Green Vixen Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Hi everyone, I am wondering what type of things your preschooler does to help his/her community? I love to volunteer but most of the things I do are not appropriate for young children. What type of things (outside of church) can a young child volunteer for? Thanks, Marisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 My dd. is 4. We're not doing anything formal (would any organization really accept/need the help of a preschooler?). We do, however, encourage our children from a very young age to clean up any trash they find around the neighborhood/parks/etc. I guess at that age, I just want my kids to have an awareness of how things look and how they can help make things look better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 My thought was something on the order of: Don't scream in the grocery store, stay close to the cart and don't get in other folk's way. Hand me the wrench I asked for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Our family adopted a planter box in town. All ages can pull weeds and plant flowers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 We pick up trash along our road. I take all the kids to activities at the nursing home. Mostly, I have thus far focused on having the kids hold doors, pick up dropped items, carry things, etc for others. I help them to see opportunities where they can help others, however small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 I think that learning to serve your family and neighbors is important at that age. If you have a relative that needs help, or a neighbor. . . your child can help you rake your neighbor's leaves or walk their dog. . . or help their grandma fold laundry. I think that learning to serve your neighbors & family is really important. I see so many young people who "volunteer" in these various organizations, etc, and have so many "hours" on their CVs. . . but can't be bothered to help a neighbor unload a sofa from their van or would never think to offer to mow their grandma's lawn. . . We do organized service as well, but I still believe that the "little" every day kinds of services we do for folks mean so much more than the "big" official service stuff. My dd13 plays harp twice a month in a retirement community. She even gets paid to do it. But, she charges about 25% of what her going rate would be. It is a nominal fee. It certainly won't go on her CV as service hours. . . But, it is the best service thing that she (or I!! The driver/roadie!!) do. . . It makes a difference to those residents. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Needleroozer Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 We have always been big on community service. SOme of the things we have done with preschoolers: *visiting at a retirement home or the home of a shut-in neighbor (bringing meals, drawing pictures to hang on the fridge, singing songs) *working at the food bank (toddlers can help sort and pack foods at some foodbanks- ours encouraged service from very young people, some have age limits) *delivering food to shut-ins from the food bank (mostly they sit in the car seat for the ride, but the older ladies *love* visits from toddlers. We used a wagon to haul the food when kids were little.) *adopting families at Christmas/Easter/Thanksgiving and having kidlets help with the shopping, etc. *stream and park cleanup parties *sponsoring a child *giving food to folks on the corner- this is a sticky one. We have a lot of folks who stand on the corner asking for handouts. At the age of 6, it just really hurt my son to not help a man he saw who had the shakes so bad but I didn't want to give him money to buy alcohol with- we had just been to the grocery, so I pulled over, and helped my son give the man a bag of apples. He was so impressed and grateful. Many years later, we still see this man and my son (18 now) still hands him an orange or banana. We started carrying extra oranges/apples/veggies and will roll down the window and hand them to folks instead of cash. I know there are more things we have done.... let me know if you have specific questions. Volunteering with a toddler or preschooler takes a bit more work on the part of the supervising grownup, but can be very rewarding, and really helps teach from a very young age how good you have it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 We have done several of those listed already. Visiting shut ins and sorting food at the food bank are good. DH plays guitar, so we try to get a small group (2 or three families) and sing a bit, even kids' songs, when we go to the nursing home. Also making and delivering meals for new moms or the Ronald McDonald house. Another fave is making cookies or something else yummy and taking it to the nearest fire station with a thank you for serving our community note. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Visit nursing homes. Most of the ladies there love to see little children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 We just finished helping a group of 4 and 5 year olds decorate lunch bags and pack them with dried fruit, a juice box, and peanut butter crackers. We then delivered them to an organization that helps families with food. Since it's summer, some children don't get the right amount of food due to missing free breakfast and lunch at school. It was a great project and perfect for this age range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 My 4 1/2 year old came along with his 9 y/o sister and some other families in our homeschool group to do a park cleanup on Earth Day. He did great helping out. You could maybe do a Meals On Wheels type thing and take him along with you and chat to him about what you're doing. You could write a letter to your local nursing homes and ask if they have any residents who might be interested in having a mom and a 4 y/o come to visit and chat. You could visit a "Head Start" type preschool and volunteer to read books to the kids- your son would just be sitting in but he'd be seeing that you're volunteering and doing this. He could help you bake things or make things if you wanted to do some sort of charitable fundraiser. He could do a "trike-a-thon" type thing with some friends for a charitable fundraiser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Work together in a community garden. :) Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 We bring books and toys throughout the year to the Boys/Girls club, and the family shelter. We do it on a continuous basis so that it is a regular part of our lives. We have also weeded a garden where we have no plot, and we bring eggs to the shelter where they offer food daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Community gardens are a nice idea. Nursing homes are one option, we've done that before, but check with your pediatrician first (if you are so inclined). My OB advised us to stop while I was pregnant the last time, and our ped. has advised us not to resume because of the risk of tuberculosis. We tried meals on wheels for a few months but it wasn't a good fit for our family. The time-consuming route was difficult for my little ones and we had to venture into some unsavory areas of town. You're not supposed to enter anyone's home but I had a few clients who needed the assistance of just getting the food to the kitchen, meaning I had to choose between leaving my children unsupervised in my vehicle or taking them into someone's home. When my oldest was five I volunteered with him at the base library. Once a week the two of us went in and shelved books in the children's room and helped prepare crafts for storytime. We were allowed to use the employee break room for snacks so we had a break halfway through our hour (I think this was his favorite part to be honest). My little ones currently enjoy drawing pictures and baking for several of our elderly neighbors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 We did things at church at this age and in the community mostly with our 4-H club. Singing at the nursing home, flower boxes in the park, cleaning up a section of park, operation shoe box, community suppers, buying a present for child at Christmas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 My thought was something on the order of: Don't scream in the grocery store, stay close to the cart and don't get in other folk's way. Hand me the wrench I asked for... hallelujah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Make cookies and bring them over to the Habitat for Humanity build site in town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 My DD would do chores to earn money to donate in the Salvation Army kettle at Christmas time at about that age. She choose to do this, which is the best when they volunteer to do a community project. We did a community clean up project this year. Picked up trash along sidewalks/road for about 6 blocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Vixen Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 Wow everyone, thank you for the great ideas!!! I am really impressed with how many people have found ways to involve their young children in community service. Thanks again for the ideas and I would love to hear any more :) Marisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 My kids all help select things to donate money for (small amounts, not our major charitable giving). Donate goods that we no longer need but are still usable. Pick up litter along the road near our house (with close supervision). I used to do nursing home visitation when I only had two kids. I don't know if you have it in your area, but here there are volunteer coordinator type people you can contact, you can say you would like to do something that is OK to do with kids and they will suggest things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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