It's Summertime...and the Giving is Easy/ Meaningful Summer Activities for Kids that Support the Community

Do we have you singing our blog title in your head right now?  GOOD!  That means we got your attention.

For some of us…the summer is half over.

We are well into the month of July, have eaten at least 5 S’mores (if you don’t know what those are, you are MISSING OUT!), have given up screaming at the kids to pick up their wet bathing suits off the floor and have probably glanced at the calendar wondering why school can’t start TOMORROW so we can get a break. OR…if you are like my Mom, you are trying to drag out each day just a liiiiittle bit longer so the time doesn’t come when the grandkids have to pack up and head back home.  Either way, the time is drifting by…

…and what do our kids have to show for it (and high scores on video games don’t count!)?

Now…I am NOT one of those “overscheduling” types that thinks that kids need to be busy every minute during the summer.  In fact, I’m quite the opposite.  I believe that summer should be about exploring and playing and lazing around- inside, outside, at the beach, in the woods or any other place that sounds like fun.  I look back fondly on the summers where my sister and I watched the Sound of Music…EVERY DAY…FOR AN ENTIRE SUMMER- or built forts- or watched the trials and tribulations of Josh & Reva with my Papa (yep, true story, I think that was the summer I was 9 years old).  And the folks at Psychology Today seem to agree with me- check out the article here, entitled “Let Kids Be Bored (Occasionally)” to read more about their perspective.

But with that being said, I do think there’s room to incorporate a few meaningful projects with our kids this summer that support the community and help others.  Is a few too many?  OK…

How about trying to do ONE meaningful activity with our kids, grandkids (nieces, nephews, neighbors’ kids, you get the point) this summer that gives back to the community?

Great!  Here’s a list of 10 ideas to get you started:

1. Visit a local nursing home or senior center with your kids and play games with the residents.
2. Suggest that your kids offer to care for a neighbor’s yard or pick up their mail if they are planning to be away for a few days.
3. Help your kids collect and donate items requested on an animal shelter wish list.
4. Organize a neighborhood garage sale and donate the proceeds to a local charity (chosen by the neighborhood kids).
5. Sign up to attend a beach or park clean-up in your area with your kids and their friends.
6. Locate kid-friendly volunteer opportunities in your area using the resources listed here on our website.
7. Help your kids sort through old toys and clothes and donate items to a local shelter.
8. Sign up for a charity walk or fun run in your area to get your kids moving AND support a good cause!
9. Make “Care Packages” for the Homeless (to include water, snacks, socks, etc.) and hand out in your local area with your kids.
10. Still need more ideas?!? Click here to learn more about our For-Purpose Kids Quarterly Subscription Boxes and get more ideas for this summer, this fall, this winter and NEXT summer too!

In addition to our suggestions above, we’d also love for you to check out this wonderful post by our friends at Doing Good Together, entitled “Be Curious: 7 Tips for a Summer of Wonder” (click here to read) for other ways kids can get involved in meaningful activities this summer.

So we’re all in for ONE meaningful activity of giving and volunteering with our kids this year, right?  Good.

Let’s give our kids something DIFFERENT to write about in their journals this year when asked what they did over the summer…

…because doing good and helping others can be contagious and who knows where that might lead!

For-Purpose Kids- Inspiring Kids to Become Compassionate Global Citizens Since 2016