8 ways to introduce your children to charity during the holidays

The holidays tend to be when many Canadians do a lot of charitable giving -- and it's also a time when many parents feel inspired to teach their kids about the "true spirit" of the season by helping the less fortunate.

Parents play a big role in teaching their children to become generous adults. A study released earlier this year found that parents who talk to their children about generosity significantly increase the likelihood that the child will continue to donate to charity as they get older, regardless of the child's age or the family's income.

If you're looking to make the lesson about helping others more tangible than just writing a cheque, here are eight suggestions to help bring the charitable message home this season:

Take the kids to the grocery store to pick items for the food bank

Walking the aisles of the local grocer and picking up cans of beans and boxes of pasta is a great way to get a conversation started with your kids about poverty, and about why some families use food banks.

You can mention that 36 per cent of those helped by food banks in Canada are children and youth, and that 12 per cent of the adults using food banks are actually employed but not making enough to feed themselves.

And that when the very first food bank opened in Edmonton in 1981, it was meant to be temporary. That bank is still open, joined now by more than 800 food banks across the country.

Let the conversation take you from there.

Buy toys together to donate to a toy drive

Admittedly, taking the kids to the toy department to buy gifts for someone else is never easy. But remind them the reason you are there is for kids who might wake up Christmas morning with little or nothing under the tree.

While shopping, remember that toy drive organizers need unwrapped toys so they can assign them to the right children.

And don't forget to think about older kids in their preteen and teen years, too, who are often forgotten during toy drives.

Most branches of the Salvation Army organize toy drives during the holidays, as do many local fire departments. In Ottawa and Toronto, you can also donate to CTV's Toy Mountain, in support of the Salvation Army.

Be a Santa to a senior

Many seniors find themselves alone and isolated this time of year. For close to a decade, the 'Be a Santa to a Senior' program, run by Home Instead Senior Care, has worked with local community groups across North America to identify seniors who might not otherwise receive gifts this holiday season.

You can take your kids to one of the Christmas trees set up in designated stores and malls (locations here); they feature paper ornaments with the first names of participating seniors and their gift requests. These requests often include such things as blankets, socks or gift cards to grocery stores.

Then buy the item together and return it, unwrapped, to the tree location with the ornament attached, and the gift will be delivered to your sponsored senior.

Sponsor a child outside Canada

A really poignant way to discuss global poverty issues is to sponsor a child through Save The Children, World Vision, or other similar organizations. This requires a monthly commitment but getting the kids to donate part of their allowance to the cause is a great lesson in contribution.

While you will be sponsoring just one chid, the money donated will be made available to the child's family and entire community. And as a bonus, your children will receive a new pen pal.

World Vision's Darryl Konynenbelt says his three kids love being able to write to their sponsored children -- and get letters back in return. He says their notes always generate lots of questions and discussion.

Select gifts from an international aid catalogue

Not able to commit to a monthly donation? Many charitable organizations, from UNICEF to Oxfam, now offer holiday catalogues that allow you to buy gifts for communities in the developing world, such as goats, hygiene kits, school supplies or even bicycles.

When you buy a goat from World Vision, for example, you really are buying a goat, says Konynenbelt. But you're also paying for training programs to teach communities skills such as animal husbandry, water treatment, how to set up schools, or how to prepare for natural disasters.

And once again, sitting down with the kids together to select the gift can lead to a larger discussion about how underdeveloped communities become self-sustaining.

Donate toys to a children's hospital

Most kids would hate to be stuck in hospital with a serious illness over the holidays. So why not agree to try to bring some smiles to these kids through a toy donation.

Several children's hospitals across Canada accept donations during the holidays if the items are still in their original packaging. Most can't accept used toys or stuffed animals for infection-control reasons, but some hospitals will accept used books. It's best to call your local hospital to check what they accept and how to best drop off donations.

Both Toronto's Sick Kids and CHEO (Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario) have added a new twist to their donation system by setting up websites that allow donors to choose specific items from a catalogue.

At the CHEO Holiday Store, for example, you can donate $15 to buy a teddy bear for a patient, or $70 to buy a portable DVD player.

Sick Kids also has a Sponsor a Family program that allows donors to donate to a family in need who has a child sick in hospital.

Volunteer at a soup kitchen

This is a great volunteer opportunity perhaps best-suited to teenagers, as many facilities cannot allow children into their kitchens. For the most part, these facilities require volunteers to be 15 or older, but some will accept volunteer helpers from school or community groups, such as Boy Scouts.

Most soup kitchens require volunteers to fill out an application and attend an orientation session or be interviewed. It's best to start this process early, since volunteer positions fill up surprisingly quickly in some cities.

The volunteer list for the Yonge Street Mission in Toronto, for example, typically fills up by mid-November though there are wait lists for different events.

Donate to a humane society

What kid doesn't love cats, dogs and other furry friends? And what cat and dog waiting for their forever home wouldn't mind a donation of a new blanket or toy? Most humane societies accept donations this time of year, but it's always best to call to find out what they're accepting and how to best make the donation.

You can even stop in to visit the animals at the same time, but be prepared to hear more than one plaintive cry of "can we keep him, pleeeease?"