volunteer opportunities with kids?

[cjnix29]

I want my son to understand how things can be in the world, and appreciate his situation,and learn to be empathetic to others. But it seems I don't know where to start to find volunteer activities I can do with a child. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[*BTMRR*]

How old is he? Do you like animals? I used to know a cat rescue group that welcomed families to help out. Families would visit the cattery and play with the cats/kittens, clean cages, do paperwork (help with mailings and so on), and help with fundraisers (bake sales, rummage sales).

 

[sksjasams]

The easiest and most obvious one this time of year is ringing bells for the salvation army.

ringbells.org - you can choose your location and time slot

Is he in cub scouts? Scouts do lots of service projects - scouting for food (food drive), clean up around church grounds, toy drive, cards for nursing homes, etc. and parents are involved too so you would be volunteering together.

 

[Princess Nancy]

Start looking at places you already frequent. My kids have volunteered at the Y, at church and for organizations that other family members volunteer.

My teenagers have both coached for my younger child. My son has referred for games my younger child has played. My kids have worked a charity auction for my Mom selling raffle tickets or just plain setting up or cleaning up. They have done the set up/clean up at church and have babysat at church.

My kids have also gone with me to help at school related activities. A school or church festival? They work the booth or cleanup etc...

Just think about what is already involved in your life, because those are the things that are important to you and find a way to volunteer there. Just ask you will be surprised what those groups might need.

 

[pennymom]

Our local food bank allows children to begin volunteering at age 8 with a parent/family.

 

[dixonismydog]

I volunteered at a nursing home when I was a kid. It was great for me.....because older people can be a little "creepy" when you are a kid. I would sit and chat, play cards and read them their mail. I would push them up and down the hall, or go out front in the garden. I honestly loved it!

Turned out "old" people weren't so "creepy" after all!

 

[amy-momofthree]

Call you local nursing home. THey always LOVE for kids to come in and visit the elders and the elders LOVE seeing the kids. We used to do this when my kids were smaller.

Is there someone you know who is stationed away in the military? ANyone's address you can get a hold of? Even if you don't know them well.

Last year, I had my kids pick out items to go in a care package and write a letter of appreciation. It was so fun for the kids to think of what somebody in Iraq would need. It also taught them a lot about where Iraq is and what kind of things somebody away from home would need.

Or you can check out the website volunteermatch.org. Sometimes it will give you some suggestions but it depends on your area.

 

[MomToOne]

Google to see if there is some sort of volunteer registery for your area. For example, I can google "[My city name] volunteer" and I get a couple of registries for my area. You may need to page through a bit to find them though. The registries have lists of organizations that are looking for volunteers, and usually list the restrictions (no one under 17, no one under 8, under 12 only with parent, etc)

 

[NeedaVacation03]

My DD's have been involved with volunteering since they were very little. Most of what we did was in the community- food pantry, sorting clothing at a donation center when they were little. Now they are ages 6-17 so the activities are a little different. They tutor younger children, work for a drug free organization, babysit for kids while the parents go for interviews.
We have discovered a new website generationon.org that has a lot of great ideas and suggestions for kids and teens. You may want to check that out.

 

[HS3kids]

I second cub scouts/boy scouts. Our son is always doing community service (pancake breakfasts, food pantry collection, raking leaves for the elderly, etc) Just this past Monday we went to the local VFW and packed care packages for the troops. Even my youngest (age 4) helped. It didnt take long at all (under an hour), and afterward my 10 yr old son said to me that it made his heart happy. They do it every 6 weeks and we plan to make it a regular thing.

 

[Aristomommy]

During the Disney "give a day get a day" promotion there was a website where you could search for volunteer opportunities by age and location. I wonder if that website still exists now that the promotion is over?

 

[tavettava]

We help out at a food bankin the next city. Ds is in boy scouts so that's how we started. The whole family helps there. We also help with Meals on Wheels and at a senior place.