25 Ways To Teach Your Kids to Serve and Be More Thoughtful

As summer is coming to an end, I have been thinking a lot about the fall and winter and what my next parenting goals are. We were so busy this summer having fun and being busy with our own schedule, that I find myself bothered by the lost opportunities of being more thoughtful and loving to our family, friends, and community.

I have one son who almost has to be forced to share and other one who goes out of his way to share. While we all have our strengths and weaknesses, I feel like there are so many opportunities that I could be showing my kids on how to practice serving, being thoughtful, and kind to others. I’ve made a list of opportunities that I am going to use as a source for leading my kids to make serving and thoughtfulness a bigger part of our life. Activities will definitely depend on the age of your children, but here are some ideas:

1. Visit a great-grandparent. Does your child still have a great-grandma or grandpa? Take time to go visit them and spend time with them. This can be a great way for your child to brighten their day.
2. Bake muffins for your neighbors and have your kids help you deliver them.
3. Did his/her friend have surgery? Have your child draw a picture and deliver it to them.
4. Participate in programs around the community such as fill a backpack, toys for tots, or adopt a family.
5. Have your child fill up a bag of clothes that they no longer wear and drive them to a local charity to drop them off.
6. Make greeting cards for other kids in the hospital.
7. Did a friend in school move away? Have your child make a card and send it in the mail to their new address.
8. If you are at an event where you use tickets to play, purchase extra tickets and have your child give them to another child to use.
9. When someone drops something in a parking lot, have your child pick it up for them.
10. Have your child hold the door open for people when entering a store.
11. Put together a care package and send it to the military.
12. Make cookies and a card and take your child to the police or fire station to thank them for their service.
13. If you leave a hotel, have your child write a thank you note to the cleaning staff.
14. Have your child be a pen pal to their grandparent(s). Make it a point to send them something in the mail once per month.
15. Make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning and deliver them to families.
16. Go to the food pantry and have your kids help work there for an afternoon.
17. Teach thoughtfulness between siblings. Have one child serve the other one during mealtime (i.e, pour glass of milk, give them a napkin, clean up their dishes).
18. Make it a regular routine to take time and have sibling compliment each other about something.
19. Have siblings make a card for each other’s birthday. It is good for them to get in a habit to do nice things for each other on special occasions.
20. Offer to take a neighbor dog for a walk.
21. Have them take an old winter coat and donate it to a child in need.
22. Find out what your child values and have them raise money for a non-profit organization of their choice through lemonade stands, garage sales, etc. It can be an entire family effort as well.
23. Encourage your child to include another child in recess or lunch. Have them set a goal to do this or talk about it so that they become aware. Follow up with them after to see if they followed through.
24. If a friend loses a pet, deliver a care package with your child so they he/she can give it to them.
25. If a friend is sick from school, have your child call and ask them if they are feeling okay.