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Many hands make light work. The adage is true even if it’s smaller hands helping with the work. If you’re looking for ways to get your children – even the small ones – involved in volunteer work, you’ve got several options at hand.
First of all, don’t discount any volunteer job you’re already involved in unless it would be dangerous for children to participate. For instance, if you help to coordinate letter writing campaigns, kids can learn to fold and stuff envelopes. Are you part of a soup kitchen assembly line? Let your kids help to organize food donations and keep you abreast of inventory. They can also use their knowledge of what the kitchen has to extrapolate what kinds of goods would be helpful to get.
Even jobs that are widely considered as adult volunteer opportunities can yield exciting jobs for youngsters who have adult supervision. Children can sometimes connect with each other better than a teacher can and end up being an excellent tutor in a subject they excel in. Even hands-on work like helping to build houses or parks for underprivileged families can benefit from the addition of young, eager hands – they can help paint lower walls or organize supplies.
Performing volunteer work doesn’t just help the community at large, but it helps you teach important lessons to your children. First of all, you will teach your children compassion for others, empathy and the value of work. The work ethic gained from working with others to achieve a common goal can also be valuable when it comes to applying for colleges, internships and even jobs in the future.
