When I ask my kids what they want to be when they grow up, their answers change weekly from an author, an artist, a teacher, an astronaut, to a mom and a dad. The future is full of possibilities for them and I cannot wait to see the path they choose.
While I don’t know what the future holds for my kids, I do know one thing. I can start today by preparing them for that future. My hope is that my kids will be generous, kind, caring, and unselfish when they grow up, no matter what profession they find for themselves.
To instill generosity and a servant heart for others, we found some family service projects that were appropriate for their ages.
We decided to create small care packages for the homeless. We chose some nonperishable food items like packages of peanut butter crackers, granola bars, and packages of pretzels. We added these items to large tube socks. We also put in a bar of soap, travel-sized toothpaste, a toothbrush, wetwipes, and a small package of Kleenex. We also printed out some encouraging Scriptures on cardstock and enclose one in each package. Now as we drive around town, we have something in our car to hand out to the many homeless we see on various street corners.
Here are some other service ideas for kids:
When I Grow Up Bundle Giveaway! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win a bundle of fun for the theme of When I Grow Up. This bundle will include a copy of the storybookWhen I Grow Up by Mercer Mayer, one copy of Community Helpers Puzzles by Trend, and one copy of Community Helpers & Careers Pocket Flash Cards by Trend.
Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom’s disclosures found here {http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/disclosures/}. Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:
No matter what career they chose, helping others is a lesson they will carry with them everywhere! 🙂
Yes! I loved the lessons taught in this book. So sweet and inspiring!
My daughter wants to be a doctor that helps kids. And sadly because of this she loves going to the doctor!!
We did a "When I Grow Up" unit at the very end of the year last year. It was one of my favorites! I will probably repeat the theme each year from now on. We took a picture of each child holding a chalkboard with what they said they wanted to be when they grew up written on it and included them at the end of our annual year-end slideshow.
What a wonderful way to teach your kids to give to others.
Thank you for helping to bring a spoonful of reading fun to the Poppins Book Nook this month!
I love the idea of service as what we're going to do now and when we grow up. 🙂
Staci – I often think that Bee will be a doctor someday because she's so compassionate and she really likes her doctor.
Magic of Ordinary Days – That is a wonderful idea to remember what they want to be. I know my kids change their minds weekly.
Thanks! We had fun exploring service ideas!