10 Kid-Friendly Charitable Works to Do Around The Holidays

How to get your kids involved in charitable works this season.

_{Published: November 4, 2024 by Nicole Dieckman}

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Charitable works are activities that help people in need and are a way to get the entire family into the true holiday spirit. According to the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley , studies have found that various parenting practices— particularly role-modeling and discussing generosity— may help children grow up to be more generous adults. They also say that research supports the idea that giving is associated with psychological health and well-being, greater quality of life, and a greater feeling of vitality and self-esteem. This time of year, around holidays specifically linked to giving and community-focused happiness, is the perfect time to practice generosity and teach your kids about charitable works. That’s why we’ve compiled this comprehensive list of ten kid-friendly activities to get the holiday spirit flowing.

10 Charitable Works

1. Volunteer at a Senior Center

Senior centers are places where older adults can go to feel included in their community. They often host game nights, holiday functions, choir groups, and many more activities the older generations enjoy together. They generally have a meager income, if any, and depend on volunteers and donations. Your local senior center is probably hosting a holiday dinner sometime in the next few months, and this will be a great time to volunteer. Donating food, helping cook, serving the food, or cleaning up are all things they will most likely need help with, and are activities for kids to get involved with when they have your help. I did this with my children, and it was an especially memorable event for them. Call your local senior center and ask what kind of opportunities they have for you and how your family can help out. The options are limitless; a few more suggestions to get involved in charitable works at the senior center are: starting a craft night, leading a senior book club, or performing Christmas Carols.

2. Take Food To A Food Bank

Go grocery shopping for non-perishables and bring them to a local food bank with your kids. This activity provides time to talk with your kids about how it’s normal that people experience difficult times, and we all pitch in at places like food banks so that when someone, for example, a mom with children to feed, has a difficult week and can’t buy food, they don’t go hungry or resort to stealing. Discussing how doing this as a community helps the entire community, provides more social awareness for your children, and reminds them that while we may be fortunate today, we might not be tomorrow, so cultivating a village that helps each other out means creating a safe place for everyone during fortunate times and unfortunate times.

3. Donate 3-5 Personal Items

The holidays are a great time to declutter kids’ bedrooms, make room for new things, and get in charitable work simultaneously. Ask your kids to pick three to five personal things, like toys or clothes, that they no longer use or enjoy but think someone else can enjoy now. Once everyone has their items, make a trip to a second-hand store, like Goodwill or Value Village, and drop off the items at the donation center. Giving away items that they have personally enjoyed for someone else to enjoy always has a big impact on children and makes them feel especially involved in the charity act.

4. Package Food Items for Hungry Kids

This may not be accessible to everyone, but many schools have a program in place for kids who are hungry at home to grab a bag of food from school to take with them. For children whose parents are struggling to keep food in the house, these programs make it possible for kids to get the nutrition they need. Try calling your local schools and asking if there is a way to donate to their particular program or drop off some packaged snack bags with the program. If your school does not have a program like this in place, there is a need, and maybe you could be the one to start the program. The inspiration for this idea is Weekend Power Packs by the Empower Youth Network, which my kids and I have built power packs for, and it’s a valuable goal for every community to have something like this in place.

5. Trash Pick-Up Hour

Kids understand how important the natural world is, and most know the importance of keeping it clean. I have found that many children enjoy and benefit from organized cleaning of places like parks, neighborhoods, or beaches. Trash bags and gloves are essential, and extended arms are optional, but remember that either way, it can still be fun. Invite friends for an afternoon of charitable work and then have a pizza party afterward to make it a memorable experience for everyone involved.

6. Take Grocery-Packaged Treats To First Responders

Thanking our first responders with grocery-packaged treats instills a sense of gratitude for invaluable members of our society in our children. The urge to make baked goods is strong in this one, but I have talked to many first responders, and they have told me that they have to throw away things that aren’t packaged at the grocery store because not everyone has good intentions. So buy a packaged good, or buy gift cards! I have been told that Starbucks gift cards are greatly appreciated.

7. Donate Directly to Places Affected By Natural Disasters

This one comes with a caveat to do your research and make sure of the validity of your source before proceeding, because scammers do tend to find their way into good intentions when it comes to donating to natural disasters. But if you can do the research, this is one that is needed and appreciated. This year, I watched a beautiful place, Anna Maria Island, in Florida, devastated by two hurricanes. I am a member of their Facebook group, and what I’ve taken away from it is that people in these areas aren’t always getting the help they need from the big donation places. You wouldn’t believe how people are afraid to collect from insurance because they’re afraid they’ll get dropped and then be uninsurable, and then without the insurance claim, they don’t get additional resources. There are ways to find local donation options that are there with boots on the ground helping people out every day. Places like local restaurants giving away free food, or heavily discounted food, churches that are providing shelter, and members of the community who made hundreds of meals and delivered them. Finding the right people or places can take a bit more research, but it’s worth it.

8. Volunteer at an Animal Shelter

Animal shelters are another vital establishment in our communities, but they have very little, if any income, and lots of expenses. This means they heavily depend on volunteers and donations. Call ahead and ask what you and your kids can do to help your local animal shelter out. For many, walking dogs, playing with animals, brushing, or simply petting animals so they get human interactions can be helpful.

9. Donate to The Animal Shelter

Donating to the animal shelter can be just as important as volunteering. Again, I suggest calling ahead to see what they’re short on, but animal shelters often need blankets, beds, food, and toys. Small dogs like sweaters when it’s cold outside.

10. Give Someone a Happy Meal

Kids love this one. Mainly because they love Happy Meals so much and see them as a huge boon to anyone who is blessed with one. Think of someone you may know who needs a pick-me-up, and drop in with a surprise donation of a Happy Meal. This could be anyone from the homeless man on the corner to a grandparent who doesn’t get visits often enough or a personal friend who is going through a hardship. Charitable works don’t always have to be a grand gesture; a simple hello and a gift of food can change someone’s day and teach a lifelong valuable lesson. 

I hope this list of charitable works helps you and your loved ones have the perfect holiday season filled with love, kindness, giving, and gratitude. If you try anything on this list, tell me about your experience in the comments. I’d love to hear how it goes!

References/ Sources

Greater Good Science Center: The Science of Generosity by Summer Allen, Ph.D.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Generosity-FINAL.pdf

Empower Youth Network: Weekend Power Packs

Weekend Power Packs