Teaching Kids to Be Content with What They Have
This activity will help kids understand how advertising fuels their desire for more stuff.
Articles within this series
- Overview
- Statistics
- Advertising Sources
- Marketing Strategies
- Tips for Parents
- Handling Advertising's Impact on Kids
- What to Expect with Teens
- Raising Teens to Be Savvy, Secure Consumers
- Teaching Kids to Be Content with What They Have
- Learning the Differences Between Wants and Needs
- Next Steps / Related Information
Use this activity to teach your children to fight the temptation to want more stuff and learn to be content:
Supplies: You will need a television, paper, pencil and Bible. (Note: If you’d prefer not to use a television, substitute various magazines instead.)
Activity: Gather everyone around the TV for this activity. Since you will be flipping channels in search of commercials, keep a remote control handy.
Share: We’re going to watch television, but we’re not going to watch a regular show. We’re going to look for commercials and play a simple game as we watch them. When you see an ad, call out what you think it’s trying to sell. If you see a restaurant commercial, you might call out “hamburgers.” I’ll make a list of everything you call out.
After compiling a large list, read it aloud and discuss the following questions.
- When you see things that interest you in commercials, how do you feel?
- How do advertisements make us want more stuff?
- What does a commercial do or say to get you to believe you need that item?
- How is this goal similar to tricking people?
For biblical application, read Matthew 4:1-11 with your family. Consider these questions:
- How did Satan try to deceive Jesus like commercials try to trick you?
- How did Jesus deal with the temptation to have more “stuff”?
- What can we learn from this story about temptation?
Now read Hebrew 13:5; talk about what it means to want more things. Remind everyone that God has promised to take care of our needs. Ask each family member to complete the following sentence: “One way I can be happy with what I have is to …”
If you haven’t tried taking a break from TV or the Internet, now might be a good time to suggest it to your children. You could use the extra time for other family activities or to serve others in the community.