If you are looking for a way to teach kids about giving back and community service, why not look into volunteering as an option?
There are so many different ways kids can get involved in volunteer work without ever leaving their neighbourhood. You might be surprised by the number of opportunities available! 
Volunteering isn’t just for adults - it's a great way of teaching your children the importance of giving back to your community from a young age.
Aside from making an impact on your local community, volunteering helps develop your child’s social skills and make new friends.
In this article we will explore 22 unique opportunities that your kids can get involved with:
Cleaning the neighbourhood
Cleaning up your neighbourhood is an excellent way of getting your children involved with volunteer work.
Painting and landscaping at local park could be a great place to start; if your children are into art or planting, then why not offer to help out your local park by painting some benches or gardening the flowerbeds.
Visiting grandparents
If your kids are close to their grandparents, why not bring them over for a visit?
Caring for someone can be very rewarding and this is an excellent opportunity to teach kids the importance of giving back.
This activity will allow your kids to see another side of life while also teaching them about responsibility by caring for people in need.
Starting a piggy bank
If your kids are too young to volunteer, why not start a piggy bank instead?
As they get older and become more responsible, you can teach them about saving money.
This is also an excellent way of teaching kids the value of hard work as it will allow them to see how much their savings grow over time.
Helping elderly neighbors
If your kids are close to the elderly in your neighbourhood, why not offer help with day-to-day activities such as cleaning and washing?
Tasks like this could include: taking out the trash and recycling, mowing lawns and raking leaves.
These small tasks will give kids a sense of responsibility while also teaching them about giving back.
Starting a community garden
If you kids are into cooking or gardening, then why not start a community garden?
This is an excellent way of teaching kids about the importance of healthy eating while also developing their green fingers.
Teaching kids to cook can be fun and this activity will allow them to learn how to grow fresh food which they can turn in tasty meals.
Setting up a playgroup
If your kids have friends nearby, how about setting up a playgroup?
By setting up a regular play-date with other children from your neighbourhood you can teach them about teamwork and responsibility - planning games or going on outings together will allow them to have fun with their friends while also having something to look forward too.
Delivering supplies
This could cover a multitude of opportunities - if your child/children are old enough to walk or ride a bike, why not offer to help out your local community centre by delivering supplies or running errands for the elderly in your local community.
This is a great way of teaching your youngster about the importance of working as a team and how rewarding it can be giving back.
Spreading smiles through pictures
If your child has an artistic streak, why not offer to create some nice drawings or paintings for elderly residents in your area? This will teach them about the importance of giving back while also providing them with an excellent outlet for their artistic talents.
Shoveling snow
It's a great opportunity for kids to work together and clear snow off the streets in their community.
Through this activity, they may provide a safe driveway for their neighbours by clearing snow. Give your children a snow shovel and watch them have fun with their pals.
Organising a social event
Organizing kids events might be challenging but it is definitely also rewarding and can help your children learn how to work in a team, whilst developing their organisational skills.
If you are keen on organising kids' social event, maybe think about fundraising or creating educational activities for kids that will allow them to have fun and enjoy the benefits of teamwork at
Donating care packages
Taken the last couple of years into consideration, another great was of letting your children get involved in volunteering is by collecting, collating and donating care packages.
This could be done for other children/families in need and could include things like socks, toothpaste and a toy just to name a few - the perfect way of teaching kids about giving back and the importance of selflessness as they will be helping those who are less fortunate than themselves.
Donating old books
Books are a great way of improving kids' literacy skills and they can also be used to help with reading comprehension.
With this in mind, why not offer kids the opportunity to collect old books from around the house which could then be donated either locally or further afield?
This is an excellent way of teaching kids about recycling while also helping them develop their philanthropic side.
Sharing toys
Sharing is a great way of teaching kids about being kind to others, while also developing their social skills.
If your kids have more than one toy that they no longer use or need then why not offer them up for sharing?
This could be done between friends and/or family members who can enjoy playing with the toys together - kids will love feeling like they are helping out by allowing other children the chance to play too!
Donating through games
Donating through kids' games is another great way of giving back.
If your children are big gamers, why not let them help out by donating either new or slightly used video game items like Nintendo DS consoles and software?
This will allow kids to work together as a team while also learning about the importance of selflessness; something that's sure to be appreciated in years to come!
Volunteering at an animal shelter
If your child has a particular passion for animals, why not encourage them to volunteer at an animal shelter?
This is a great way of teaching them about the importance of giving back whilst also developing their social skills and caring nature.
They could help out with the daily chores such as feeding, cleaning out or just give the animals a little bit of company = great for the soul of both parties!
You could also get them to make no-sew toys, sweaters, pillows, blankets, and beds out of old clothes or fabric rags for the animals and donate them to your local animal shelter. Children may also volunteer to collect donations for the shelter's food budget.
Placing bird feeders or bird houses
Placing bird feeders or bird houses is a good way of teaching kids about the importance of giving back.
The idea being that they can share some love with all kinds of birds by creating different types of homemade holds for them = perfect for kids who want to combine art, games and helping others into one activity.
You may even find that your kids start bringing home a few feathered friends too - an excellent opportunity to teach kids about responsibility while also encouraging eco-friendly behaviours!
Pet sitting for the neighbor
If your child/children are old enough to look after pets why not encourage them by offering pet sitting for the neighbors? This teaches them not only about responsibility but also allowing them to have fun with their friends.
Their confidence will grow while they develop social skills and caring natures = perfect!
Making/selling food items
Making and selling food items is a good way of teaching your children about the importance of giving back by using the skills they already have.
For example, if they are big bakers why not encourage them to make cupcakes, cookies or brownies which could be sold at school, during sports events or even through social media?
It allows them a creative outlet whilst still learning about small acts of kindness.
Any money received could then be given to a local charity of your child's choice.
Sending thank you cards
This is an excellent service for children to learn how to do. Thank you is a small way of expressing gratitude for the health care providers, security guards, police personnel, and other professionals who work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure citizens' safety and well-being.
Working on sets
Working on kids' TV shows is a great way of teaching kids about the importance of giving back.
This allows them to develop their skills while also having fun with friends and family members = ideal!
Any children who are interested in making it big could even write to one or two kids television companies asking if they can help out - you never know, this may be just what your kids need to get started!
Allowing kids time off school for volunteering activities at home or abroad increases awareness among students that there are many ways by which we can give something back into our community.
It encourages us all not to take things for granted and helps foster an appreciation for helping others too.
Planting trees
Planting trees is a fantastic kids volunteer opportunity. Children can teach themselves about nature and the environment, as well as helping to create a greener future = perfect!
This allows kids to combine their creativity with eco-friendly behaviours while also teaching them about responsibility = excellent!
They could also learn how to take care of plants by watching videos online or reading books on the subject - encouraging them into hobbies they may have never considered before.
Coordinating a car-wash
A car wash fundraiser is a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages to volunteer. It's a simple and enjoyable method to generate money for charity.
Give your kids soap, a pail, a hosepipe, sponges, and towels, and let them wash the automobiles themselves.
Wrapping up:
The benefits of volunteering and giving back to the community are endless.
Whether your passion is gardening, cooking food, or organising social events - there's something for all ages and all abilities.
It is never too early or too late to start making a difference in the world! We hope that these ideas will inspire you to do something positive for others.