NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� When Cami Teacoach’s son turned three she set out to find volunteer opportunities they could do together. He made Valentine cards for . They hiked and picked up trash. He helped harvest produce at community gardens and made seed balls out of mud, throwing them into the forest to promote wildflower growth.
Teacoach had reached out to many organizations looking for that she could do with her young child, but most places said no, so she came up with her own.
鈥淓veryone was like, ‘A 3-year-old can鈥檛 do that,’鈥� Teacoach said. 鈥淎nd I was like, 鈥楴o, I swear, he really can if you would just give him a chance.鈥欌��
Volunteering with children can instill confidence in youngsters, teach social and problem-solving skills and provide unique ways for families to bond. , many people seek such opportunities, looking for .
But often nonprofit organizations seek helpers who are at least 18 years old. Finding to do as a family with young children can be challenging, but there are opportunities, if you persist.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a million different ways to help people and volunteer. So many families want to do this and literally just don鈥檛 know where to start,鈥� said Polly Lagana, executive director of Volunteer New York!, which connects people with service opportunities. 鈥淚n a turbulent time in our world, families 鈥� and parents in particular 鈥� are very interested in showing their kids how they can help out and .鈥�
Children excel at activities such as sorting coats, packing groceries and following through on tasks, said Sapreet Saluja, executive director of New York Cares, which works with organizations to develop in New York City.
鈥淚鈥檝e been very impressed with the detail-orientation and the precision and the following of directions and the care that some kids I鈥檝e seen, as young as six, take to the tasks that they鈥檙e doing,鈥� Saluja said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been explained to them that this is to benefit someone, and it鈥檚 important, and they鈥檙e following the directions and they want to get it just right. And in many cases, they鈥檙e more detail-oriented than the adults, which I think is very inspiring.”
To get started, look for organizations in your community that match with family-friendly projects and reach out to ask if there鈥檚 a minimum age requirement.
Here are some other ways to involve little ones in projects that .
Provide choices
Children prefer to have agency and information to make a decision, so include them when you鈥檙e choosing an activity, Lagana said.
鈥淟et them know what problem you鈥檙e trying to fix in your community, and maybe one or two options of how that problem can be fixed,鈥� Lagana said. For example, you can explain there are people who don鈥檛 have enough food, and who might not have blankets, and then ask, 鈥榃hich one do you think you want to help out with?鈥� she suggested.
Consider volunteering for a mission that you can explain to your child, such as cleaning up litter at a park.
鈥淜ids are unbelievably curious. They ask questions about what they鈥檙e doing, what they’re seeing, what they’re feeling, what they鈥檙e hearing, and it opens up a dialogue,鈥� Saluja said. 鈥淚t helps you see even at a young age some of the challenges that society is facing and it gives you agency to know that you can be a part of the solution.鈥�
Sharing food
Children understand hunger, and they can help . They can sort grocery boxes at a or to home-bound individuals.
Aviva Davis was about eight years old when she and her brother Brendan began helping her parents deliver Meals on Wheels to senior citizens and medically frail individuals in Denver. Initially, they rode in the car with their parents and helped bring food to the door. When they were older, they took turns driving.
鈥淚t definitely opened my eyes to what the world is like outside of our bubble. We saw all sorts of different things and I saw not everyone lives the same way,鈥� said Davis, now 17. 鈥淏ut even at such a young age I could realize it鈥檚 amazing what we鈥檙e doing that we could help people that aren鈥檛 as lucky as we were.鈥�
Davis became a resource at school for fellow . She still does monthly meal deliveries with her parents.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great chance for us to catch up as a family,鈥� said her father, Seth Davis. 鈥淲hen we鈥檙e not all on our phones, you get some pretty cool quality time.”
Her brother is now in college, but when he’s home, they do deliveries altogether.
鈥淭he older they get, the harder it is to get that time together,鈥� said their mother, Bonnie Davis, who found the Meals on Wheels opportunity after extensive research.
Create your own opportunities
When Teacoach couldn’t find organizations willing to accept her toddler, she started a group in Pittsburgh called VolunTOTs, which creates service opportunities for children as young as 3. The children and their parents pack 500 boxes of groceries to distribute to families in need, play bingo with seniors in nursing homes and make dog treats for an animal rescue center, among other projects.
Parents have told Teacoach their children’s conduct improves after volunteering. 鈥淭hey feel so good about themselves, they were a helper, and that translates into better behavior,鈥� she said.
Stephanie Bernaba鈥檚 family started 鈥淭ough Cookies,鈥� a project where they bake and deliver cookies to veterans, when her son Matthew was in eighth grade and had to complete a service project for school.
鈥淕oing up to the houses, it was very nice, because they鈥檙e mostly living alone. A lot of their family or friends died,鈥� said Michael Bernaba, 14, now a freshman at The Prout School in Wakefield, Rhode Island. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just nice to be there and bring it to them … They were very happy, especially for someone to bring them treats like that.鈥�
The project also helped the teens learn social skills and meet people in various stages of life and health conditions, Stephanie Bernaba said.
鈥淲e went to the first couple of places and I was really scared, because I鈥檓 more of a shy person,鈥� Matthew Bernaba, now 15, said. 鈥淔or the first couple of deliveries I was more to myself, and as we kept going, we talked more with the veterans and got to hear great stories from them.鈥�
Friends make it fun
Children can be more willing to try new activities with a buddy, so consider signing up with people you know.
You can also connect with a nonprofit in need of a service and invite other families over to do a project together, as Lagana’s friends have done, organizing clothing donations or in living rooms.
Bonnie Davis organized a drive for menstrual supplies, and families gathered in her backyard to assemble the baskets. She also turned half of her son’s graduation party into a volunteer project assembling kits of bean soup.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a win for everybody. You get quality time, you鈥檙e raising your children with what feels like good values, and people benefit,鈥� she said.
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