Altruism: why and how to encourage it in our children

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

Why guide our children towards altruism?

Whether we use the term altruism, benevolence, kindness or generosity, it seems that children are endowed with it from birth, that they are naturally designed to adopt it. Some scientific studies have shown that a reward and satisfaction zone 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 benefit from it, like when he hugs 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 even 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 being distinct from our own emotions. This is what encourages altruistic motivations, therefore to make 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 named Jacques Lecompte claims that " toddlers are genetically predisposed to communicate with others very early 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 up to us to encourage our children to experience the benefits of these bursts of generosity .

How to encourage altruism in our children ?

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

Small Altruistic Gestures Bingo: How to Play?

Give kids a pre-filled bingo card of good deeds or let them get inspired by our bank of small acts of kindness and create their own bingo card. While this may not be necessary, if your kids are reluctant to participate, offer a number of tokens (which they can spend in the General Store ) for each good deed they perform.

Ultimately, everyone has the potential to be altruistic, it just needs to be cultivated!

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