Boys want to BE big and strong. They want to do BIG things. When we tap in to this when challenging them to be generous truly big things happen.
I’ll never forget the Christmas season when I did my Love, Serve, Give challenge with my boys and challenged them to give the gift of a smile every time we went to the store. It was truly magical to see even my reticent, not super friendly boy jump into the fray and develop the habit of giving the gift of a smile to a harried or weary passerby.
As I pointed out in chapter 13 of Knights in Training, the challenge here is to help our kids develop their own generosity. It is easy to be generous with mom or dad’s money. But that does not embody true generosity because it didn’t cost them anything.
This month challenge them to be on the lookout for both everyday ways to live in BIG-HEARTED ways as well as plan something special. Everyday generosity could be giving the gift of a smile, or cheerfully sharing with a sibling or friend. The throw down the gauntlet section in the book has a bunch of ideas for you.
For a big project you could bake and sell goodies for a cause or start a neighborhood leaf raking business with proceeds for that month going towards a favorite charity. There are truly so many ways to help our kids with developing tangible generosity.
Ready to jump into the challenge? Here is your {free} Be Generous Chivalry download. There is a planning sheet with Bible verses to go over, things to talk about, and things to do as well as a blank form for you to chart your own course. There are also some poster options to inspire your kids along the way!
Want to do the Chivalry Challenge next year? Find out about it here!
Books that Inspire Generosity
There are examples of generosity everywhere. As you read books together – point out examples. Challenge your kids to spot examples of generosity in books, movies, and in REAL LIFE! Here are a few favorites, including knight books that I reference over and over again in my book.
- Saint George and the Dragon
- The Kitchen Knight
- Clown of God. de Paola, Tomie.
- A Christmas Carol. Dickens, Charles
- Papa’s Pastries. Toscano, Charles.
- Koi and the Kola Nuts: A Tale from Liberia.
Hi,
I wasn’t sure where I could leave you a question, but I’m making my way through your knights in training book. Do you have any advice when you only have a boy and a girl? Not saying she can’t do some of the activities with him like sword fighting, but I do want to impress the difference between the two of them.
I missed your comment earlier. One of the key ways I recommend celebrating differences is pointing out that while boys are hardwired to DEFEND and protect, that women have a strong protective instinct too. (Can anyone say, Mama Bear?) But whereas men are driven to defend, women have an inherent drive to nurture. That may look a little different from woman to woman, depending on our personalities, just as I mentioned in my book that the drive to defend will look slightly different depending on a boy or man’s personality. The other elements of the code are very similar between men and woman. We should all be truthful. We should all be generous. But oftentimes the way we approach things will differ between the genders. You have a beautiful opportunity to help your kids understand, celebrate, and build on each other’s differences! When we learn to appreciate our differences, society flourishes!