can be tough for kids to control the strong emotions that come with competition … but with a little early coaching from you, your child can be prepared to show respect for teammates and coaches, grace in winning and losing, and an understanding of what success in sports really means.
Use Art to Learn Empathy and Create Social Change
Art offers powerful opportunities to express our common humanity, challenge assumptions, spark conversation, connect diverse people, inspire wonder, imagine new solutions, and promote action for positive change. Music, dance, the visual arts, film, theater, and writing can also inspire empathy, which is why they have always played a role in social justice movements; art shifts the way people think about the world.
Help Create a Culture of Kindness This School Year
We implore our kids to study hard, to get good grades – and we spend considerable time and money to assure they're enjoying their lives. But we don't talk nearly as much about what caring and compassion mean to us – or help them strengthen those empathy muscles by performing acts of kindness and service with them. Luckily, with a few simple changes, your family can help make this school year one that is focused not just on academics, but also on concern for others.
Beyond "I'm Sorry": Teaching Children to Apologize and to Forgive
Children as young as four feel better when they receive a sincere apology from a playmate after being hurt. The key word: sincere. Coercing children into offering apologies fails to comfort the victim -- and the wrongdoer learns little more than how to feign remorse. Here are a few tips for getting beyond the begrudging "I'm sorry." This approach can cultivate empathy, help children learn to manage emotions, and improve behavior.
How Consumerism Undermines Your Child's Well-Being – and How to Fix It
Think of all the ways our homes reflect consumer culture: overflowing toy boxes, jam-packed drawers, gadget-filled garages. Unfortunately, too much focus on material possessions damages our well-being – and that of our children. … The message being delivered to our kids is that consumer goods bring happiness. As parents, we have the power to counter and control this. Here's how…
How to Talk to Your Child about Climate Change
With each dire news story about the planet's future, that topic may seem too scary or complicated to discuss. Still, most parents think it's important to inform their children about this critical issue. Even if want to shield them, we're aware they're likely to hear about it from other (possibly less reliable) sources. So how do we help kids understand the science – and become empowered to make a difference – while making sure they feel safe and secure? Below are five action steps to get you started.
How Practicing Kindness Can Help Your Anxious Child
Studies show that volunteering leads to greater life satisfaction; performing acts of kindness makes people happier and more socially comfortable; and helping others boosts daily well-being. If your child tends to be anxious, you can't make it magically go away, but you can offer tools to manage their discomfort, and strategies to help them cope.
Beyond Our Neighbors: A Curriculum for Expanding Empathy and Compassion to "Others"
Take Valentine's Day To Heart
In Case You Missed Them: Our Best Resources of 2018
We want to remind you of some DGT initiatives we were particularly proud to launch -- and that will surely gather steam in the coming year. From additional big-hearted resources to our new Just Be Kind program to our new Festival of Giving event, DGT continued to bring kindness and giving to life in 2018.
A Parent’s Wishlist for Raising Caring Kids
Most of us wish for a kinder world. At Doing Good Together™, we believe that this begins with children. We believe that raising children to care about others and the common good is an imperative -- and the most likely way to heal our planet in the years to come. With this in mind, we offer a few tips to satisfy everyone's wishes for happier children, more connected families, and a better world.
Start Some Big-Hearted Holiday Traditions
If all the toy ads, over-the-top decorations (starting in October!), and incessant credit card use are bringing on the holiday blues, try creating some new holiday memories that are fueled by compassion, not commercialism. These simple traditions will not only let you share important values with your children, they will also lift your spirits. It's guaranteed: your kids will treasure these memories long after their once-coveted toys are broken or forgotten.
How To Handle Kids' Allowance
Offering children an allowance provides the opportunity to have ongoing conversations about important financial literacy skills. And that's critical. According to researchers, three out of four young people cannot answer basic financial questions. In addition, dealing with small amounts of money when they're young allows children to make mistakes and learn from them, before poor financial decisions have serious consequences
You Can Instill Good Citizenship. Here's How.
If our democracy is to thrive, we must teach children the skills they need for critical reflection and thoughtful civic engagement. Research tells us that people who have been educated in civics are more likely to vote and be involved in public life. Here are five easy, hands-on ways to help kids begin to see how they can help create the world they want to live in.