Winter Break: Volunteering with Your Kids
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School break is fast approaching, stirring up a world of anticipation for both kids and parents alike. Excitement and anxiety stimulated by this midway point in the academic year swirl as families start to consider what to do with the long hiatus from their comfortable and predictable everyday routine. Some families look forward to taking advantage of the break by traveling to see loved ones or booking an adventure. But many will remain home and feel the weight and worry associated with the task of filling their children’s dance cards over the two-week lapse. There are of course a sampling of camps, fun-filled playdates, and dutiful babysitters available to help alleviate the void in daily activity, but idle time looms large and the challenge of keeping kids engaged and entertained for the entirety of their school vacation can strike parents as more exhausting than a 6am alarm. There are alternative, additional methods for occupying time that are very much worthy of consideration when it comes to winter break, however.
Give and You Shall Receive
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The fact that school is out of session at the end of the calendar year does not mean that learning cannot continue. Having this break offers a unique opportunity to enlighten children in a variety of different spaces, particularly when it comes to the ways of the world beyond the scope of their usual, day-to-day experiences. Volunteering is an incredible resource not only for the purposes of occupying your kids’ day, but for filling their hearts and minds as well. With their natural inclination to be compassionate and their desire to do right, children of all ages are the perfect candidates for lending a helping hand and learning how their actions can make a difference. Opting to take advantage of this timeout from school and encouraging your kids to explore and discover their inner philanthropist can serve as an invaluable way to educate them well beyond the pages of their textbooks.
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1. Donate items: Having tangible connections to volunteerism has a tremendous impact, especially on the youngest of helpers. Sorting through their outgrown clothes and lightly used toys and books for donation can really open their eyes and register the fact that sharing their belongings can greatly help other children who are in need of such goods.
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2. Environmental efforts: Living in a healthy and happy world is at the forefront of conversation these days and kids are aware of this now more than ever. Find a local organization that offers a neighborhood cleanup and help the environment shine bright. Make a big impact on a smaller scale by having kids help rake leaves or shovel snow for neighbors in need.
3. Creative care: There is no shortage in the world of people who could use a little something to bring them a smile. Have your budding artist create handcrafted cards to send out and bring cheer to a senior in assisted living, a hospitalized child or a soldier oversees.
4. Feed the hungry: Soup kitchens have long served as places where volunteering families can prepare and share a warm meal with those less fortunate. But there are other options for feeding people as well. Have your child collect canned goods for donation to a local food pantry or have them help create a dinner for a local meal train.
5. Raise funds: If there is one universal thing that all charitable organizations can agree they are in need of, it’s money. Have your child find one whose message and cause resonates with them and encourage them to raise funds for it through a wide array of options from running a 5K, circulating a pledge page, or selling items where profits will directly benefit the cause.