CuriosityCafe Tidbits

Certainly, the best gift we can give our kids is to get them involved in charity work. Need convincing? Youths who volunteer are 50% more likely to lead healthy, drug-free lives, according to the Search Institute. Volunteering improves children’s self-esteem, says Susan Crites Price, the author of The Giving Family: Raising Our Children to Help Others. “Children don’t get a lot of opportunities to feel capable,” she says. “Doing something helpful for others lets them be successful.” It teaches practical skills, too: if you and your child have a yard sale and donate the proceeds, there’s a lot to be learned about marketing, selling, and counting change.

Volunteering also adds a new dimension to your family identity, says Susan Newman, PhD. “It opens up a new area of discussion with your children—especially tweens and teens—that doesn’t focus on them and their sports and their grades,” she says. Because kids in that age range typically are emotionally generous and idealistic, they are open to making the world a better place, and doing it with them can give you a new common interest and enrich your time together.

But unless you grew up volunteering, it’s far easier to talk about it than to do it. Fortunately, for every “I’d love to, but…,” there’s a fairly simple solution. Here’s how to get past whatever’s holding you back and get your family hooked on helping. 

·   Start small. Plenty of one-time projects take place locally and take less than a morning.

·   Do what you can, when you can. Doing more when you’re able and less when you’re busy—but never giving up completely—will help make volunteering a lasting part of your family life.

·   Tailor your efforts. When you know what you want to accomplish, you’ll be able to find a project that fits your family. Not everyone wants to come face-to-face with the sadder side of life…and there are other opportunities.

·   Make it relevant. Tying volunteer work to kids’ interests or family concerns will bring your efforts closer to home and make the time spent more meaningful.

·   Get creative. Even the smallest of children can make a contribution. By finding tasks they can do, you’ll give them the benefits of volunteering and help make it a cherished lifelong habit.

·   Look for a pat on the back. Sure, giving is its own reward, but projects that provide some kind of recognition will help kids feel a sense of pride and achievement.

·   Invite their friends. Kids will love the chance to hang out with their friends and do something for the community at the same time.

·   Do it yourself. The Points of Light Foundation’s Family Matters Program offers lots of ideas for projects you can organize on your own.

·   Stay proactively involved. Ask your family: Did you enjoy what you were doing? Do you feel you made a difference? Do you want to go back? If all the answers are no, try something else next time. Volunteering should feel fulfilling to everyone in the family.

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Check out these websites for ideas on how and where to volunteer in your area.

VolunteerMatch.org lists opportunities in more than 4,000 cities, searchable by zip code.

1800Volunteer.org (or 1-800-VOLUNTEER) The Points of Light Foundation hooks up families to volunteer opportunities from senior centers to animal shelters. 

CityCares.org (or 404-875-7334) an alliance of volunteer organizations; offers details about projects in 28 cities from Atlanta to Seattle.

Individual charities such as Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Diabetes Foundation, and many many more.