This year my stake has been really focused on families going out to volunteer in the community. This is a great way to get to know other members of the community. It is also a wonderful opportunity to teach our children about the importance of serving others. This can be difficult to teach our children. It is important that they begin to think outside of themselves at an early age. There are some simple ways to help your children learn to serve others.
1) The easiest way is by example. As your children see you reaching out to others and helping them, then they will begin to do thing. I think example is the best way to teach.
2) Volunteer as a family together. This can be volunteering at your local soup kitchen. It can be helping in a city or neighborhood clean up project. You can go caroling every year at Christmas at a hospital or rest home. My family “adopted” a grandmother at a nursing home near our house. She came over for dinner a few times. We would visit her every month and take her gifts. It was a good experience for us.
3) Encourage your children to become involved in service organizations in high school. Key Clubs and Beta Clubs provide service opportunities for high school students. The National Honors Society also requires service hours to be completed each year. Your child could also become a peer tutor or volunteer at a local library.
4) If your children are old enough and you can afford to volunteer your services in an impoverished country. My cousins would spend a week or two every summer building homes in Mexico. You can volunteer with well-known organizations such as Project Smile as well. This can really be a life changing experience for your teenagers.
These are some ideas that can help you to teach your children to serve others. As we help those around us, we learn to love them. We should also try to serve the other members of our family. What are some service projects that you have done as a family?