Generosity Activities
for Adults

WhatToGetMy Instructional Article

People often think that generosity is something you inherit. You either have it or you don’t, which means it’s part of the character. Scientific studies don’t agree with that notion. Generosity is a learned character trait, one that people develop through years and practice in life. It’s something that parents teach or carry over to their children, so they nurture the values from young years. Maybe that’s why people think that generosity is inherited. Through time, it becomes an inseparable part of the character, which makes others believe in genetic presuppositions.

Anyway, now you know that generosity is a trait you learn through education and life itself. Generosity is by no means a trait learned only by children. People of all ages can practice activities that can teach them how to be more generous and kind in life. Through these activities, one is practicing and working on his/her character. After some time, a person will accept these qualities and act accordingly without even thinking about it. Sounds interesting? It’s about to become even better.

We scoured the internet looking for the best kindness activities for adults, made our picks, and listed them above. You’ll find a lot of fun and interesting suggestions for developing and practicing generosity. They’ll surely boost your creativity, help you lead a healthier life, and teach you something new about the topic!

Before we start with the suggestions, here are a few things you should consider first:

• Generosity is a learned trait you can develop by practicing some activities and nurturing certain values. It’s not an inherited thing you can’t learn through life!
• Adults learn to be generous too. It’s not a “child’s thing” like some people believe.
• It’s important to work with children on developing a generosity trait just as much as practicing math, exercising, sports, etc.
• You can be generous in many ways, not only by giving stuff and money to others.

What Is Generosity?

Definition and Types

Generosity is an act of giving. You’re giving others your time, talents, and treasures, and not expecting anything in return. The key to generosity is the willingness – you want to give and share and you do it gladly. There’s no pressure or obligation at all. You give and help because you choose to do so, and you feel good about it.

Now, generosity can take many forms. A lot of people think that being generous means giving money to charity. Well, yes, you can be generous by giving money to someone who needs it, but there’s more to it. Generosity also includes helping people by talking and giving support.

Here are the three main generosity types you should think about:

Treasures

It’s true that giving monetary donations is a generous act. Charitable organizations rely on donations to accomplish their goals, which is incredibly important. Even the minor donations are significant and can make a difference. However, you’re not being generous only when you’re giving money to charity. You can also give material stuff such as clothes, accessories, tools, and appliances.

Time

Giving you time to help others is one of the most generous things you can do. There are many ways you can help others without spending a penny. Giving support and time to help someone with their daily chores, jobs, or other activities is still a generous thing to do. Orphanages always need people who would spend time with the kids, give them lessons, or help in any other way.

These are only a few examples of how you can help by giving your time. We’ll get to the actual activity suggestions later on.

Talents

Think about the things you can do for others that intersect with your talents. Maybe you enjoy cooking, and you can make something for those who are hungry. You can also build something if you know how to work with wood, metals, and other materials. Many charity organizations are in need of volunteers who would help with building safe homes, shelters, and more. There are a lot of ways you can help and show your generosity. Remember, being generous doesn’t only mean giving material and monetary stuff. It also implies giving your time, effort, and support.

P.S. We’ll divide our activity recommendations according to these three categories later on.

Why Should We Be Generous?

Why is it so important to learn about generosity and practice it? First of all, you can help those in need by being kind and generous. Second of all, you can help yourself! When you’re being generous you also feel good about yourself. You managed to do something that improves other people’s lives and makes them happier.

Here are some benefits that can come from volunteering or helping others in any other way:

• You can boost your self-confidence and step out of your comfort zone.
• Socializing through these activities might be more comfortable if you’re an introvert.
• You can consider your career choices and figure out what you want to do in life.
• You can gain experience and learn a lot about the world and life in general.

Now, let’s take a look at some health benefits:

• Better sleep.
• Less stress.
• Normal blood pressure.
• Independence.

How To Be More Generous?

Recommended Activities

Let’s go once again through the three generosity types and examine our suggestions for kindness activities for adults:

Treasures

Money

Of course, you’ll be helping someone a lot if you make a monetary donation. No matter how much money you can give, it will be significant and make a difference.

