Hello Families!
I hope you've been happy and thriving! One of my favorite "feel good" things is giving back to my community in creative ways. If your littles watch you give back, they will follow. Today, I have some fun volunteer ideas that you and your littles can do together.
1. I'll start with one of my favorites. If you have things lying around your house that you no longer use, you can place them in a box outside your home with a little post it that says free. Not only are you being an active part of the sustainability movement, but you are allowing for someone that may not have the means to purchase one of these items to get it for free. Just the other day, I gathered some mugs, plates, books, and other miscellaneous home goods and placed them in a box outside my apartment. Within a few hours all the items were gone. It brought me joy to know that someone else now got to enjoy those beloved items. You could plan a spring cleaning day with your little and gather items together!
2. Make cards or pictures that you and your little can deliver to your local nursing homes or hospitals. Sometimes a few kind words and a colorful drawing can go a long way.
3. Visit your local animal shelter and read to the animals. It may be tricky to pull your little away after spending the afternoon with puppies and kittens, but spending time with animals can be beneficial to not only them but you as well. See if your local shelter has a program where you can come in and sit with the dogs and cats and read.
4. Take your little to the park and teach them all the positives of not littering. Grab some gloves and trash bags and venture through the park picking up trash. Make it a game! Your little might just put the trash men and trash women out of business...:)
5. Donate to a local food pantry, homeless shelter, or if you live in NYC, there are community fridges all over the city. Take your little to the grocery store and let them help you pick things, or clean out your own pantry together.
6. Talk to your local library to see if they have any volunteer opportunities available.
7. Teach your kids the value of composting and recycling at home. Maybe taking out the recycling could be part of your littles weekly chores. Have conversations about composting and why it's so good for the earth.
8. Draw thank you cards and give them out in your community. This could be anyone your little wants to thank, the cashier at your grocery store, the bus driver, a nurse or doctor, a person taking care of you at a restaurant, anyone. This little gesture will teach your little the value of saying thank you.
9. Donate clothing your little no longer wears or your little has grown out of to children in need. Check your local listings for places to donate. Shelters are always looking for donations.
10. Cook a meal or bake something for a neighbor or friend in need. Maybe you have a senior citizen that lives next door or in your building. Maybe a family just had a new baby and could use a little extra help. Maybe a family lost a loved one. A hot meal or a chocolate chip cookie is sure the warm the soul.
Giving back feels GREAT! Helping others is important and brings joy to you and them. Have fun exploring these 10, but what other ways can you and your littles give back?
Happy Volunteering!
With Love,
Miss Logan
MAFSPlayroom