As a grandparent, your unique bond with your grandchildren can be a powerful influence for imparting biblical lessons about generosity. When you take time for intentional moments of giving together, you may create lasting memories and instill values that your grandchild will carry for a lifetime. Here are seven ways to inspire generous habits and plant the seeds for a legacy of giving.
1. Model a generous spirit
Actions often preach a better sermon than words ever could. Look for opportunities to model Christlike generosity during times spent with your grandchild. Welcome strangers with a warm smile or heartfelt words. Perform small acts of kindness, like preparing a meal for a sick neighbor or writing a thankful note. Set a good example by forgiving those who wrong you and apologizing when you’re wrong. These simple deeds can show children how important it is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to everyone they meet.
Action step:
Create blessing bags together by filling Ziploc bags with bottled water, snacks, socks, travel-size toiletries, and small Bibles. Encourage your grandchild to include a drawing or short note of encouragement. Pray over the bags, and look for opportunities to give them away as God leads while on your next outing with your grandchild.
Prayer:
Lord, please help me to model your teachings to my grandchildren and to model a generous spirit for them (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, John 15:12-13).
2. Explain your “why”
Young kids love to ask “Why?” They want to know the reasons behind your actions and what’s happening in their world. If you serve in a particular role at church, tell them why. If you gave to help a family in need, share the reasons you decided to do so. If you feel called to support certain charities and causes, explain why they matter to you. You can even visit the charity’s website or social media page, or the charity itself, to help them understand the impact.
Action step:
Reflect on the experiences you’ve had on your giving journey and those of the older generations of your family. Write down your thoughts to record your giving testimony, and set aside a time to share it with your grandchildren. Use the step-by-step process in this article if you need help.
Prayer:
Lord, let me leave a spiritual legacy of generosity for my children and their children. Let they remember my story and glorify you because of it (Proverbs 13:22).
3. Involve kids in giving decisions
Recent research from Canterbury Christ Church University in England found that children even as young as four to eight years old can benefit from actively engaging in charitable acts. Teaching children how to support a charity at such a young age can be fun, especially if the charity does work they can understand. Even if it’s only a small portion of your giving, consider supporting a charity that does something close to your grandchild’s heart.
Action step:
Invite your grandchild to be part of recommending a grant to the charity of their choice through your Giving Fund. (If you don’t have one, you can open one here in minutes). Log in to to your fund together, and help them be part of the process of deciding how much and where to give.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to remember that the kingdom of heaven belongs to children and to steward my role with my grandchildren as precious and holy in your sight (Luke 18:16).
4. Serve together
As a reflection of Christ’s love, serving others and volunteering together can nurture the essential qualities for developing a truly giving nature like nothing else can. This hands-on experience helps children of all ages comprehend the challenges faced by others, just as Jesus walked among and ministered to those in need. Serving together is one of the most powerful ways to unite your family around something bigger, overcome materialism, and help your grandkids develop a godly perspective of empathy, understanding, and love for their neighbor.
Action step:
Together with your grandkids and your children, watch this short video about a family who went on a global giving adventure with their young grandchildren. Then, start dreaming about how God is calling your family to serve together.
Prayer:
Lord, let me cultivate the eternity you set in the hearts of my grandchildren by inviting them into a life of service and mission together (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
5. Read stories of generosity
The power of story is a memorable way to start teaching children early. For biblical stories, The Jesus Storybook Bible is a great resource. And there are many books by Christian authors focused on the Creator and designed to empower you to instill the value of biblical generosity. Reading books like this to your grandkids can be a fun experience for you both.
Action step:
Order one or more of these inspiring picture books and make a regular habit of reading them to your younger grandchildren every time they visit. For older grandkids, look through the Giver stories section on our website and choose a few stories suitable for their reading level.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to encourage my grandchildren in what I firmly believe about the importance of generosity. Let it be that, when my grandchildren are older, what they learned from your Word in childhood will make them wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:14-15).
6. Practice hospitality
Make a practice of inviting others into your home, especially when grandkids are around. Start with close friends and then expand to people in need of support or a place to eat a meal. Consider inviting your grandkids’ friends too. And don’t worry about having a perfect home. Author Maria Goff points out that, “Many of us put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be hospitable, but that pressure doesn’t really belong – it’s inconsistent with the goal. In God’s economy, perfect hospitality is synonymous with tremendous love.”
Action step:
Invite someone over today.
Prayer:
Lord, help me model hospitality, even to strangers, knowing my grandkids and I might be actually be entertaining angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2).
7. Share your strategy
When your grandkids are a little older, they can learn from mistakes you’ve made and skills you’ve honed in choosing how to give your money wisely. Share with them how you make decisions about giving and the kind of outcomes you’ve seen as a result of your support for a charity.
Action step:
Tell a grandchild a story about one thing that has brought you the most joy in giving.
Prayer:
Lord, let me share not only my strategy, but also the joy I experience when I see what happens because of my giving. Help my grandchildren to see something in me that makes them long to experience the joy of generosity, too (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Read more about how to share generosity with your grandkids.
