25 ways to teach your children to serve others. Why 25? I’m not sure just a good number I guess. I am sure the list could be even longer. But first I want to talk about why for just a few minutes.
Service begins at home.
Service should begin at home. Your children can make a very important contribution to the running of your home. Children can and should help out. Here are a few reasons. They gain valuable life skills and confidence when they know how to do basic jobs around the house. The world does not revolve around them. Why should someone else clean up all of their messes? Being part of the family team brings you all closer. Enjoy chatting while doing the dishes together. Set a timer for 10 minutes and have the whole team do a quick evening pick up. This will be a time of joy and fun as you serve one another.
Serving outside of your home.
Why serve outside of your home? We live in a self-focused world. Do you know how important it is to see the needs of others and to learn to help? There are a lot of blind people in the world. I am not talking about physical blindness. Children come into the world with no concern for others. Service is something you can nurture in your children by helping them to see and supply the needs of others. You can make a big difference in the world by serving one person. It is rewarding for those who serve as well as those who are served.
Here is my list of 25+ ways you can teach your children to serve others.
- Visit an elderly person and sit on their porch and ask them to tell you about some aspect of their life. Pick up sticks or rake their leaves.
- Color a picture and send it to someone in the nursing home or hospital.
- Do you work on jigsaw puzzles? Pass it along after you work it. I recently left one of mine with homemade cookies at the desk of a nursing home for a friend of mine. Visits are not allowed. He called me later and said he hadn’t done one in years and really enjoyed it. He has mentioned it since then too.
- Pick up trash in your neighborhood. This will help them also be conscious of littering.
- Collect all your coins for a set period of time and donate it to a good cause like hhi.org/walk4water/smyrna-tn-2020. Ask others to share with you. You will be surprised at how many coins you can gather in a short time and make a lifelong gift of clean water. The gift of life!
- If you sew or have a teenage girl. you might want to help her make sanitary pads for girls in other countries. Many girls must miss a week of school every month. These girls may only have mud or grass to use. If you need a pattern check here:
- Do you have an elderly neighbor? Maybe you take their trash can to the street for them every week or once.
- Let your children help you make dinner for someone who is ill, had a new baby, or surgery. Even if you have to door drop during this season it will create a lasting memory of serving someone else.
- Have an elderly friend who loves to sing? Take a few people and have a short sing along with them. Ask their favorite songs. What song was a new song for them when they were younger?
- Do something nice for a single mom or maybe volunteer to babysit one afternoon while she has an afternoon off. Make this a family event.
- Volunteer at a workday. Widows, camps, spring building clean up or community clean up projects. Make sure they are involved with many age groups. They learn so much this way.
- Every year there are floods, tornados, tropical storms, or other disasters and you can participate in some way in the recovery efforts. Cooking, donating, actual clean up, etc.
- Attend a Habitat for Humanity presentation. You will find several ways to serve. If your kids are too young they can make sandwiches to feed the workers.
- Make hygiene bags for the homeless, battered women’s shelters, etc.
- Pack snack bags and/or small throws and keep in your car to give to the homeless.
- Take a flat of water with you and give out on a hot day. Laundromats are good places.
- Encourage them to be the one who meets the new people and visitors at church. Maybe invite them over for a play date and share beforehand how they might feel moving to a new area or visiting a church for the first time.
- When allowed visit the nursing homes. Just your presence brings so much joy.
- Decorate a door. One year we chose one person in the nursing home and decorated their door for different holidays. Spread happiness.
- Have a free yard sale.
- Take your children to be the first to meet the new neighbors with a plate of cookies perhaps.
- Hug patrol. Many elderly people miss physical touch. Especially widows. If you are concerned about hugs then encourage your children to pick out one older person at church each Sunday and go speak to them or hug them before they sit down. See my article about a single hug.
- Serve dinner at the local homeless shelter.
- Take goodies and thank you notes to the local Police Station or Firehouse.
- Collect throws and blankets from your stash and share them with those in need. I put these in a ziplock bag and give it to my favorite police officer who keeps them on hand to give out as needed. Maybe have your child write a short note or small picture on an index card to include.
- Make Magi boxes.
- Write cards to the sick in your congregation or visitors, etc.
- Pick up the phone and call someone who might be lonely.
- Healing Hands International is in my area and has volunteer opportunities. Many nonprofits are looking for volunteers.
- Read books to a daycare or school classroom. Dr. Seuss’s day is a good day to do so.
- A few years ago I heard Earl Lavender say, “Hospitality can change the world”. Make it a practice. Remember to keep it simple so that you can all enjoy it.
- Make care packages for the military or a college student.
- Go on a mission trip with your teens.
- Make a game of doing good deeds in secret.
A few more than 25. I hope this list will be a spark. Please comment below with your favorite ideas and experiences. Let’s spread some sunshine!