By Tanni Haas

April is National Volunteer Month, a great occasion to teach your kids the value of caring for their community, especially for those members who can’t care very well for themselves. Here are 15 practical suggestions for what they can do.

1. Visit sick kids at the hospital. This is a wonderful gesture to make during school breaks, when convalescing children may be most aware that everyone else is having fun.

2. Donate clothing and food to a homeless shelter. This will teach your kids the value of giving to those much less fortunate than themselves.

3. Help senior citizens learn to use technology. Many older folks need help with tech basics—how to search the Internet, send emails, and navigate their smartphones—so that they can better communicate with family and friends. 

4. Help coach a sports team with younger kids. This can be any sport they are good at or just like playing.

5. Assist senior citizens with daily tasks. Kids can offer to get groceries or run errands around town.

6. Ask the library or school if they need tutors. Sometimes kids can explain things to their peers in a way that makes more sense than what an adult can cook up. Older children can help younger ones with reading, writing, and basic math. 

7. Volunteer for a clean-up day at a park. Go to parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/play/calendar or coastal.ca.gov/publiced/cleanups.html for local opportunities. 

8. Help out at charity shops. These shops rely on volunteers and can always use another helping hand.

9. Visit the residents at a nursing home or assisted living facility. Many residents get fewer visits from family and friends than most people realize.

10. Organize a back-to-school supplies drive. At the end of the summer, ask the community to donate to kids whose families have fallen on hard times. 

11. Help care for animals at an animal shelter. There’s nothing like giving a little love to an abandoned dog or cat.

12. Organize a community get-together. Community centers are great places to host movie screenings, dances, or group activities that encourage collaboration and bonding. 

13. Donate books. Local schools may need used textbooks and test-prep manuals. 

14. Walk dogs. Neighbors who are injured, sick, or otherwise unable to exercise their pets will be grateful for the assistance.

15. Bring green thumbs to a community garden. Plant flowers and vegetables, weed, water, or just help with upkeep and maintenance. ϖ

Tanni Haas, PhD, is a college communications professor.