Volunteering with your children is an invaluable experience for both you and your family members. It can provide moments of togetherness and understanding, as well as teaching kids important life lessons about the power of helping others. These formative experiences can help them develop empathy, build self-esteem, learn to take initiative, think critically, and understand their community.
No matter what age, each member of your family can benefit from volunteering together. Taking part in activities that are meaningful to the entire family gives a feeling of accomplishment and makes it easier to bond as a unit. During times of volunteering, family members focus on each other rather than their individual needs and wants.
Teenagers benefit as well. A survey conducted revealed that 84 percent of respondents felt more confidence after volunteering, because teenagers gain firsthand experience in areas of organizational management and problem solving. Additionally, many teenagers recognize the need to balance their efforts between academic success and giving back to the world. Volunteering creates the ideal opportunity to do both.
Younger children appreciate the opportunities to interact with adults, peer leaders, and older children from different walks of life. And when younger children volunteer with their parents, learning becomes a family activity as parents model behaviors, work ethics, and social values. Plus, team activities offered through volunteering can teach younger children the importance of collaboration and compromise.
Translating thoughts into action and committing them to memory is an invaluable skill. When children learn to enjoy engaging in activities that have open-ended outcomes while working under the guidance of volunteers, they engage in free-thinking. That encourages the development of important traits such as teamwork, communication, self-motivation, and respect of one another’s opinion.
Another important benefit of volunteering together is that parents set an example for their kids. By exploring the possibilities available through service projects, kids will have an opportunity to live by their own values, guided by their parent's examples. Children learn respect for diverse cultures when working with diverse groups of people. With this kind of environment, children are encouraged to challenge their own boundaries and foster respect for those who are different from them.
Volunteering allows the entire family to take part in the good that is being done to the community around them. It also serves as a reminder to prioritize compassion in their day-to-day lives. This structure serves to positively reinforce values and lesson learned in school. By understanding the benefit of volunteering, kids gain an appreciation for giving back and being part of the larger good.
It’s no secret that spending quality time together is the heartbeat of any family. Reaching out to the community can be very therapeutic and offers parents and children the chance to come together over shared values, missions, and goals. Volunteering alongside your children provides a great opportunity to teach them valuable lessons and help them become responsible, empathetic and compassionate human beings.
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