During this season of shopping, wrapping and opening gifts, it is worthwhile to take some time to remind children that giving of themselves is the most important. Try these ideas to make your holiday season more meaningful for your family:
1. Family Trip to Food Pantry
Find out where the local food pantry is located in your area. Give them a call to sign up your family to volunteer for a few hours. Prioritizing the time during this busy month helps children see that helping others is important and doing it all together is fun. You can even call your neighbors and ask them to come along.
2. Buy a Gift for a Child
Many local organizations collect gifts for children in low income areas to help brighten their holiday. Talk to your child about these situations. Discuss what might make another child happy and then go out together to purchase it. Your child can even make them a card to go with it.
3. Visit the Elderly
The holidays can be a very lonely time for people without family. Sit down as a family with some construction paper and make holiday cards to take to residents of a nursing home or elderly neighbors. Giving of your time can really brighten up this holiday for these people.