Clark County Green News
How children can give back this holiday season
Giving back during the holiday season is a great way to reuse, reduce, and recycle valuable resources in our community – one of the most valuable resources being compassion. Giving back is good for the community and people directly involved! We benefit from the mental health of giving.
Regular giving fosters a sense of gratitude and empathy by helping to compassionately address challenges others are facing. There are many ways to make giving back a positive and enjoyable experience for all. All these great qualities extend their benefits over a lifetime of giving that can be practiced from a young age.
Donate toys and clothes
Winter is a great time to stay in, light some candles, play holiday music, and go through overflowing closets. Have children identify items they have outgrown or no longer find joy in. My mother would always tell the story of when I was around three or four years old, she gave me a box to fill up with my old toys and told me they were going to children who needed toys. She came back to a box overflowing with my toys! Children naturally want to help others and donating is a great way to teach this.
A great system for decluttering and storing future donations is to have a designated donation space and box in the house. Throughout the year, have family members put items in the box they are no longer using. When the box is full, make a run to your favorite donation center, bring it to work/school, or post it on a neighborhood free page.
Create handmade gift and holiday cards
With holiday season in full swing, it's a great time to get kids thinking about gifts for others. These could include things like hand-painted art, crafts, and drawings. If resources are available, kids could enjoy learning a new technical skill, like building a birdhouse.
Volunteer as a family
Find a local volunteer opportunity suitable for children and sign up as a family. Volunteering as a family creates a strong bonding experience and usually facilitates many meaningful conversations afterward about gratitude. Some local organizations that accept volunteers include Clark County Food Bank, Humane Society for Southwest Washington, the city of Vancouver, Clark County Public Works, libraries, senior centers, youth volunteer organizations, and so many more.
Raise money for charity
Children can sell candy bars or sell hot chocolate and donate all the proceeds to a charity of their choice. Artsy children can even sell their work for charity. This also teaches financial responsibility, and the impact even small contributions can have.
Random acts of kindness
Encourage kids to compliment a classmate, assist proactively with chores around the house, help a neighbor garden, or prepare the yard for winter. It's easy to get creative with this one!
Try making a chart of giving for the month to track good deeds and welcome in downtime and appreciation for all the efforts at the end of the year.
After all this giving back to the community, children will have a much deeper understanding of what it means to receive, facilitating a sense of gratitude naturally.
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