Volunteer Ideas for Children

Volunteer work can help your child gain work skills and characteristics, such as responsibility, generosity, compassion and selflessness. Explore volunteer activities with your kids, or help them brainstorm ideas on their own. Volunteering may allow them to create things, help the community and involve the entire family.

  1. At Home

    • Encourage your child to write cards, draw pictures or write letters for children who are sick in the hospital or for soldiers stationed abroad. Ask your child to help you put together a care package for a less-fortunate child you have sponsored abroad or in the United States. Help your child collect items like books, stuffed animals and craft supplies for homeless shelters, children's hospitals or a local school.

    With Family

    • Some volunteer opportunities are better tackled with the entire family. Talk to a local animal shelter about volunteering to walk dogs. Or take your kids to visit a nursing home, children's hospital or homeless shelter, where they can help decorate for a holiday, play games with patients or perform a skit for residents. Involve the entire family by serving food at a homeless shelter.

    Away From Home

    • Encourage your child to start a food or donation drive for a local charity. Assist her in organizing a canned food, toy or stuffed animal drive in your neighborhood, at your church or at your child's school. Contact local parks and recreation department to see whether the staff needs volunteers to clean up, make trails or plant flowers.

    Communicate

    • Talk with your child about why it's important to volunteer and explain that there are several ways to offer help. . Ask her for ideas about the types of volunteering activities she would like to participate in. Encourage your child when he comes up with ideas on his own. Volunteer as a family when the kids are younger so they'll be more inclined to volunteer on their own when they're older.

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