Getting Your Children to Volunteer

Today’s idea of “family bonding time” involves the whole family sitting together while everyone has a screen in front of their face.  Gadgets have taken over households and even parents fall victim to their influence. It can become a challenge getting your children to participate and engage as a family. This is because they have their own friends and many other distractions or activities they’d rather be doing.

Something you can incorporate into your family life is volunteering. It’s never too early to teach your child the value of helping people or places in need. The earlier you start the better, as it can form a lifelong commitment to selfless giving. In order to get your child involved, find something that they like to do and see if there is a way they could be a volunteer for it. For example, if your child is the artistic type, try finding a way they could make arts and crafts for sick children. If your child enjoys reading, see if they can mentor children in lower grade levels to improve their reading comprehension.

The point is to find something fun so it doesn’t seem like a chore. Find something you guys enjoy doing as a family. For example, if your family has animal lovers, find a way the whole family can volunteer to walk dogs or groom them. If you family is the active type, try joining in walkathons together.

Everyone knows that family life can be busy and some parents might wonder if there is time for volunteering. The trick is to incorporate volunteering into the family schedule so that it becomes a priority. If your family gets used to the routine of having volunteering, it becomes easier for them to give their time to the cause. The benefits of volunteering are many, and it creates a way for you to bond with your family while instilling core values that your children will most likely carry into adulthood.