Altruism: why and how to encourage it in our children

There are small gestures that do good. Which are good for those for whom they are intended, but also for those who ask them.

Why guide our children towards altruism?

Whether we use the term altruism, benevolence, kindness or generosity, it would seem that children are endowed with it from birth, that they are naturally designed to adopt it. Certain scientific studies have thus shown that a zone of rewards and satisfaction exists in our brain and that it is activated when we make an altruistic gesture. Thus, when the child makes an altruistic gesture, he can also reap the benefits, such as when he gives a hug to a friend to comfort him or when he shares his favorite treats with his brother or sister.

But what is altruism?

It is possible to confuse altruism and empathy or to think that they are synonymous. However, altruism stems from empathy . What is the difference between altruism and empathy then? In fact, empathy is the ability to recognize the emotions of others as distinct from our own emotions. This is what encourages altruistic motivations, therefore to take benevolent gestures towards others. As for altruism, it is by definition the set of behaviors and gestures made with the intention of relieving the suffering of others .

Are we born altruistic?

A French psychologist by the name of Jacques Lecompte affirms that “ toddlers are genetically predisposed to communicate very early with others and to show empathy . Babies a few hours old start crying when they hear another child crying, but not if they listen to a recording of their own. It's quite fascinating! The child is therefore not born altruistic, but with a genetic predisposition to empathy. Nevertheless, it is our responsibility to stimulate our children to experience the benefits of these bursts of generosity .

How to stimulate altruism in our children ?

In order to motivate children to develop values ​​of benevolence and generosity, we at Les Belles Combines have created the Bingo of small altruistic gestures . In the same vein as the Advent Calendar of good deeds , this little combination motivates our children to do good things in order to experience the benefits . We thought it was a shame to wait until Christmas to do good deeds and that doing them all year round would be beneficial for everyone!

Bingo of small altruistic gestures: how do we play?

Give a bingo card pre-filled with good deeds to children or let them be inspired by our bank of small altruistic gestures and create a bingo card of their own. Although it may not be necessary, if your children are reluctant to participate, offer a number of tokens (which they can spend in the General Store ) for each good deed done.