Hellobee Boards

I volunteer fair amount with LO and there are lots of easy and fun ways to get toddlers involved in giving. Some of the stuff LO and I have done and currently do together:

ANIMAL RELATED: Buying food for animal shelters and going to donate it: I let LO pick out the food, treats and toys she wants to give to the “dogs and cats who don’t have a home yet”. We talk all about how important it is to be kind to people and animals and to help out those people and animals who need our help. Have you LO pick out the items to be donated and actually physically drop it off I think helps reinforce the message more too, and make it more real. If you like sewing at all, let your LO pick out fleece at a fabric store and make fleece blankets or washable beds for the cats and small dogs at the shelter. My LO loves doing this and gets very serious about her fabric choices and whether the patterns will be good ones for cats or dogs

CLOTHING/GOODS: So there are a few different ways we do this. We have LO go through her old toys and clothes that don’t fit / are “baby” toys (***I think it’s important to start with them going through things they don’t or can’t use, rather than starting by suggesting they get rid of things that are currently in rotation) and drop those off at a local women’s DV shelter.

TOILETRY ITEMS: We buy toiletry items at Target/etc and drop off in person at a local shelter, homeless veteran housing complex or similar. Again, LO gets to pick out the items we donate. We talk about things we all need like everyone needs soap, shampoo, etc and if we have a lot and others have a little, we should help as we can. Some places prefer travel sized over full sized (especially if working with homeless populations or shelter housing with shared showers) so just ask about that before you go.

FOOD: This is a pretty easy one – like the ones above, let your LO be in charge (to a degree!) with picking out what food you will donate. Let them pick the item and let them pick it off the shelf and put into the cart so it is really “their” activity. Then donate to an appropriate agency in person. We also cook a Thanksgiving dinner each year for a local homeless veterans shelter and LO helps/”helps” (lol) me cook and comes with me and DH when we drop it off. We’ve also cooked other meals to donate, where again, LO might help menu plan or help cook. We have cooked dinner at the Ronald McDonald House too, which might be too heavy for some kids (knowing other kids can get REALLY sick), though it’s another option as well.

OTHER: make cards/paintings/art at home and deliver to a local senior center or nursing home. Trust me, any nursing home will be happy to receive some homemade cards to give to residents!

Volunteer at an activity: Volunteer handing out waters at a 5k charity race. Volunteer handing out balloons or stickers or whatever small item at another charity event – stuff that littles can fit into their hands and be a part of.

We are just starting to think about this too so thank you for asking! Our local moms group does meal trains for new babies and rough patches and we took foods to a mom on bed rest today. My 21 month old was starting to get the idea that Mrs T needed extra help so we were making her for to take to her and her family. She helped me cook, choose flowers and drive over to deliver the food. I left her in the car and ran it to the porch and she was so sad she didn't get to give it to her herself. I'm trying to think of things we can do along those lines so it's easy for her to get it and participate. Once the holiday season rolls around we will definitely participate in some of the local kid related charity options. Maybe we can find a back to school drive and we can pick out stuff for kids going to school?

@yoursilverlining: those are some lovely ideas / gestures!

If you were looking for something on a smaller scale could you possibly do some cooking or baking for a friend that might need some love or support? Or volunteer at a local children's activity (I'm the treasurer of the local playgroup we attend), I think it's really nice to be able to give back to the people and organisations that we've had so much from.