Ways to involve your kids with a cause

It’s summer, and after a couple days you are already hearing those dreaded words; “I’m bored.” Time to get your kids involved with a cause.

Kids learn by doing. So when it comes to volunteering, not only must we set a good example as parents and adults by helping those in need, we must also involve our children in the action of helping others.

As parents, we are inundated with fundraisers from the PTA, the Girls Scouts, and now many schools are involved in jump rope for heart and other causes. It’s much easier for parents to simply take fund-raising order forms to work or send e-mails to their friends and family and avoid getting their kids involved in the process at all. But getting our kids involved and teaching them about giving is the all important lesson we are missing out on if we forgo that step.

Aside from the fundraisers that come our way via school, sports teams and our communities, the best way to get our kids involved is to do something different that is meaningful to them. Check out Kids For Our Troops , offering great ideas for our kids to get involved in helping our troops. Another great idea is to organize a good cause garage sale. Your kids can participate in selecting which good cause to support. This makes them feel empowered and part of the process.

Kids from ages 12-17 can attend a volunteer camp in Frederick, MD. Volunteer Frederick offers camps through its summer serve program where kids participate in various projects from working with rescued horses and other animals to preparing and serving meals to the hungry to engaging elderly residents with developmental disabilities in music, art, cooking and exercise activities. What a great way to keep your child from being bored in the summer and have them gain the valuable experience of giving.

Comments

[Antonette]

Michael, I asked my Twitter community for suggestions, and here is what I got: http://www.kidswithacause.org/home.shtml and this one is area specific, but may give you some ideas, http://www.volunteerfrederick.org/index.html.

[Michael Lehman]

Besides Kids for our Troops, do you have other examples of non-profits that are kid friendly?

[Antonette]

Jim, Thanks for reiterating the added benefit of leadership experience. This is a key factor! Thanks for reading the blog.

[Jim Berigan]

Terrific article! I've seen many instances of volunteering experiences turn into eventual leadership experiences. After a few years of helping out with a local cuase, young people become ready to take a measure of leadership and responsibility. Volunteering when you are young can lead to a lifetime of effective leadership. Thanks for your post!

[Sonja Chevere]

Volunteering is a wonderful thing a parent can do with their child. My family volunteered to help feed the homeless. My daughter felt so good about helping others, and she now wants to save the world! The experience was valuable, and we intend on doing more volunteer work in the near future.