What children can learn through community service projects

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Ask any parent about their hopes and dreams for their child, and you might hear a variety of academic, athletic, and career aspirations. But there's always one thing that almost every parent will agree on: they want their child to be kind. To be a good person. To contribute in a positive way to the world.

Yet we don't often pursue and encourage these arguably bigger and more important goals with the same fervor that we might that Ivy League college acceptance or a spot on the varsity team.

I know what you're thinking:

There's only so much time in the day. These kids have such packed schedules as it is already. How can we possibly fit in one more thing?

But here's the thing: children need opportunities to practice kindness and giving back to the world around them. They need to be pushed to see themselves as a player in a larger world than just their immediate family, friendship circle, or athletic team.

You might have found yourself lamenting how your child or teen thinks the whole world revolves around them. In their mind, it actually does. Children and teens are naturally egocentric. In fact, egocentrism tends to increase as children enter early adolescence.

The good news is that by involving your child in acts of service to the community, you are pushing her to begin to develop an idea of herself as a contributor to the world around her.

Still worried about getting into Harvard? Don't worry, the benefits of being involved in community service work will put your mind at ease.

Benefits of Community Service

1. Improve motivation and self-esteem

Volunteering or participating in a community service project can be an immensely rewarding and meaningful experience. Oftentimes the results of your work are more tangible than a typical school project. You can directly see the ways in which your efforts have helped people or places around you, whether it's a beach you cleaned up or hungry mouths you fed. For many children, that is more meaningful and rewarding than getting a high grade on a math test. You might even find that children and teens who seem apathetic or unmotivated in other contexts become the polar opposites of themselves when they see that the work they are doing is authentic and making a meaningful difference. The result: higher self-esteem.

2. Opportunity for career exploration

A natural byproduct of volunteering is career exploration. Children and teens are introduced to new fields. They are often mentored or supervised by professionals or more experienced volunteers. They can begin to think about what kinds of work they might want to do in the future. Maybe they'll discover that they love designing posters after making them for a food drive and start to think about a career in graphic design. Or perhaps they realize that they enjoy working with animals after volunteering at the animal shelter and begin to consider a career in veterinary medicine. Even if the volunteer experience doesn't directly relate to a potential career, children and teens are still learning essential interpersonal and "work" skills that will serve them in any career.

3. Stand out on college applications

While this shouldn't be the primary reason behind participating in community service, it is certainly a benefit. Colleges look for well-rounded applicants. Meaningful involvement in community service projects can help an applicant stand out during the admissions process.

4. Develop empathy

Community service projects can broaden a child's perspective by exposing them to people and situations they might not typically encounter. For example, volunteering in a soup kitchen or collecting coats for the homeless helps children reflect on how not everyone is as fortunate as they are. What would it be like to not know where your next meal is coming from or if you will be warm enough on a cold night?

5. Practice executive function skills in an authentic context

Of course this is my favorite benefit of community service! Here are just a few executive function skills that might be exercised through a community service project:

Planning, prioritizing, and time management

A successful community service project will require planning and prioritizing. What kind of service project would you like to do? How can you make it happen? What steps do you need to take to begin? What is important to focus on first?

Goal-directed persistence

Depending on the type of service project, children and teens can face challenges along the way. If the project is lengthy, complex, and/or spans weeks or months, it will require them to sustain attention and stay focused on a long-term goal. If the project is meaningful to them, this can be an excellent opportunity to practice perseverance.

Flexible thinking

Most community service projects or volunteer opportunities will require flexibility. From not being able to do exactly what you want to do, to having to work with a variety of people, to having to readjust plans when something unexpected happens, children and teens will need to practice flexible thinking. As they learn to shift and pivot in the face of setbacks and challenges, they will develop resilience that can serve them in every area of their lives.

Not sure how to start?

Start small. Earth Day is a perfect opportunity to start thinking about how our actions affect the world around us. This printable Earth Day Bingo is one easy way to involve your entire family in taking small steps that together can make a big impact. Grab yours below!

Are you a teacher? Check out my Earth Day resources here.