Giving Week
When I find myself stuck in a rut, the very best thing for me to do is look outward – toward others – and as a mom, I love discovering ways to invite my children into this with me. Recently, I found our family needing this more than ever! So I started brainstorming, and the idea of Giving Week began!
For each day of the week ahead, we would give something to someone – one of my ideas – and then I would invite my kids to come up with their own daily idea for how they could give to someone in their life.
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To help us have a visual for the week ahead, I created a printable that looked like this: 
- On Monday, we gifted a Pancake Coffee Cake to the neighbors. (You can find the recipe here if you want to try it.)
- On Tuesday, we made a delivery to our local pregnancy center.
- On Wednesday, our family was part of helping one set of grandparents with moving.
- On Thursday, we gave the piano teacher a special gift.
- On Friday, we dropped off treats to our local hospice facility.
Acts of Service for Kids: More Ideas Here
Then for each day, the kids brainstormed an idea of their own. It was so special to watch them come up with additional ideas for the neighbors, special things they could do for their siblings, and service ideas for how they could bless us as their parents. It was such a special week, and I look forward to us doing it again soon!
The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it. – William James
Want to do a Giving Week with your family? I’ve created an editable printable for you so you can customize it with your own unique ideas! Now that my kids have seen how it works, I think I’m going to have them join me in the brainstorming from the start next time.
It is in our most difficult seasons as a family when – instead of focusing on ourselves – we’ve searched out ways to serve others that God gifted us with extra encouragement to keep going. What a powerful way to teach our children what it means to take on the form of the servant…to find joy in honoring others more than ourselves…to take our eyes of our own circumstances and prioritize others…such powerful lessons for any family.
The culture tells us that we need to focus more on ourselves…on our own needs, but as Christ followers, we know that a focus on self will only lead us into deeper, darker pits of despair. Let’s choose to go a different direction and embrace the joy that comes from living an others-focused life.
