Give Back to Your Community with These Family Summer Volunteer Projects

Summer vacation is right around the corner and your children will have a lot of spare time on their hands. They’ll definitely want to enjoy lazy days of no homework and more time to play with their friends. In between their summer activities, why not get them pumped to volunteer and give back to the community. Here are some fun and creative summer volunteer projects that children of any age can enjoy and learn from.

Summer Volunteer Projects For The Whole Family 

Volunteer Project Ideas for Small Children

Just because your child is younger, doesn’t mean they can’t learn the valuable lessons that come from volunteering. We took our favorite suggestions from the long list of volunteer project ideas on the Internet and complied them below. These are small projects that you or your summer babysitter can supervise, but will have a huge impact on your child’s outlook towards giving back. 

• • Contact a Local Nursing Home 

Reach out to your local nursing home and offer to provide decorations for the next upcoming holiday. Your child will have a blast this summer making heartfelt arts and crafts for a cause. You can then help your child deliver and setup the decorations.

• • Fill a Box with Old Toys

Teach your child the art of giving by allowing them to donate a selection of toys. Explain that some children in the world have little to no toys and that they can help. Allow them to fill a box with toys or books that they no longer use.    

• • Clean Out the Closet

Parents are always cleaning out closets when their children outgrow their clothes. Get your kids involved by hosting a special fashion show day. Have your small children try on the clothes in their closet and anything that doesn’t fit, let them pack into a box. Reach out to local charity groups in your area to donate the clothes and have your children assist in delivering them.     

**For more great ideas on how small children can volunteer, check out Kid World Citizen that gives you over 35 great volunteer project ideas. 

Volunteer Project Ideas for Tweens

If your kids are at the age where they’re not small children but not yet full teenagers, these volunteer project ideas will get their attention. Volunteering is able to teach your tweens humility, compassion, ambition, responsibility and confidence. Approach them with these examples of creative ways they can make a difference in their community.    

• • Start a Small Business

A lot of preteens could benefit greatly from building a small business and donating their profits to a charity that excites them. They can start offering dog walking, car washing or yard services to make money for their favorite charity. Click here to read even more business ideas for children.  

• • Give the Gift of Music  

Have you seen the heartfelt documentary, Alive Inside, that shows the impact music can have on the elderly? Have your preteens go to your local nursing homes to meet senior citizens to discuss their favorite songs and musical artists. Your tween can then research music from different eras and build a playlist for their senior friend to enjoy.   

• • Put Together a Neighborhood Food Drive

Show your child the real impact a small gesture can make by helping them coordinate a food drive in your neighborhood. Have your tween design a flyer that has all the information your neighbors would need to become involved. Then, help them gather everyone’s donated items for delivery to a local charity.   

**To get more kid-friendly volunteer project ideas, read Volunteer Spot’s free ebook, Great Ideas for Volunteering with Kids. 

Volunteer Project Ideas for Teenagers

Older children are able to gain the same benefits from volunteering as younger children. Teenagers can enjoy not only how good giving back feels, but they can also list their efforts in college applications and college entrance essays. Check out our favorite summer volunteer projects for teenagers to get your children helping others in the community.

• • Contact Your Local Pet Shelter

If your teenager is a lover of animals, have them contact pet shelters in your area. Your teenager will be able to learn a great deal of responsibility while helping their new 4-legged friends. They can offer to clean the facility, help with the animals or even handle the shelter’s Facebook page.

• • Helping the Elderly with House Projects

Senior citizens who choose to live on their own have many limitations when it comes to the upkeep of their home. Have your teenager reach out to a local program to find elderly homeowners that could use some help. Or, have your teenager reach out independently to senior citizens in your neighborhood to offer their helping hands. They can take on lawn care upkeep, pool cleaning chores, house painting or other helpful home projects.   

**For 20 more creative ideas and resources for teens to get involved in volunteering, click here.   

Find a Local Charity to Help

If you’re looking for a handy resource to find a charity or non-profit organization in your area, visit Volunteer Match. Volunteer Match is an organization that, “Believes everyone should have the chance to make a difference. That’s why [they] make it easy for good people and good causes to connect. [They’ve] connected millions of people with a great place to volunteer and helped tens of thousands of organizations better leverage volunteers to create real impact.”

Their easy to use website tool provides local volunteer opportunities in a variety of different causes, such as: animals, children, community, education, environment, health, mentor, homeless, women, disaster, hunger and more. We like Volunteer Match as a helpful resource because they’ve organized charities all over the U.S. into detailed fields; allowing you to help in the area you’re most passionate about.

Virtual Volunteering Opportunities

Did you know that these days, you can even offer your help virtually? The United Nations Volunteers(UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. The UNV offers virtual opportunities and connects volunteers with organizations working for sustainable human development.

Volunteers contribute their skills online to help organizations address development challenges. You can offer virtual help in a number of areas that range from translating documents to grassroots social marketing help.

Visit their website portal here to learn more about how you can help virtually.  

Teach Your Children The Importance of Giving Back With These Summer Volunteer Projects 

It’s important for your children to learn at an early age that they have the ability to make a difference in someone else’s life. Go over these summer volunteer projects with your kids and see if anything grabs their attention and interest. 

If you have any creative ideas that can help children of all ages volunteer and give back, please visit our Facebook Page and continue the conversation socially.