Parents who home-school their children find more time to teach their kids valuable lessons.
As the holiday season approaches, parents who homeschool their children need to give them an additionally important lesson, that of giving. Beyond academics, parents also have a responsibility to educate their children on social issues.

With the holiday season nearing, parents can consider teaching their children about issues that affect children, giving to others, and even going green. Parents can further use these lessons to connect to other academic lessons currently being taught. Here are some lessons that parents can help their children learn during the holiday season:
• Giving to a cause - The holidays really do represent the season of giving. With this in mind, parents have a unique opportunity to teach their children the importance of giving to a specific organization or cause. The benefit here is that parents can then use their gift to the organization as a teachable moment. For instance, parents can help their children give to organizations that plant trees if they are teaching about the environment, or they can give to international children's organizations if they are learning about different countries and cultures.
• Giving to others - Parents can take advantage of the holiday to teach their children about helping others by having their child visit a home for the elderly or helping needy children through a charitable organization.
• Increasing Environment Awareness – With the great concern about environmental issues such as using up of fossil fuels and global warming, parents should aim to incorporate real life experiences into their child's curriculum. Activities that center on the environment are an excellent way to teach children that they are also responsible for the well-being of the planet. For example, you can encourage kids to purchase environmental-themed gifts or eco-friendly packaging.
For parents who homeschool their child, the holidays represent an excellent opportunity to connect academic lessons with real life experiences. These lessons, are actually gifts that your children will enjoy for years. Remember if you teach your children the importance of giving, they will grow into empathetic, compassionate and societally-aware individuals.