Having compassion and a desire to help others is a high value of civilization. Interestingly, children are innately born with a helpful, altruistic nature. According to research reported on Stanford University News, this altruistic tendency comes naturally. "From when they first begin to walk and talk and become truly cultural beings, young human children are naturally cooperative and helpful in many – though obviously not all – situations," said Michael Tomasello, a co-director for the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in the November 5, 2008 report.
However, as children get older, the environment and people around them begin to take precedence. They need guidance and encouragement to continue to treat mankind with respect. There are many ways to demonstrate a lifestyle of selflessness.
Being a Good Role Model for Children
The best way to embed a spirit of altruism into a child's psyche is to be surrounded by people who constantly model this behavior. Children learn by watching. If they see a parent stopping to help a neighbor, they'll understand that this is a natural part of life. Things like lending a hand, stopping to help a stranger, tithing, lending an ear, and treating everyone with dignity are all ways that adults can live their lives as a living example of altruism. Kids will follow suit.
Service Projects for Kids
There are service projects of all kinds that children can get involved in. A simple project like cleaning up the neighborhood, or a larger project like raising funds for wells in Africa, can let a child express her natural desire to help others. There are many organizations, like Idealist, that can help generate ideas for service projects.
Endeavors that involve helping people face to face, is another good way to develop a child's altruism. For example, if they are involved in handing out food at a soup kitchen, or handing blankets to natural disaster survivors, they can see the genuine need and gratitude on others' faces. This is vital to securing kindness and generosity in a child's heart.
Positive Role Models for Kids
Parents and care providers, ideally, should be modeling kind behavior as an example. There are also many other sources that children can find admirable role models. Books that contain characters that perform good deeds and who make a difference are a good place to start. Marcus Pfister's Rainbow Fish to the Rescue [North-South Books, 1995] is a tale about sharing that young children will enjoy.
Movies are also another source of positive role models. Kids tend to emulate what they see on television. In order to ensure kindheartedness, seek out good examples. The Iron Giant [1999], for instance, is an engaging movie for adults and children. The main character vividly demonstrates altruism at its best.
In order to build a child's natural altruism, create an environment of love, respect, and generosity. Acting as a role model, engaging the kids in projects that help serve humankind, and offering books and movies with positive themes are practical ways to embed hearts with kindness.
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