Five Creative Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in Giving
This next month, provide your child with easy ways to positively affect other children in their community through volunteering and donating. At Associated Charities, we encourage individuals and families to participate with us by bringing in clothing items, food, and monetary donations or volunteering their time.
But if your kids are like my kids, they need a little motivation to do this. Help them understand the important role they could play in their communities via these five easy ways to give!
#1 Gather a Posse
Have teenagers?
Take them to a local second-hand store and ask them to try on several outfits that are too small or worn out.
Using their smart phone, have them take pictures of these outfits and post them to social media with the question: How would you feel showing up to school dressed like this? As their friends respond, encourage your teen to gather a posse of friends to go Back-to-School shopping for a few outfits to bring in to Associated Charities.
Your teen will feel good about the role he or she played in both gathering and supporting their community.
#2 Calculate
Got hungry pre-teens? Wait! Don’t feed them!
First, write prices ($1, $1.50, $3.25) on the cans and boxes in your cupboard then have them calculate what it will cost to make their next meal. This is a great way to introduce your kids to food costs.
Next time you visit the grocery store, give them a specific dollar amount and ask them to purchase a single meal’s worth of food to bring in to Associated Charities.
#3 Earn Interest
Teach your elementary age children to save and give money!
Open a house “savings account” that gains interest. Create a chart that shows how much they earn each time they do a household chore.
At the bottom of the chart, total their earnings plus interest (5%, 10%). After a couple of weeks, have them donate their interest to Associated Charities and spend the rest!
Bed Made … $2
Toys Picked Up … $5
Help Clear Dinner Table … $3
#4 Decorate and Donate!
Get your toddler in on this too!
Ask them to decorate a large box and fill it with food and clothing items to donate. They will enjoy watching it fill up. When full, grab your toddler and bring your box down to Associated Charities.
#5 Create an Exchange
Finally, motivate your kids of any age to volunteer their time by creating a time exchange: for every hour you spend with them on a specific Saturday or Sunday doing an activity they enjoy, ask them to give a half hour of their time to Associated Charities the following week.
Not only will they benefit the needs of their community, but they will also get some quality time with you!