Danielle Culling, of Ocean Grove, said her United Kingdom-based family traditionally sent her children Felix (8) and Alba (5) an Advent calendar every year before Christmas.
Behind each numbered flap on the calendar was a chocolate which the children happily devoured.
This year, Mrs Culling told her family to save the Royal Mail the work because the Culling family ''were doing something a bit different''.
She read about a ''reverse Advent calendar'' on social media. Instead of the children eating a daily chocolate from December 1, the children would place a gift in a box.
''The kids gets so much for Christmas and it's nice for them to learn about giving instead of getting.''
When Mrs Culling floated the idea to her children, ''they were pretty miffed'' to be missing out on chocolate but they were enjoying giving gifts ranging from dry pasta to puzzles.
The initiative was a way to teach children ''emotional resilience, kindness and gratitude'' and how to be ''more kind, empathic and self-confident''.
The goods in the box would be given to Women's Refuge on December 22.
The family planned to make the ''giving calendar'' a regular Christmas tradition.
The Culling family were not the only children undertaking the new initiative.
Andersons Bay Community Kindergarten head teacher Lyn Morton said it had a Christmas tradition of doing an activity before Christmas to teach the children the importance of giving.
Mrs Morton had read about the ''reverse Advent calendar'' on social media this year and it fitted the brief perfectly.
Parents and children were invited to put non-perishable goods in a box the children had decorated.
The goods would be given on December 14 and the gifts would decide the recipient.
So far, the goods given ranged from canned beetroot to books.
''We'll make sure some treats go in as well,'' Mrs Morton said.
