At what age do you think children are capable of understanding Angel Tree?

[kayte]

I ran out of room in the title but the real question is

At what age do you children are capable of and you should try and help them understand the concept of giving gifts/money to those less fortunate, like the Angel Tree, Toys for Tots, Salvation Army kettles, etc... ?

I am going to refrain from my story until there are some answers on the table...

[SnuggleBuggles]

I never thought about it- it's just something we have always done and ds1 has been somewhat interested. But, if I were to put a number on it I would say 6-7 for my guy. He has really gotten interested in the idea of charity and why we would help others. He might have understood before but I really feel like it is sinking in much more now.

Beth

[egoldber]

I would agree that I think at age 6/7 is when kids can really make that leap of empathizing with someone else's position. Not that they can't do it at least at some level before that, but I think that's when it really starts to click.

[elephantmeg]

We're not there yet but I try to let them see me give and participate. Yesterday I gave DS coins to put in the kettle and since we've had kids we've bought for a child our kids age (Angel Tree).

[hillview]

DS is 4 and really doesn't grasp this at all. I try and we do talk about it but the notion that there are kids who have no or few toys just isn't something he gets.
/hillary

[Wife_and_mommy]

Both my kids have understood that others have less than they do at 3.5ish. They both take great joy from choosing gifts, food, etc for others.

[ha98ed14]

I have no BTDT, but I can say that 2.5 y.o. DD doesn't have a clue. Still, this would be a good year to get started.

[justlearning]

I think my 3 1/2 year old gets it somewhat because when we go through his clothes and pick out what doesn't fit him, I talk about giving them to other boys who need clothes. And he recently helped me pick out toys to give other kids who don't have many toys.

And I know for certain that my 6 year old gets the concept due to a decision he made completely on his own to spend all his birthday money buying mosquito nets so other families won't get malaria. (I shared that story in this thead: http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=324019&highlight=mosquito+nets+birthday)

I do oftentimes emphasize with them the importance of appreciating what we have and sharing with others who don't have as much.

[kayte]

Thanks for everyone's replies.

It seems the consensus would agree with me that two seven year olds and a 9.5 year old (my niece and nephews) could certainly understand the concept.

A spin off question--when you buy gifts for other people (friends and family) and your children are with you, do you buy them something as well?

[SnuggleBuggles]

A spin off question--when you buy gifts for other people (friends and family) and your children are with you, do you buy them something as well?

No. I don't think I have ever done it and if I had it wasn't because I wanted to be "fair", it's because I wanted to get him something. But, I really don't ever remember doing that. It'd just be a coincidence if I had.

Beth

[infomama]

A spin off question--when you buy gifts for other people (friends and family) and your children are with you, do you buy them something as well?
I don't. I make a point of saying we are shopping for so and so. I get a little flack from Dd1 at times but it is pretty infrequent.

[egoldber]

No. Plenty of times we've shopped for other people and not gotten anything for ourselves.

I will say that when I buy gifts for my niece, who is essentially the same age as Amy, and they will be opening presents together (like at our large family holiday celebration), I do tend to buy them similar yet different things to prevent strife.

[squimp]

We started buying those gifts together when DD was 3. She seemed to appreciate the idea then, especially if the tag had a name and age on it.

And no I don't buy her a gift when we're getting a friend a present. She understands that we're shopping for her friend. If she sees something she wants, she can add it to her Christmas list.

[MelissaTC]

I would agree that I think at age 6/7 is when kids can really make that leap of empathizing with someone else's position. Not that they can't do it at least at some level before that, but I think that's when it really starts to click.

ITA. I took DS last year to the grocery store to shop from the suggested list from the food pantry and it was a memorable experience. I think he "got" it. He also shopped from the angel tree at church and was excited to give a gift to a boy his age.