Volunteer with Your Tween this Spring
Welcome to March! This month is always bittersweet. We get to spring the clock ahead again for daylight saving time, giving us a feeling of summer. However, here in Ohio, mother nature always brings another snowstorm or two before the month is through. During this time of year, many of us are looking ahead at spring break that may fall into this month (ours does) and looking for something to fill the time with the kids. One great way to spend non-school days together is volunteering.
It is important to instill the value of giving in our children early in life. By learning the value of giving and helping others it gives children a feeling of pride. Using time and talent to help others, rather than just providing money, allows kids to see an immediate positive impact on someone's life. When volunteering, kids will experience first-hand how other’s live and this gives them a sense of gratitude for what they have. It can be difficult to find volunteer opportunities that allow children under 18 to participate but we did some digging to provide you with ideas.
Communities clean-up days are a great way for the whole family to volunteer and spend time outside. Keep American Beautiful provides an extensive list, by zip code, of clean-up days in your community.
Instead of gifts, ask for donations to toy drives as part of a Christmas or birthday celebration. Volunteer at your local senior center or animal shelter. Often, these places have plenty to do that will keep tweens and teens engaged.
Another great place to find volunteer opportunities that fit your family is browsing the VolunteerMatch website. Their search tool allows you to customize by location, causes, or interest. There is even a Children & Youth search option, so you know the activity is perfect for kids.
No matter where you choose to volunteer remember to find something that is fun and aligns with your family's interest. If you and your family volunteered this month, we would love to hear about it. Contact us on Facebook or by email at [email protected].
Grow, Give, Love, Live,
The Mother & the Daughter