Financial literacy activity
Charitable Giving Hearts
Find 3 toys you've outgrown and put them in a donation bag for another child. Sharing makes someone else happy AND feels good in your own heart!
Materials and setup
- donation items
- jars for coins
- paper
- markers
- pencil
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Find 3 toys you've outgrown and put them in a donation bag for another child. Sharing makes someone else happy AND feels good in your own heart!
Steps
- Find 3 toys you've outgrown that another child would enjoy. Put them in a donation bag.
- Draw a picture of someone receiving your donated toy. How do they feel?
- Practice sharing: give a family member something you made (a drawing, a snack, a hug).
- Talk about: there are some kids who don't have as many toys or clothes. Sharing helps everyone.
Learning objectives
- Understand that giving helps others and feels good
- Practice donating items no longer needed
- Develop empathy for those with fewer resources
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Explore different ways to give: donating things, donating time, and donating money. Choose a cause you care about and make a plan to help.
Steps
- Learn 3 ways to give: things (clothes, food, toys), time (volunteering, helping), and money (coins for a cause).
- Discuss: what causes do you care about? Animals? Hungry people? Sick kids? Nature?
- Choose one cause and plan a giving project: collect canned food, do a coin drive, or make cards for a nursing home.
- Set up a 'giving jar' at home: put a portion of any money you receive into the jar for your chosen cause.
- Deliver your donation or cards. Talk about how it felt to give.
Learning objectives
- Identify multiple forms of charitable giving
- Choose a cause based on personal values
- Plan and execute a simple giving project
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Study nonprofits and charitable organizations. Learn about effective giving, the 'give-save-spend' model, and plan a fundraiser for a cause you choose.
Steps
- Research 3 nonprofit organizations. What do they do? Who do they help? How do they use donations?
- Study the give-save-spend model: divide money into 3 categories. What percentage goes to each?
- Learn about effective giving: how do you know if a charity is using money well? Look for: transparency, track record, and impact reports.
- Plan a fundraiser: choose a cause, set a goal, decide on a method (bake sale, car wash, craft sale), and create a plan.
- Create marketing materials for your fundraiser: a poster, a flyer, and a 30-second 'elevator pitch.'
- Execute your fundraiser (even small scale with family) and report on: money raised, expenses, and net donation.
Learning objectives
- Evaluate charitable organizations for effectiveness
- Apply the give-save-spend model to personal finances
- Plan and execute a fundraiser from concept to completion
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Pick a cause you care about, then run a real data-driven impact analysis on 3 nonprofits. Decide which one gives the most impact per dollar — like real donors do.
Steps
- Pick a cause you care about (animal shelters, food banks, kids' education).
- Find 3 real nonprofits that work on that cause.
- Look up each on Charity Navigator or GiveWell. Compare: total donations raised, percentage spent on programs vs administration, impact per dollar (e.g., 'meals served per $1').
- If you had $20 to give, which nonprofit gives you the most impact for your money?
- Write a 1-paragraph donation recommendation backed by data. Real donors do this analysis — it's why some charities save more lives than others.
Learning objectives
- Research and evaluate nonprofits using public effectiveness data
- Compare program-spending ratios and impact-per-dollar metrics
- Write a data-backed donation recommendation
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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