Adults and most children can participlate in community-based projects.
Volunteering offers many benefits for children including teaching your child about compassion, empathy, tolerance, gratitude and community responsibility, according to Parents magazine. Children of all ages can be volunteers, and volunteer opportunities can teach them skills they may not otherwise learn and could be important later in life. The right volunteer opportunity depends greatly on your child's age and interests, but there are a few good ways to find and pick which volunteer opportunities are right for your child.
Commitment
If your child has a very busy schedule with school, extracurricular activities and family, a long-term volunteer opportunity -- where your child volunteers every week, for example -- may not be right for her. Instead, look for volunteer opportunities that can be completed in a day or less. However, if your child has a lot of free time, a long-term volunteer opportunity, like volunteering weekly at a soup kitchen, may be beneficial.
Volunteer With Your Child
Volunteer with your child on a project that both children and adults can do, like sorting books or food at a local book drive or food pantry. If you have young children, volunteering with them is an excellent way to supervise them while they learn valuable skills.
Your Child's School
Public and private schools often offer volunteer opportunities for children of all ages. Talk with your child's school's counselor, principal or teacher about volunteer opportunities sponsored by the school. School-sponsored volunteer opportunities can vary in nature, but most are are designed to help charitable and humanitarian organizations.
Volunteer Match
Volunteer Match is an organization that helps people of all ages, including children, find volunteer opportunities in their area. On the Volunteer Match website, you can sort volunteer opportunities by age group and cause, including health and medicine, arts and culture, education and literacy and community programs.
House of Worship
Many houses of worship like churches and temples work with charitable groups in their area to provide volunteers who will help with both long-term and short-term volunteer opportunities. You and your child don't have to be a member of the church to volunteer and most houses of worship work with charitable groups affiliated with their faith and secular charitable groups.
Ask Your Child
Volunteering can help children and teens learn valuable skills and gain a greater sense of the importance of volunteering and helping others. But if your child has no interest in the activity, she may be discouraged from volunteering in the future. Sit down and talk with your child about what volunteer opportunities she may have an interest in. It's also likely that you know what skills your child already possesses, and those should be considered. For example, if your child is an excellent athlete, she can volunteer to help underprivileged children learn sports fundamentals.
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