- Volunteer to read. Libraries and schools are
always looking for volunteer readers. Offer to staff your public
library's reading hour with families from your church, or encourage
kids to help younger readers at their schools outside regular
classes.
- Start a Chronicles of Narnia Club. Draw
families into your church by hosting a family reading night. Let
younger children "host" while older kids read. With the recent
interest in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, this is
the perfect story to use to kick-start a new outreach.
- Be a good neighbor. Older kids can help
neighbors by weeding, mowing, painting, house-sitting, or
pet-sitting. Preschoolers enjoy leaving flowers or handmade cards
on doorsteps.
- Give something special. Encourage families to
clean closets by giving gently used clothing and toys directly to
less fortunate families or organizations supporting families in
need.
Service Across the Country
As children get older, they gain more understanding of needs
outside their communities. Elementary and preteen kids love to get
involved with national projects.
- Stuff Envelopes -- Most nonprofit
organizations or church denominations have regular mailings
requiring hours of stuffing and labeling. Ask your church or
favorite charity about their needs.
- Pray for States -- Pick one location each
month and have kids pray for the people living there and those who
need to hear about Jesus. Share stories from missionaries your
church supports in the regions you choose.
- Help in Hardship -- Kids hear about needs
within our country and want to help. When natural disasters occur,
kids and families can get involved with well-known national relief
agencies such as these.
American Red Cross (www.redcross.org) has a number of ways kids and
families can gather funds or needed items during national crises.
Contact your local chapter for more details.
Salvation Army (www.salvationarmy.org) has many ways for
families with younger children to serve, including serving holiday
meals, ministry to the homebound, clothing drives, bell ringing,
and special needs at times of national disaster. Check with your
local chapter to see how your kids can serve.
Celebrate your kids' service on National & Global Youth
Service Day. Youth Service America sponsors this day to focus on
youth involvement in lifelong service.
Service Around the World
The world is a big place, but children better understand their
impact when service projects are tangible and practical. Kids'
vision and comprehension of the world expands when we involve them
in hands-on, meaningful projects.
- Prayer Aware -- When kids pray for other
children, they make a deeper connection to those in need. Have kids
choose a world region to learn about and pray for the children
there regularly.
- Special Operations -- Samaritan's Purse's
Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes have children gather and send
practical items such as school supplies and toys to kids around the
world.
