Do you want your children to become kind, respectful and appreciative? If so, you should encourage them to support individuals or organizations. Find out how children can help the community.
Fundraise for a Worthy Charity
Encourage children to give back to the community by encouraging your little one to fundraise money for a charitable cause, whilst boosting awareness of an organization. For example, Change for Hope is designed for kind-hearted schools and their students, who will passionately raise both awareness and funding for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation, which strives to provide children with a cancer-free future.
Volunteer
Volunteering will not only benefit organizations, but it will also prove to your child that there are people less fortunate than they are. For example, you could take your children along to a homeless shelter to hand out food to those in need, or they could spend a little time with elderly people at a retirement community.
Are your children interested in pets? You can guarantee they will love volunteering at a local animal shelter. It will provide a perfect opportunity to take dogs for a walk, learn more about different animals and play with cats. The family could even donate pet toys and blankets to the shelter, which will improve the lives of many animals.
Perform Neighborly Chores
While there are many charities looking for assistance, it might be easier to encourage younger children to help in their neighborhood. For example, they could perform chores within an elderly neighbor’s home, or they can run errands for a poorly family friend. While they might initially complain about having to perform the tasks, they will later feel a great sense of satisfaction for helping others, which can help them to develop a kind-hearted nature.
Protect Planet Earth
Show your child that little changes can make a big difference to our environment. For example, you could add a bird feeder into your backyard to support birds of all sizes. You can also walk along the streets to clean litter in the neighborhood, which can create a cleaner, more inviting space for your neighbors. Both you and children can also plant trees or flowers in your garden, or you can contact a local park so an older child can participate in projects to remove various invasive plant species.
Create Activity Boxes
Encourage children to share whilst giving back to the local community by asking children to put together activity boxes for kids in hospital. Ask your child to decorate a shoe box before filling it with different games, toys, and activities, such as puzzle books, a deck of cards, coloring books, pencils and more.
Lead by Example
Take your children along for a drive when transporting elderly or poorly patients to a medical appointment. You could also take isolated seniors or nursing home residents on a day trip, to visit friends or on a trip to a grocery store. Leading by example will encourage your little ones to develop a kinder nature, which could lead to them helping others in later life.
