It’s Random Acts of Kindness Week, and our message to kids is: It’s Cool to Be Kind!  And easy, too.  Encourage your kids to smile at someone who is helping them, give a friend a compliment, help a teacher straighten the classroom, or be more patient with a sibling.  Or take it to another level.  Have your kids leave a book that he or she finished somewhere with a note on top that invites someone else to take it and read it. Offer to walk a neighbor’s dog or water the plants.  Give your kids some quarters and have them feed a few parking meters.  Whatever you do, it can be fun or playful.  You can encourage kind acts toward people you know or those you don’t.  Or, you can come up with your own “stealth” acts of kindness.  Even if the recipient doesn’t know who the kindness came from, just knowing that you might have made someone’s day is pretty powerful stuff.

© YesKidzCan!, 2012

Earlier this week, we shared no-cost ways you and your kids can make a difference.  Today, we have examples of how a$10 or less contribution carries a lot of value.  Here are several ideas to consider (with acknowledgement to O Magazine for many of the ideas):

• For $1.00 – two books shipped to a classroom in Africa via Books for Africa.
• For $2.00 – a set of drumsticks for drum instruction for students in low-income public schools via Little Kids Rock.
• For $3.00 – a field trip to a concert, museum, or theatrical production for high-risk youth via CreateNow.
• For $4.00 – two hours of pre-paid phone time so a soldier who is overseas can call home via Cell Phones for Soldiers.
• For $5.00 – a one-burner kerosene stove for a family that would normally need to good on an open fire via Food for the Poor.
• For $6.00 – measles vaccines for 15 kids in a developing country via Doctors Without Borders.
• For $7.00 – a week’s worth of food for an abandoned dog or cat via the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
• For $8.00 – a teaching doll to help a child learn more about receiving cancer treatment via St. Jude’s.
• For $10.00 – a box of nails to improve accessibility to a recovering veteran’s home via Homes for Our Troops.

It just goes to show that the price point has nothing to do with the difference you can make.

© YesKidzCan!, 2012

Here’s a good News Year’s resolution: give back in the new year without spending a dime. There are ways for you and your kids to be charitable for free!  Here are some creative ideas that involve donating your time, talent, and a little bit of treasure.

• Adopt a favorite outdoor spot.  If your child loves the outdoors, pick a favorite spot such as a park, trail, or playground and make a commitment to go there regularly; not just to enjoy what it offers, but also to keep it clean for the community.  This costs nothing but a little time!
• Encourage a research project.  Talk with your child about what issues or causes are important to him or her.   Invite your child to do some research on the topic, write it up, create a PowerPoint presentation, or give a little speech on the subject to the family.  Not only will you be helping your child feel great pride and a sense of accomplishment, your kid’s enthusiasm could be contagious and motivate your family to do more in this area. watch the contributions grow.
• Use your voice.  There are many people who would love some company, have someone to talk to, or have a book read to them.  If this of interest to your kids, contact a local senior center, assisted living facility, or hospital volunteer coordinator.  You can also see if your faith group knows of members who would benefit from some extra attention.
• Care for animals.  Animal shelters depend on volunteers to do many tasks around the shelter including walking, brushing, and playing with the animals.  Many shelters do have age limits, but some allow younger children if they are accompanied by an adult. Connect with your local shelter to find out their requirements which may include attending an orientation and committing to a certain number of volunteer hours per month.

With some creative thinking and your willingness to give your time, you and your kids can make a big impact without spending anything.  Look for our next blog which will feature a handful of ways to make a big difference with just a little cash!

© YesKidzCan!, 2012

Did your kids get holiday money this year?  They probably have big plans for what to buy — as they should!  It is exciting to have cash to spend!  At the same time, you could use this as an opportunity to teach your kids about spending some and donating some.

One way to do this is through Youth Give.  Youth Give was created to help  children, youth, and families easily donate to charities they care about in a safe and secure way.  Youth Give helps families create “Giving Accounts”  to help make philanthropy an ongoing part of their lives.  A Giving Account is a personal philanthropic account used to make donations to individual charities. It’s like having your own personal foundation.   It can be opened for a newborn, a toddler, teen, or college student.  You or anyone you invite can add money to the account which is held for future giving.  The account owners can donate online to a cause of their choosing from a menu of vetted organizations.

Kids can contribute as little as one dollar to get it started.  And, every penny goes to the selected charity.  And Youth Give’s list of nonprofit recipients is expanding nationally and globally.

So, consider making a Giving Account part of this year’s holiday tradition. It’s a great way to help your kids set their own course as budding philanthropists.

