It Takes a Child to Raise a Village

Copyright 2006 Karen Fusco
We’ve all heard the saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. There are ways you can begin to teach your toddlers and teenagers to give back to that village and uplift their community with pride. It can be difficult if you don’t take the right approach. Instead of making it sound like a chore, try these creative ways to encourage your child to invest time and energy into your village.
1. Teach by Demonstration. The best way to teach your child good values is by adhering to them yourself. A child naturally develops their morals and values based upon their environment. Children who grow up seeing their Mom active in the community will instinctively identify and want to invest in that same community.
2. Create Fun Ways To Give Back. In general, when it comes to kids, if it sounds fun and exciting they will want to participate. Gear community projects so they sound less like work and more like a great opportunity for fun. Come up with new themes and ways for your children to put on their creative hats and they are sure to want to join in the activity. Getting other children involved is also a great incentive for community youth participation. If it looks like a way to gain new friends it may peak your child’s interest.
3. Make it a Family Affair. When the Thanksgiving holiday rolls around, round up the whole family to uplift your community. During Thanksgiving, spend a day making lunch bags together for the less fortunate people in your community. Pile into the minivan or SUV to drop them off to those in need. Some great, inexpensive things to include are an orange, a juice box, and bologna sandwiches. Essentially, you can feed 20 hungry people with less than $20.00 in groceries (bread, meat, oranges, and juice boxes). Make sure you always check your surroundings for safety on an outing such as this.
4. Senior Soiree. A great idea aimed at the elderly in your community is preparing simple gift bags for the Holidays and distributing them yourselves. Remember, it’s the thought that counts. You can take your teenage daughter to polish nails and meet residents at the nearby convalescent home if she is interested in being stylish. A great way to involve young children is by having them create homemade cards using arts and crafts to brighten someone’s room with original art.
5. A Rendezvous to Remember. Next Valentine’s Day bake a bunch of homemade cookies, package them up simply and let your kids give them out at a local children’s hospital. It’s very important to get permission from the hospital’s administration beforehand for food and handling safety reasons. Never give food to patients unauthorized because it can be very dangerous in terms of diet and allergies.
6. Positive Reinforcement. When you witness your child doing something selflessly for someone else, don’t hold back on the praise and applause. The best way to get someone to do something is to give positive recognition when you witness them doing it. Taking the positive approach gives your children the chance to feel proud of themselves and they’ll want to do more for others.