Tips to Teach Children & Teens the True Spirit of the Holidays

There is no a better time of the year than the winter holiday season to involve children and teenagers in charitable giving and teach them why the old adage, “It is better to give than to receive,” is true. World Vision offers five great ways for parents to lead by example and teach their children the true spirit of the holidays:

- Consider do-it-yourself gifts, like no-sew fleece blankets that you can make with your children. Donate those blankets to a local homeless shelter.

- Cherish the stories of your family. Have your children talk to their grandparents and write down the stories of their past. Create a book to share with the entire family or record it online.

- As a family, select a charitable organization you'd like to support. Use online tools like Charity Navigator to find an organization that you trust. Give your children a budget and encourage them to decide how your family will donate to that organization this holiday. For example, flipping through the World Vision Gift Catalog will give children an idea of the difference they can make in other people’s lives.

- Work with your children to create a coupon book for your neighbors that might need an extra hand this year. Coupons could include shoveling their sidewalk, watching their children or providing a meal.

- Bake cookies or sweets with your children and deliver them to your local nursing home or school-in-need. Get started with this list of holiday recipes.

In addition to teaching children how to give during the holidays, it is equally as important but possibly even more challenging, to show teenagers the true spirit of the holidays. World Vision Teen Engagement Expert, Michele Tvedt has several tips for parents including:

- Start with conversation. Watch the nightly news together, and take time to discuss stories that touch on people struggling with poverty, unemployment or other tragedies. Let your teen lead the discussion and listen for them to express interest or passion in a particular social issue.

- Begin to give teens a voice in family giving. Let your teen know you would like to give a charitable gift as a family to mark the holiday season, but that you'd love to let them be the final decision maker.

- Take advantage of volunteering requirements that your teen may have to fulfill at school. Offer to help your teen find an organization that fits their interest. Keep in mind that teenagers are eager for authentic, powerful experiences. They will respond best to opportunities that allow them to experience poverty firsthand.

"The holiday season can be a stressful time of year. There are gifts to purchase and wrap, cookies to bake, and family and friends to visit, but when we pause to help our neighbors in need, we all experience the holidays in a more meaningful way," said Traci Coker, charitable giving expert and national director of World Vision’s Gift Catalog.

For each item in World Vision’s Gift Catalog, the giver makes the purchase in the name of a friend, family member or business associate. World Vision then sends special cards to those individuals, describing the gifts and their impact. Last year alone, World Vision’s Gift Catalog raised $32 million and provided assistance to more than 800,000 people worldwide. The Gift Catalog launched in 1996, and while a goat ($75) is still World Vision’s number one seller, there are many affordable items for $35 or less.

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Spooktacular Ideas for Halloween - From Pocoyo

It’s that spooky time coming up on October 31 and Pocoyo will be celebrating the occasion with fun and FREE Halloween ideas.

Check out the following link where you can download Halloween-inspired Pocoyo wallpapers, screensavers and a Pocoyo themed Halloween activity book…all for FREE!

http://www.pocoyo.com/img/halloween/halloween_en/LA_Halloween_en.pdf

The activity books includes:
· Halloween themed coloring pages
· Spooky recipes for parents and children to make together, including Halloween Pumpkin Soup, Mummy Turkey Dogs, Scary Cookies
· A monster costume idea
· A Pocoyo printable mask to color. It’s fun being blue!

In addition to the Halloween activities, there are many other fun games and activities available on pocoyo.com!

Pocoyo is fast becoming the world’s most popular preschooler with a hit television series that entertains audiences on over 150 networks around the world, including Nick Jr., PBS and Univision in the U.S. The show follows the adventures of the fun-loving Pocoyo and his friends, Elly (the elephant), Pato (the duck) and Loula (thedog), and engages audiences with music, dance and humor, encouraging children to learn through laughter. Pocoyo has charmed parents and pop culture mavens as well: Pocoyo has amassed more than 50 million hits per month on its YouTube Channel, and more than 600 million hits in the last two years alone; he has over 550,000 friends on Facebook; and 11 million unique visitors have experienced Pocoyo’s online virtual environment, www.pocoyoworld