If you want to practice generosity and you opt for giving money to the charity, we have a suggestion for you. Get a notebook (or a phone app) to track your expenses. Add a section and name it “Generosity”. Write down how much money you’re able to set away each day. At the end of the month, give that money to charity. Not only you’ll be able to set aside more money and help someone, but you’ll also keep track of your personal improvements in being generous.

Personal Stuff and Crafts

As we mentioned above, giving money is not the only thing you can do to be generous. Giving material stuff is also considered as generosity.

Now, you probably have a lot of stuff lying around your home that’s never going to be used again. You might even have a lot of clothes you don’t want to wear anymore. Why don’t you give some of that stuff away? Things you won’t use anymore can make someone’s life a lot better.

Of course, you’ll also be generous by giving your stuff to your friends and family. It can really be anything, from books to clothes. Maybe your friend saw a book in your library that he/she likes a lot? If you give the book to your friend, you’ll also be generous! See? Simple and small daily acts allow you to express generosity just the same as monetary donations.

In case you don’t have money or stuff to give, you can always opt for DIY projects. There are a lot of DIY things to send in the mail to friends, and you can make them with a little effort and at a low cost. If you do have some money to spend, you can also make a gift basket for your friends. With a simple yet unique gift, you can surprise someone and be generous too. To find out more about the topic, you can take a look at our article about What Makes a Good Gift Basket.

Time

We already explained the significance of giving your time to others. Here’s a list of suggestions on what you can do:

Serving meals during holidays

Orphanages, schools, and other similar organizations always need extra hands, whether it’s for serving food for big events or cleaning up trash. It’s a simple way to help yet it means a lot!

Building a House

Maybe your friend needs help to build a new house, repair the old one, or fix some things around the household. Or you know an organization that is building a shelter for orphans and needs volunteers to help. Whatever the occasion or the cause, make sure to sign yourself in and help however you can!

Babysitting

If you have friends who are parents (or you’re a parent yourself) you know how hard it is to get out of the house when you don’t have someone to watch over children. You can help your friends through a generous babysitting gift whenever you can. They’ll appreciate it a lot!

Cleaning

Mother Earth needs more care! You can join an organization and give your time to clean parks, streets, and more. Without a doubt, that would be beneficial for every person in the world.

Organizing Events

Sometimes, you can make a difference by simply helping charities and other organizations with certain events. If you live in a small place, you can even start a small organization yourself. Gather up your friends and family and start a group that will organize events each month or year to help those who are in need.

You’ll find more similar suggestions here: How to Make Orphans Happy.

Talents

Sharing our talents through an act of kindness is also a generous thing. Even if it doesn’t seem that way, you can help others in many ways only by doing things you’re good at. Here are some suggestions:

Lessons

Try to carry over things that you have learned about generosity. We’re not only talking about children but other grown-ups in your life too. Talk with your friends and explain how your life changed when you practiced generosity. Try to convince them to join you in some of your activities, so they can see for themselves how beneficial it is. Teaching someone to be more generous and kind is not that hard, actually. You only need to be persistent and set an example.

Another thing you could do (and we mean anytime, not only for practicing generosity), is to stand up for others. There are a lot of people whose voice is not being heard or who are afraid to speak. If you’re in a position to raise your voice for them, you’ll show ultimate generosity and make a real difference in the world. This is also one of the self-reflection activities for adults that will make you reflect on your own life. It will inspire you to think about your own decisions, possibilities, and choices in life.

Fun Games

Generosity is not dull! You can come up with kindness games for adults on your own quite easily and make things more interesting.

Helping Physically

If you’re a person with an active lifestyle, don’t hesitate to offer physical help. As we mentioned above, so many shelters and safe homes need to be built or repaired, and volunteering is always welcomed.

Conclusion

We have one last piece of advice for the end. Be generous to yourself! You can be generous to others only when you mastered the same thing for yourself. That can be quite challenging these days because we don’t dedicate enough time for self-care. It’s not easy to find some time for meditation and introspection considering how we’re always in a hurry, dealing with daily duties, from social to work obligations. Still, with a little effort, it can be done. We all need to practice self-love more in order to be better for other people in our lives.

Also, keep in mind that it’s not that hard to be generous like some people might think. You’ll soon realize that generous acts are fun and enjoyable. They also give you an option to learn more about your own personality and improve yourself daily. Hopefully, you learned something about all of this while reading our article about generosity activities for adults!

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