Volunteer Work with a Two Year Old in Tow?

I agree that two years old would be hard to go out and volunteer.
But here's an idea that would start her in the right direction:
Before or after she opens presents at Christmas, have her go through her old gently used clothes and toys to donate to a local organization. My son and I do this at Christmas and his birthday. We go to the children's society down the street and he loves it.
:)

Hi LK,

I love that you want to teach your daughter about giving. I think books that show characters being kind, fair and compassionate to each other is a great place to start. At this age, she is just beginning to explore her world, and we want to give her as positive of a worldview as possible. Cognitively, her brain is still on the present and cannot understand the whole haves/have nots/ those less fortunate concepts. Nonetheless, there are some things you can do together year round that encourage the good feeling that giving of ourselves can elicit:

Bake a batch of sugar cookies and let her decorate them with sprinkles. Let her know that some will be for home and some will go to the neighbors/friend's houses. Let her be the person to hand over the plate or bowl of cookies to the friend.

Do you have a neighbor who needs help with raking those autumn leaves? This is an act of kindness--helping--and your daughter can help to put those leaves in a bucket that can then be dumped into your yard debris bin or bags.

Lots of 'thank you's' at home. "Thank you for handing me your fork. It helps me when you clear your dishes." "Thank you for bringing your clothes to the basket." etc. This is an opportunity to appreciate the deed, so don't go far out on praise ('you're such a good girl') instead, point out *why* her action was helpful.

When she's with friends and playing, ask her if she can 'help me find another one (toy) for your friend". Help her notice how happy her friend is when they are given the toy--if that's the case.

Modeling is another very positive way to encourage thoughtfulness. My son and I recently were given a bag of day-olds at the bagel shop. We passed a homeless family a bit later and I gave them most of the bag of bagels. When my son (who is three) asked why, I simply told them "well, they were hungry and we had extra". He was satisfied and we went on our way. It's important to keep it simple, too.

We also model, too, in how we treat those around us at home.

One thing to keep in mind is that, when we are volunteering and out in the world, our children may not understand all that they see. Older children are better able to understand why an impacted person may be acting out in some way that may not necessarily be dangerous, but is attention-getting and disconcerting. I have found that serving in shelters and soup kitchens is very rewarding work for me, and I have also decided not to bring my son along until he is 12 or 13 and can digest all that happens in these environments.

Best wishes to you and yours. :)

Check with your local library to see if they need volunteers for story hours for the kids. You would be helping the library staff (that may not have the time), help kids learn to love books, and create new friends for you and your daughter.
Also check with your church about adopting a family in need. A lot of families have been hit by this economic depression and won't have the means to enjoy the holidays as in years before. Have your daughter help make gifts for the family (Michael's craft store has tons of cute ideas that would be fun to do with your LO).
Or you can check with adopting a military family that have a loved one serving oversees. We've done that for the last 2 years (my LO is almost 3) and she loves helping me wrap toys and little gifts for our "adopted" family.

As a long time volunteer and employee in the non-profit world I agree that 2 is just too young to volunteer. There are not many volunteer opportunities geared for the under 5 age group.

When mine was three I started adopting a child from the Angel Tree - my son would "pick" the child - always a boy his age - and then pick out gifts. We did this each year until he was old enough to begin volunteering with me. Then we found that the local Sheriff's Dept. prepares and delivers meals to shut-ins every Christmas so we began doing that Christmas morning...he was about 6 when we started that.

It is wonderful that you want to teach your child to give back. It is what makes the world go around.

Last year, I delivered Christmas presents to needy families with my 2 year old. He was so happy - he gave the gifts to the children and I handed over the family stuff. It was nice. There are 3 organizations I work with. SOS (Share Ourselves) lets the school do the delivering but you can help box everything up at the fair grounds. Temple Shir Hamaalot http://www.shmtemple.org/601733.ihtml does thanksgiving food donations as well as "holiday" gifts. the other is a private group of families. Anyway - Barbara at the temple is wonderful and will hook you up with a family that you can help!

Great idea, but I would wait until she's a preschooler. She's way too young at 2 to make that connection and won't understand why you are there. To make it meaningful for your daughter and the recipients, wait until she's old enough to help you pick a charity.

