Caring parents want to see their children become successful individuals in the future. Becoming successful does not just mean achievement in school or career but also in turning out to be an outstanding and cooperative member of our society. There is no better way to start to learn these traits than in your own neighborhood.
Teaching your child everyday random kindness acts like helping out in house chores or holding the door for someone, is a great way to practice social involvement at home. Even at the age of two or three you can already expose them to the values of respect, sharing, and helping.
In teaching your child the things that they could do and participate in society, the earlier you begin exposing them to these challenges, the better social partners they turn out to be. Primarily, parents would try to introduce specific objectives of the community with the help of bedtime stories. These will be further enhanced as your children meet other kids and learn about the community and its needs in school. Bring your child around the neighborhood and find some of the places where your child can actively participate.
Kids can start their community work in school, where they could join the student government, youth associations, and become responsible scouts. No matter how young they are, children already have causes they are passionate about like endangered animal awareness, beach clean up, or local park repainting.
Volunteering to local establishments is also another endeavor that kids can take on. They could spend time at the animal shelter, orphanage, retirement homes, or the local library. Your children and your entire family may even join fund raising activities in your neighborhood that aims to collect money or in kind donations for a purpose. There may be relief distribution to the homeless or feeding programs that they could participate in. This would also be a great way to remind your child of how fortunate your family is with all the luxuries they enjoy in life.
Children can help their neighborhood by taking part in environmental awareness programs in their town. Learning how to recycle and helping out in the neighborhood beautification projects are instances when children are able to show that their actions and good deeds help make a difference.
The best influences for selflessness and concern for the betterment of the community is through the examples they see by the adults in their neighborhood. Parents and other adults in the neighborhood can encourage children’s involvement in service to the rest of the community. Seeing neighbors relate nicely with each other will definitely enhance children’s kindness towards others, and promote a healthy environment for them to grow in.
There are a lot of ways to keep your children interested and actively involved in your own community. Other than just helping them benefit from the worthy causes, children also learn how to socialize well with others, and have a feeling of achievement as they are able to make a difference, despite their young age. Serving the neighborhood is also a great jump-start for your teenagers who will be entering college; community service is an essential factor seen on college applications.
by World Barrios Contributor: D.A.
Playground drawing by Peipei
Enjoyed this article. Keep on working. I’m a fan.
Not enough people do this with their children. My son is 3 and my daughter is 13, and I have been instilling this in them as much as possible. My daughter donates her time and some of her clothing and toys to a local shelter here in our barrio of Auburn, New York. My son is learning to help others with a task, such as cleaning and holding the door open for people.
That’s wonderful! When we teach our kids to get involved in our neighborhoods and communities we are building leaders for a better future.
Pingback: World Barrios | Neighborhoods International