Parents often wonder what they can do to raise children who are responsible, good people. In a world where the evening news is full of horror stories involving our youth, there are still wonderful things we can do with our children to steer them away from the negativity and towards a more compassionate world of their own making. A good first step is volunteering as a family. Not only is volunteering a positive step towards helping others, volunteering helps us feel better. A 2003 University of Texas study found that becoming involved in helping your community lowers rates of depression and anxiety. In these days, the entire family can benefit from improving their mental wellness and alleviating their stress.
We all know that it is important to talk to your children about your family values. What better way to demonstrate this than by your own actions? Volunteering is a way you can show your kids that you’re dedicated, as a family, to promoting, supporting, or furthering a certain issue, and that you’re willing to spend time walking the walk, not just talking the talk.
Volunteering is also a way to teach your kids about empathy. Learning emotional intelligence is a vital part of children’s development and encouraging them to be engaged in their communities can accelerate this process. When volunteering with communities, you will interact with those who share commonalities (like passion about an issue) and those who may be different from you (like diverse people from communities outside your own). Understanding where people are coming from and hearing about their experiences helps children flex their empathy muscles now and later in life.
Volunteering can also improve physical health. If you are worried that your kids are too sedentary, volunteering usually involves doing activities on their feet. This also provides benefits for adults’ health. A Washington University study found that adults 55 and older who volunteered had better stamina, memory and maintained overall health longer than others their own age.
Another benefit is that kids can learn a variety of skills. Depending on the activity, your children can learn about carpentry, computer programming, and community services. Different volunteer roles teach children the importance of listening to directions, learning how to take responsibility through leadership, or how to listen to their peers. Most importantly, children can learn how to work together as a team. Your children can improve their social skills as they engage with people. Volunteering gives them a chance to meet with people of different races and backgrounds.
Finally, volunteering as a family is a way to spend quality time together while having fun. My children and I often volunteered at our church. Their favorite activities were helping to prepare palms for Palm Sunday and helping me run the Kris Kindle Ministry for Christmas. When my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, we volunteered at their fund-raising walk events for many years.
These are just some of the benefits from volunteering as a family. I hope you think about getting your family out of the house and into your communities and start helping others as well as yourselves!
All Blogs are written by Professionals in the fields of Nutrition, Human Development and Diabetes.