Every year we "adopt" a child from the tree at church. I choose a girl, same age as my daughter, and involve my daughter in the choosing of gifts. Making treat bags for homeless shelters is another thing we do during the holiday season. There are ways you can volunteer and involve her, without having to go someplace and bring her along, which some may frown upon.

Choose an angel tree angel and take her shopping. Choose a little girl her age and let your daughter help pick things out. Explain the purpose and why it is so important. That is really all you can do with a child at that age.

You could distribute blankets/sleeping bags, care packages of food to the homeless. That is really hands on and doesn't require joining a group, you can just do it yourself... or maybe ask your neighbors to contribute and bring a bit more community into it.

She's really too young for any of it. I wouldn't take her to a volunteering situation at 2 and she's not going to really get and retain a lesson from it. Next year it will start to sink in with her and get better and better as she grows. You could adopt a family or a child off of an Angel Tree. Take her shopping and explain as you're selecting gifts for them that you're getting something for someone who doesn't have anything. As she gets older, she'll come to understand and you'll also be able to branch out into volunteering at soup kitchens, nursing homes, children's homes, etc.

I agree with most of the other posters that 2 is too young to bring with you. With that said, I grew up in a family with a mom who was very involved with volunteer activities. I can't actually remember a time when she wasn't involved so it was just a way of life. I think setting the example and making it part of your life will carry through to your child. I have a 2 year old too, and this year I started volunteering at our church to watch younger kids during religious ed classes. Although my daughter doesn't know that I'm "volunteering", I think being involved will help in the long run. I was even thinking of bringing my kids with me when being a bell ringer for the salvation army. The shifts might be too long, but I'm thinking they could stand with me for part of a shift. Just emphasize the spirit of giving and I'm sure your daughter will catch on as she gets older.

What about adopting a family. It does require money, but she could help shop for the family members and wrap presents for them, etc.? You may want to ask your local Elk's Lodge (that is who I did it though when I was little).

Samaritan's Purse is very cool. They send Christmas Shoe Boxes full of goodies to needy kids all over the world. I take my kids to the dollar store and let each pick stuff for the children. (Each of my kids fills a box - plastic shoe boxes work great!) It gives the kids a chance to pick gifts for another child and to appreciate what they have. (My boss has a box-filling party at his house the week after Thanksgiving and all his extended family and friends get together to fill boxes and donate.)

I think a 2-yr-old would enjoy ringing a bell at the Salvation Army kettle. db

Hello, I want to thank you for planning on volunteering with or without your little girl. I volunteer at my grandson's elementary school in a kindergarten class as well as in a program called Everyone A Reader. I will be starting to help in his class soon on another reading program. I worked in elementary education for many years (most of that time I was an aide in classrooms as well as teaching English to non-English students).
I started volunteering at this school when our first grandson was in kindergarten. He is now in 9th grade. When I started there, I had a 2 1/2 year old grandson whom I took with me. He helped me and also got to do some of the work the kindergarteners did. Soon he was giving directions to those who didn't understand. When that one started kindergarten, I brought his cousin who was just an infant. One September, I was approached by a couple of teachers and asked to coordinate the Everyone A Reader program. It is a program where students who just need a little extra time reading aloud come to you in 15 minute intervals. You have four students an hour, once a week. The teachers all knew that if they wanted me, they had to take the whole package (whichever grandchild I had with me). My grandkids all bring their own backpack with their snacks, books, workbooks, crayons, pencils, and whatever they need to keep them entertained. Currently, one of my daughters brings my granddaughter with her to Everyone A Reader, and I volunteer the same day so that we are both available for her. They are not a distraction and learn so much there.
I think it is wonderful that you are interested in volunteering and that you want to bring your child with you.
Good luck with your precious little girl.
K. K.

How about taking her to visit patients in a nursing home? That way, she's really involved and they will get a kick out of having a little O. around!

I adopted a child to buy presents for from the Salvation Army and plan to take my 2 year old with me to buy presents for the child.

Actually, this will be his 3rd Xmas and the 3rd time he'll help me out buying presents for the less fortunate (although he didn't necessarily know we were doing it the first two, lol).
They have bins at the exit of Toys R Us and he picked out something and then I made him put it in the bin. I figured it was a good idea to start as young as possible to make it more ingrained.

Please let us know if you find something more "hands on."