Did you know Volunteering isn’t just nice but it also has some great benefits for your child? Find out How Volunteering Builds Empathy and Social Skills in Children

How Volunteering Builds Empathy and Social Skills in Children

Volunteering is a selfless act of service that, on the one hand, helps society to heal. On the other hand, it is also therapeutic for the volunteer.

Children (especially those aged between 8-15) are the most important demographic for volunteering tasks. They have time, energy, and enthusiasm to contribute to society that can be channeled properly.

Benefits of Volunteering in Building Empathy in Kids

Following are some ways you can build empathy and social skills in your children by registering them as volunteers in an organization.

1.    Give them a sense of community

When children from different age groups and backgrounds work together for a common goal, it encourages them to cooperate with everyone, listen to instructions, and follow them. Rather than developing peer pressure, they feel motivated to work with their friends and nurture relationships. It is also an interactive way to transform their learning experience.

2.    Leadership skills

Leadership skills are necessary for children to acquire to succeed in every aspect of life. When you put them in different roles and give them responsibility for volunteer work like teaching, cleaning, and fundraising, they learn to lead a team. Moreover, children learn to act more respectfully towards their friends. It helps them build self-confidence and self-belief.

3.    Strong emotional intelligence

Working together for a common goal urges them to understand each other’s feelings. They feel more connected and attached. When they struggle, face challenges, and work despite difficult conditions, they become more empathetic toward each other.

These activities strengthen emotional intelligence and build character in kids. They become skilled to take on challenges and work hard to transform their community.

4.    Compassion for families and friends

Later on in life, where they go, they make meaningful connections. Given their experience of working as a volunteer, they become good at connecting with people and socializing. Plus, their polished personalities and compassionate nature help strengthen the family.

How To Teach Kids About Volunteering?

Short answer: By volunteering yourself.

When you start working for the community yourself, your kids will follow your example automatically. They will find these tasks amusing and entertaining.

To teach them about volunteering, you can schedule a few hours of their routines to participate in these activities. You can limit them to just one activity per month at the start. Then, increase the frequency as they get used to extra work.

The second way is to find what they are interested in. If they love to distribute meals, you can contact initiatives like Walmart Charity. If they love to spend time outdoors, they can work for community gardens to plant trees or clean up the playgrounds.

Final Thoughts

Working voluntarily for any cause makes kids aware of societal issues. They tend to develop critical thinking and leadership skills. Moreover, they get opportunities to develop soft skills like communication, creativity, problem-solving, and compassion.

To compel them to volunteer, you can ask them what activities they are interested in and register them in relevant organizations.