A family which serves their community is a family which both reaps and serves the benefits of charity. With the busyness of modern family life and the daily rush that most people deal with from the time they get out of bed to the time they retire for the night, people may forget about the importance of serving their communities. However, families who take the time to serve their communities and remain committed to their local areas’ improvements often enjoy knowing that they have made a difference in the lives of their fellow community members. Those who want to raise their children to follow in their community service footsteps are encouraged to take these suggestions into mind.
Children can be exposed to giving and volunteering early. In fact, many parents take along their infants when they volunteer at community Thanksgiving dinners, sort groceries at the local food bank, or fold clothes at the community clothing pantry. Children who are exposed to volunteerism early grow up thinking that this behavior is entirely natural and part of a responsible person’s life.
When parents urge their children to take up the helm of volunteering and charity locally, the offspring may be more than willing to do so because they think it is natural to follow in their parents’ volunteering footsteps. Families can serve their communities by raising children to realize that, for instance, while new toys are nice, giving toys to those who are less fortunate feels good too.
Children who are brought up to donate to those who are less fortunate also grow up appreciating what they themselves have. Their parents can encourage them to donate toys they have outgrown, clothing they no longer wear, non-perishable food, and other needed items to people who are in less favorable living conditions.
What if your child isn’t ready to part with any of her own toys? You can still teach a valuable lesson by buying toys for infants, toddlers, and older children and then donate those brand new toys to shelters and the like.
When children are taught to donate early, they often continue to donate to their communities as they grow up and become adults.
Shop at Community-Oriented Stores
Many communities have cooperative stores that benefit the entire area. All of the profits from these stores are given back to the local area and used for the common good of all residents. Parents can encourage their kids to shop at these stores before they shop at national chain retailers.
You can also buy children’s toys at stores, both online and off, that make it a point to do good in the community. They may partner with charities, donate money and toys, or hire disabled employees.
When children realize that their money is going to help others in their city, even their own classmates and friends, they may take pride in this form of community service.
Volunteer to Clean Up and Keep your Community Clean
Kids today have so many distractions in their lives. Their parents may have them playing so many sports or engaged in so many activities that they lack the time to focus on anything else. When they are not playing sports or engaging in their extracurricular activities, kids are often plugged into their mobile devices.
When parents want to reinforce community activism, however, they can all go together as a family to clean up the city streets, rake leaves, pick up garbage, plant flowers, or do other small service projects that make the community look better. Kids who take on these projects with their moms and dads may continue the tradition with their own children later.
Families can have a great impact on their community’s charity. Parents can teach their children to volunteer and make charitable differences in their city by engaging in various forms of service projects.
This guest post is written by Theda K. Rogers. She is the mother of an elementary-aged child, and she strives to instill the spirit of charity in her daughter. When her daughter was still an infant, she purchased toys from places like http://www.kidsii.com/babyeinstein/ because they share her values. It’s never too late or too early to show your child how to give to others.