Finding the right volunteer role for your child

 Volunteering helps children develop selfless behaviour and a service-oriented perspective that may last through adulthood. These tips should help you find the right volunteer position for them.

• By volunteering in your own town or neighbourhood, your children will not only build valuable ties to your own community but also feel invested in it.
• Local programs, whether they are on helping the poor and less fortunate or are concerned with improving the environment, will help your children get involved in important matters near home.
• Children should be aware of world events and want to be part of making the planet a better place. However, the most effective way to help is by acting on the home front.
• Also, volunteering in one's own community is an important practice that will connect your children to meaningful interactions wherever they go.

• Make sure the volunteer position is relevant to your child's interests so that he or she enjoys the experience and learns as much as possible.
• If you have a child that is interested in animals, then a volunteer position with an animal rescue or wildlife centre is a perfect match because it instantly engages their interests.
• Children who are interested in music or creative pursuits may assist in those  programs for underserved youth or people with developmental difficulties.
• Placing children in a familiar field ensures their interests are engaged and underscores the need to be of service and provide help to those who need it.

• For a child, school is consistent, just as work will be consistent in the future. Volunteering should also be a constant part of a child's life if it's important to him or her.
• Volunteering provides an opportunity to strengthen educational and career skills that parallel and complement schoolwork.
• A weekly gig volunteering at a community garden, for example, is a great way for a future botanist or forester to get hands on training while helping the community.