As parents we have the honor and responsibility of helping our children grow to be the best that they can be. What Jewish parent doesn’t want his or her child to become a mensch – down-to-earth and goodhearted in every way – who makes a difference? During this season of celebration, take a moment to view life in its simplest terms. Renew your commitment to being a positive role model for your children. Reclaim thankfulness in your family. Help your children see their own good fortune, even as they are begging for an iPod or a dancing Pablo Backyardigans doll. Speak to them about giving as well as receiving, and share some quality time with them, for there is no greater gift than that.

Here are eight ways you can capture the spirit of giving during your Chanukah celebration. By involving your children in hands-on acts of generosity you can transform your holiday and help your kids discover how good it feels to share.

1. Add a Present – During your gift exchange each night include an extra toy or book for a disadvantaged child and donate these to a local shelter, community center or hospital. Your kids can help choose gifts and decide where they might be needed the most. You can also make an online donation to give a toy to a child through Kol Ami’s Chanukah Toy Drive or through Toys for Tots.
2. Host a Scarf Party – Ask guests coming to your Hanukkah celebration to bring hats, gloves and scarves to donate to a local homeless shelter. Give the very important gift of warmth during this very cold season.
3. Make a Tzedaka Box – after candle lighting or at a holiday party, set up a craft table for the kids to create their own giving box. Even better – sit with your children and work together – perhaps even applying a family photo collage directly on the box. The hands-on decorating adds a personal connection and sense of ownership to the act of giving tzedaka. Your kids will be proud to collect coins for their special cause (see #4 below). Visit our Product Catalog for supplies and holiday specials!
4. Connect to a Cause – Help your kids explore what’s important to them and then choose charities that match their personal interests or passions. For example, if your child loves animals, consider donating to a local shelter. Set a goal for giving and coin collecting. You can even challenge a relative to make a matching donation. A great place to start is the Bill Clinton Foundation’s well thought-out resource list, which includes ideas for where you can give money, volunteer time, and donate items and personal skills.
5. Volunteer as a Family – Deliver meals or help serve food at a local soup kitchen; offer to shop for an elderly neighbor; explore volunteer opportunities with your local American Cancer Society or Dorot. Touching even one life makes a difference.
6. Give the Gift of Song – Caroling is not just for Christmas! Have a little pageant or family sing-a-long of new songs and old favorites. If grandparents or other family live far away, make a CD of the kids singing songs—your parents will kvell! We’re delighted to have discovered the amazing talents of Marge Eiseman, Rabbi Joe Black and Fran Avni, as well as the venerable Ella Jenkins.
7. Donate Used Toys – Before all the new gifts are opened, take an afternoon with your kids to sort through their old toys and books. Help them choose items they no longer play with or “need” by reminding them of the joy they will bring to children in less fortunate situations. Local day care centers, shelters, Goodwill centers and other charities greatly appreciate items in good condition.
8. Give the Gift of Your Time – Slow down your busy life and devote some quality time to reading to your children, playing a game, or learning a new skill together, such as knitting or model airplane building. Share an activity you loved from your own childhood, like baking and decorating cookies, or start a new tradition, like my husband did with our daughters: conduct a rockin’ science experiment from The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book by Tom Robinson.

You’ve heard it before and it’s true: they grow up so fast. Appreciate these little miracles in your life and simply be in the moment. Happy Hanukkah!
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Michele Lifshen Reing is the founder and president of The Creative Judaica Kit Company, a leader in creative youth philanthropy. Our mission is to make innovative craft products that inspire kids through the creative arts, provide hands-on social awareness experiences and foster caring, thoughtful and generous citizenry.