Every night, I would love to create a home-made meal for my daughter.  Hard as I try, it just can’t happen.  Some evenings, I just pop a box in the microwave and tear open the pouch.  Just as much as we want to nourish our kids’ bodies, we also want to nourish who they are as members of the human race.  One way to do this is teaching them how to give back.  Sometimes, it feels like there is not a lot of time to do this either.

That’s why YesKidzCan! has created a variety of quick and easy charitable giving projects for your kids.  They include crafts ideas, games, recipies, and other activities that are simple to set up, fun to do, and reinforce the importance of kind acts.  All the materials are free and downloadable with a click of the mouse.  Print out our “You’re Awesome” Card, and have your kids color it in and give to someone as a day brightener.  Next time you ask your kids to clean out their closets, download our Surprise Messages for them to fill out an tuck inside the outgrown shoes for the donation bag.

Check out some of our other simple projects.  You may just end up having extra time to cook that home-made meal after all!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

One in four kids in America doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from. You and your kids can help change this the next time you go to the grocery store.

In stores now, ConAgra brands of peanut butter, canned pasta, TV dinners, and other items have a special promotion code on them.  You can find the designated products as well as enter the promotional code from the packaging on the Child Hunger Ends Here website.  For every promotional code you enter, one meal is donated to local Feeding America food banks. 

No child should start or end the day hungry. Go grocery shopping with your kids and have them help you select food items that nourish their bodies, open their hearts, and feed other children.

 ©YesKidzCan!, 2011

Ellen Sabin really understood how to guide kids ages 6-11 through learning about charitable giving when she wrote The Giving Book.  This hardcover, spiral bound book inspires and engages kids about giving back to the world in an easy-to-understand and interactive format.  The book’s colorful and lively illustrations lead kids through the process of creating a “scrapbook” of their giving experiences in a fun and meaningful way.  By the end of the journey, kids gain a sense of their compassion and interests in charitable giving and believe that their actions can help to change the world.  We think The Giving Book is an excellent resource for parents, educators and others hoping to open the door to a lifetime of giving.

Did you know that many parents in developing countries do not have photos of their children?  One organization, Dog Meets World, is dedicated to remedying this.  This memory making nonprofit has “photo diplomats” who travel abroad to take photographs of families and give them a picture as a gift.  A a $30 dollar donation, covers the cost of 100 photos, and you receive your own Foto pup – a stuffed animal that is the organization’s mascot and is held by participants when their picture is taken.  Talk to your kids about using some allowance, birthday, or holiday money to support this effort.  Talk about a nice way to make someone smile!  

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

We’ve found a new website that combines three activities kids enjoy doing:  design, competition, and doing good.  It’s called Contest Cause, and it offers an easy way for you and your kids to start a fundraising effort around your favorite cause.  Basically, the site provides an online platform for creating and selling t-shirts for causes, and there are four simple steps:   First, register and start a t-shirt design contest on the site for your cause, and invite everyone to participate; second, using the site’s graphics (or upload your own!), create a t-shirt design for the chosen cause; third, invite your friends to get involved and vote; and fourth, raise funds by selling the winning shirt.  One-third of all sales go directly to your cause.  The lighthearted tone and simplicity of this website’s concept is refreshing.  As they like to say, “Be a Do-Gooder, and Look Good Doing it!”

It is no surprise that moms and kids see the world from different vantage points.  Why should the topic of giving back be any different?  As revealed by a recent survey conducted by Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks®, The Parenting Group’s MomConnection® Research Network , there is a balance to be reached between kids who expressed their eagerness to give back and moms who feel understandably challenged when it comes to figuring out how and when to support their kids’ interests.  The research shows that parents struggle with:

• deciding what is the appropriate age kids should start giving back,
• determining the right activities,
• believing that kids can make more of a difference locally rather than globally,
• making time, and
• lacking funds to support charitable efforts.

 On the other hand kids are ready, willing, and able to give back according to this research.  Kids feel they:

• can give back in meaningful ways at any age,
•  would enjoy any number of volunteer activities – ranging from sending care packages to soldiers to participating in fundraisers,
• can help anyone anywhere in the world, and
• would rather be giving adults when they grow up than wealthy adults.

As with most parent-child relations, perhaps the answer is somewhere in the middle.  Your family has to do what works best for all members of your family.  Here’s one easy option to consider. Now through May, you can look for specially marked “Win & Give” Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks packages in stores.  For every child that wins in the United States, Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks will donate a laptop to a child in Africa.  It’s a pretty easy way for parents and kids to help change the lives of other kids.  And if you don’t win from your purchase, you and your kids can visit WinOneGiveOne online,  and play “Be a Hero” to help donate additional computers to kids in need.  Whether making a purchase or going online, it takes limited time.  It costs little to nothing. And, you can do it together and make a difference for a kid living on another continent. 

