I do so love the holidays!  Yes, I know they get crazy and busy (and I never seem to get all the baking done that I would like to) but it’s a time to connect with family and reflect on all the joy that we have in our lives.

And for our family, it’s also a time to give to others.  Some years, we adopt a family and help provide them with a meal; other years, we’ll adopt an angel from a tree or donate toys to Toys for Tots.  There are so many ways to give back and make the season a joyous one for others.

 

This year, I’ve joined a group of great bloggers to highlight ways that families can make this holiday season a Season of Giving! 

Thanks to Stacy at kids*world*stuff who is hosting

our Season of Giving: 31 Days of Service & the Mom It Forward Service ebook, we can all find some great ways to share with others during the holidays!

 

 

Sharing a Compliment

 

For the 31 Days of Service, we are highlighting

Day 20:  Share Compliments

Everyone loves to get a compliment!  Really, we should all do this more often. It’s such an easy thing to do and people really appreicate it!

Whenever a child holds the door open for me, I always make sure to say “What a nice gentleman/lady you are for holding the door open, Thank you!”

And I also try to compliment my kids each day on something nice they’ve done for myself or someone else.

 

Teaching Kids to Give Compliments

I like to offer compliments to others when my kids are with me so they can learn how to give compliments.

It’s important to show kids how to give and receive a compliment, which can be done in many ways. 

Verbal compliments are very nice and easy to do.  Kids can compliment someone for something nice they’ve done for them, or something they’ve done to help others.  It’s always nice to tell others why you appreicate them.

Try setting a family goal to compliment at least one person each day for a week and see where it leads you.

 

At my daughter’s school, they’ve started making

“Compliment Cards”. 

Compliment cards are fun ways to let someone know they’re appreciated!

Kids create a card with a drawing on one side, and on the flip side, the child writes down something nice that another person has done. 

The card is not signed — it’s just left on a the person’s desk so they realize someone appreciated something they’ve done.

Compliment cards are a great idea for the holidays

— have the kids draw some fun pictures and use the back side of the paper to write down a compliment.  Have the kids tell their teacher how special they are, leave a note for a neighbor who’s always doing something nice, or help kids learn how to compliment their siblings!

Wouldn’t you love to get a card that says “I love the hugs you give me each day” or “You always know how to make me smile”?

Compliment cards can become a family tradition too – pick a day each month where everyone in the family creates cards to compliment one another. 

 

What will you do to make this a Season of Giving?