Apart from school, think about what you commonly see youth doing in their free time. They might have a sport or club/organization they participate in. Nowadays, however, many kids and teens spend time indoors with technology, whether that be on their cell phones, playing video games or watching Netflix.
Teaching your kids to instead go out and volunteer can benefit them in many ways, giving them the gifts of:
Appreciation. Volunteering for organizations that benefit people in need will show your kids to be thankful for everything they have.
Selflessness. Any time spent serving others will begin to instill habits in your family to help out anytime a need is seen, and not just when there are plans to help.
Problem Solving. Volunteering time and resources is about seeing a problem or a need in the community and responding to it. The more your children volunteer, the more they will see other problems and needs in the community they could help out with/solve.
Structure and Discipline. If there is a set day or volunteer plan created within your family, kids will learn to structure their time accordingly. In the same way, creating this structure will discipline your children to remember to set aside time to help others.
Make an impact. Lift your family up when volunteering, emphasizing how much of an impact they are making and the good they are doing. This will give them a sense of pride in who they are and in doing good deeds.
Family bonds. When you spend time outside of the house volunteering as a family, there’s always going to be time to strengthen your family bond and learn more about each other. Take time during the activities to ask questions, learn something new and discover more about each person.
Resume building. Even if your kids aren’t nearing the business world quite yet, volunteering services look great on a resume! Teens will appreciate a fun way to add more to their resume and ultimately ready them for the “real world.”
With these benefits in mind, start talking now with your family about organizations you might want to do charity work for or donate resources to. There’s no better feeling than seeing your family help do good works for the community.
See how our family works to do good through Good Dog >
Connect with us if you have questions or comments, or would like to support the Fund!
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