Whether you’re helping out at local food pantries, donating clothing or toys to homeless shelters, or participating in community programs, showing your child how to help others from an early age will have long-lasting positive effects on their self-esteem, confidence, and social-emotional skills — all while helping to make the world a better place.
Children learn how to be empathetic and kind through watching people around them, as well as taking part in volunteer activities. Here are some ideas for how to get started encouraging your child to support friends, neighbors, and their community.
Start by Being a Role Model
You can show your child how to help others through your own actions. Your child will notice even small moments of kindness and manners, like holding open the door for someone with a stroller. Or, ask your child — and others — if there’s anything you can do to help.
Your child can also eventually lend a hand themselves with age-appropriate responsibilities, like setting the table and putting away laundry. While the tasks may take longer when your child helps, you'll be showing how important it is for everyone to help out.
Other everyday ways kids can help include gathering up the recycling at home, helping to clean up the local park on weekends, and being a good steward of the earth. How to Change a Planet is a wonderful way to show kids how no act, big or small, goes to waste in helping our planet stay healthy.
Find beautiful books about kindness and empathy here.
Discover Your Child’s Passions
Spark more volunteerism by pinpointing your child’s interests and passions. For example, if your child loves animals, they may want to volunteer at a local animal shelter in their free time. If they enjoy talking to and getting to know new people, they could visit elderly neighbors at a nearby nursing home.
Kids who love to get creative might make bracelets or other crafts, or open up a lemonade stand during warmer weather in order to raise money for a cherished cause. They can also donate gently used clothes and toys to charity regularly (try every few months, or perhaps twice a year).
Knowing where their passions are will help them turn their interests into real-world opportunities to help their community. Check out SuperSHE-roes of History: Global Activists and learn more about how people’s passions turned into causes that benefit everyone.
Find simple ways to gauge your child’s interests here.
Encourage Your Child to Help Friends and Family
Talk to your child about ways they can support friends and family on a regular basis. For example, if a friend is feeling down, encourage your child to spend time with them, whether that means reading side by side, playing, or having a conversation.
When a Friend Needs a Friend is a perfect example of how to just be present in the lives of others and to meet people where they are, no matter what that may look like.
If you’re helping a family member move, get your child involved — they can place books in boxes, carry small items to a moving truck, or sweep floors. Even the smallest acts make a difference!
Plus, check out impactful books about friendship.
Encourage your child to be a helper, and it’ll make a tangible difference to the people around them, and also benefit their development.
Shop the best books about helping others below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store.
