Besides nurturing your child's cognitive development so that they can be successful in school and beyond, many parents also want to cultivate softer qualities in their children. Generosity is an important one, as it strengthens the relationships and communities in which your children participate.

It might surprise you to learn that while older individuals tend to be more generous than younger ones, we can start to see expressions of generosity in very young children. One recent study found that children as young as 15 to 18 months of age were willing to share a toy with another child they did not know. Interestingly, people living in less industrialized countries tend to be more generous than those in more industrialized countries, and, on average, women tend to be more generous than men.

Being on the receiving end of acts of generosity naturally feels good, but research also suggests that the act of giving can have a positive effect on the giver as well. It appears that many humans are actually wired to feel good when they give, indicating a biological component to human generosity. While not everyone is as naturally inclined to get the same degree of positive emotion from their acts of kindness, there is evidence to suggest that the value of generosity can be learned. And since this quality strengthens both personal relationships and larger communities, it is never too........

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