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

Evan from from Frederick, Maryland is a shining example of how young kids have what it takes to make a difference.  In Evan’s case — with cookies!  He wanted to figure out a way to support pediatric cancer.  So, he decided to bake oatmeal, sugar, and chocolate chip cookies and sell them by the dozen.  He used his mother’s Facebook page to promote his effort and handed out flyers to his fifth grade friends.  He sold 70 dozen cookies and raised $2,480 with help of a matching gift and donated it to Cookies for Kids Cancer.

This is a great example of how a young kid can “be the change.”  Evan’s idea did not need to be complicated. But Evan needed to feel motivated to help. He needed to believe in himself.  And, he needed to put in some work and have some supportive adults in his corner.  Thanks to Kids Are Heroes for sharing stories like this one and lifting up young social entrepreneurs like Evan.

Allow us to introduce you to Susan Newmand and Mary Jo Rhodes – two social entrepreneurs passionate about frogs.  Yes, frogs!

They founded an organization called Frogs are Green, a conservation group with the mission of alerting people to the potential extinction of frogs and other amphibians and offering solutions for their survival.

Frogs absorb chemicals into their skin and are extremely sensitive to environmental threats.  We ingest and absorb the same chemicals in our water and other consumer projects, and frogs serve as excellent environmental messengers by showing us potential dangers.  These animals face serious environmental threats from toxins in the environment, climate change, and over collection by the pet, laboratory, and restaurant trade.

To raise funds to support their work, Frogs are Green sells adorable t-shirts, calendars, posters and other resources.  They also offer contests as ways to get children involved.

Frogs are Green offers a fun way for our kids to learn about using business ventures to help solve social problems, and at the same time, learn about the potential threats to an amphibian that is a kid favorite – the green frog.

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

Giving back . . . We know it’s important to teach it.  We know our kids will benefit from it.  And, we know our communities need it.  It does take time and energy.  In fact, a recent survey of moms confirmed that they feel challenged when it comes to engaging kids in charitable activities.  According to the Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks®, The Parenting Group’s MomConnection® Research, “40 percent of moms said they don’t have enough time, and nearly one-third believe they lack the funds necessary to get kids involved.”  But there are ways to engage young kids in charitable giving that are convenient for you, fun for your kids, and worthwhile overall.  Especially with Spring Break around the corner, we are all looking for ways to keep our kids interested, energized, and occupied.  Here are some ideas to consider to minimize the challenges and maximize the ease of involving younger kids in community service.

1) Start Young:  You can involve your kids in a giving experience when they are as young as three or four. Even toddlers can help put outgrown shoes in a donation bag, pass along unwanted stuffed animals or toys, or gather canned goods.

2)  Talk. Rather than feel pressured to plan a volunteer activity, talk about giving back.  During meals, driving in the car, or bedtime, ask your kids if they know what it means to be charitable.  You can explain that giving back can include donating money, time, or talent.  You can also give or ask for examples of kind acts and build on these discussions over time.

3)  Think small!  Reinforce your kids’ little acts of kindness.  When your children show signs of compassion (such as saying hello to classmate who is shy, giving a friend a hug, or paying someone a compliment) acknowledge their actions by telling them how proud you feel. 

4) Find the right fit.   Take the time to select a community service activity that works well with your kid’s personality, interests, and learning style.  If your child is shy, for example, avoid volunteering in an environment that is over-crowded, loud, or overwhelming.  Tap into what your kid loves.  If your child adores animals, consider supporting an animal shelter.  Your kid may be more engaged by a book with messages about giving back or kindness.  Watch a movie or television program about social action, going green, or animal welfare.  Characters or storylines that illustrate good deeds can help reinforce the values you are trying to teach.  

5) Make it fun.  Invite over a play date and involve the kids in a simple service project such as writing thank you notes to members of the military, drawing pictures for children recovering in a hospital, or baking treats for a neighbor.  Afterwards, go out for ice cream, lunch, or to a playground. 

The importance of making charitable giving part of your kids’ lives is underscored by the research as well:  “Most 7-12 year olds realize they don’t need to be an adult to make an impact, and more than nine in ten believe they’ve already made someone’s life better by helping them out. So, try out something simple and see where it takes you.  Kids already have the belief and the interest.  Many times, it is we parents that need the extra support!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011