Holiday,  kids

15 Kid Friendly Ideas for Giving Back during the Holidays or Anytime

Sometimes during this busy season the true meaning of the holiday tends to get a little lost. It’s so important as parents that we slow down and take some time to focus on giving back with our children. One of the greatest gifts that we can give children is the gift of charity. That feeling when you give a gift, volunteer or help a stranger is better than any one thing you could ever receive. Here are a few easy ideas to help celebrate the giving season.

  1. Visit a local nursing home during the holidays. Call ahead to see if they have a time you can bring your kids in to join Christmas Caroling or to drop off small gifts or sweets from the kids. Many elderly have no family and love to receive visitors, especially this time of year.
  2. Volunteer at a local animal shelter or collect items for pets in need. Old towels, blankets, kitty litter, and food donations are good ideas.
  3. Let your children select pajamas and books to donate to kids in shelters through charities like the Pajama Program.
  4. Go shopping and choose toys to drop off at Toys for Tots.
  5. View patient profiles and help a child in need of a life changing surgery at Watsi.org .
  6. Bake cookies with your kids to drop off at your local fire or police station.
  7. Host a cookie sale for a charity like Cookies for Kids’ Cancer or Domino Sugar’s No Kid Hungry.
  8. Collect “stuff” and donate to My Stuff Bags Foundation that helps provide children in crisis with essential comfort items.
  9. Go to your local playground or park and collect trash to keep your community looking tidy.
  10. Connect with a child or family in need at Family to Family.
  11. Consider volunteering at your local Ronald McDonald House.
  12. Collect canned goods and deliver to a local food back.
  13. Donate outgrown clothes and toys to a charity.
  14. Plan a day to go out and do random acts of kindness.
  15. Write thank you notes or leave gifts/snacks for your mail carriers and delivery men/women, and trash collectors.