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

(As published in Raising CEO Kids, June 19, 2011)

When should we start teaching our kids about money?  At very young ages, they seem to be awfully good at wanting to spend it!  YesKidzCan!’s Co-Founder Julie has two boys ages 7 and 9.  She and her husband feel strongly that if their kids want to spend money so badly, they should not only learn about spending it responsibly, but they should also appreciate saving and donating it!  When the boys were ages 6 and 8, they came up with an approach to teach them how to make thoughtful and personal choices with their allowance. Here’s what they did to foster financial responsibility, awareness, and generosity in their house:

• First, the spending piece.  They took their boys to the store so each could pick out their own wallet for money they can spend.
• Second, they each designed a “savings box” for money that will be kept for big-ticket items or the future.
• Third, the boys decorated a “giving jar” for money that will be donated.  They captured this fun project on video!

They spent time discussing the purpose and meaning behind each container, and also created a “matching savings program.”  Whenever the kids place money in the savings box, the boys understand that mom and dad will match it dollar for dollar.   They decided that the kids cannot touch their savings until after college.  On allowance payment days, the boys take out their jar, box, and wallet and they give them the payment in crisp one-dollar bills.  They watch as they choose how much money to put in each container without any coaching or coaxing.

To bring together the entire concept, they set up a family craft project.  They purchased a canvas and, working together, created a painting about the spend/save/give concept.  The painting hangs in their upstairs hallway in a spot that the boys regularly see as they race up and down the stairs.  The painting has literally added color and life to a topic that can sometimes cause kids to glaze over.

Parenting seems a little easier when fun and creativity are added to the mix!  Think of how much of a kick kids get out of learning fun synonyms for “money.” Words like dough, cash, bucks, or moolah. How about giving our kids equally fun ways to learn about finances?  Why not make “spend, save, give” part of your family time?

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

You know that gap of time when camp is over and school hasn’t started yet?   What to do with the little ones?  Here’s a different kind of project to consider.

• First, ask your kids to think about a cause that is really important to them — an issue, an organization, or a place.
• Next, have them do some (parent-supervised) research about that area.
• Encourage your them to brainstorm ways they can support their selected cause.  Check out these YesKidzCan! resources for ideas.
• Offer the option of including a timeline for  implementing their ideas.
• Suggest that your kids create a document, presentation or poster with visuals that summarize what they have learned and are proposing.
• Schedule a special time where your kids can make a presentation to the whole family.
• Explore if there are ways for the entire family to be involved.
• Provide positive feedback, and applaud their efforts.

This activity can be spread out over a period of time.   Just remember to encourage follow through.  Once the project is complete, you can ask your kids to create and present a summary of how things turned out. This kind of project goes beyond a way to fill time.  It offers a way to make time fulfilling!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

We all remember our first. Mine was a bunny.  (Did you think I was asking a different question?)  I’m talking about my first stuffed animal.  It was actually my sister’s, but she rejected it.  For me, it was love at first hug. So many hugs, in fact, that my mother had to re-sew the legs and arms back on countless times over the years.  When my daughter was born, my husband gave her a stuffed raccoon.  Eleven years later and she still keeps it in bed with her.

There is such sentimentality and nostalgia surrounding stuffed animals.  So it should come as no surprise that June 24 is Teddy Bear Day.  Yes, there is a “day” for everything…but I couldn’t resist this one.  So, in honor of all the bunnies, raccoons, and other furry friends we bonded to, I choose to acknowledge Teddy Bear Day.  You can as well.  There are a handful of groups who take pre-loved stuffed animals and make the day of a child who has experienced some kind of trauma or lives in war-torn areas.  Other groups gratefully accept new stuffed animals for children in hospitals, foster kids, orphans, and more.

• SAFE (Stuffed Animals for Emergencies)
• Project Smile
• Loving Hugs
• Project Night Night

Is Teddy Bear Day corny or a gimmick?  Perhaps. But I say turn it into an opportunity for you and your kids to pay it forward so other little ones can remember their first or most cherished stuffed animal.

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

Grocery shopping is not my favorite activity.  Lately, it seems like a mad rush to grab a gallon of milk or find that last-minute ingredient for the school bake sale I just learned about!  But there are days when I enjoy the experience.  There is beauty in the produce section.  The vivid, shiny colors.  The bakery aromas bring back cookie-making weekends with my grandmother.  And the pasta and salad dressing aisle brings a smile to my face.  That’s because there is always someone smiling back at me — Paul Newman.  There he is staring at me from the labels of his pasta sauces, salsas, marinades, and more.  I have always been a fan of his acting and blue eyes.  But as a philanthropy geek, I get a rush from the Newman’s Own company which he started and has ended up being a joyful nod to social enterpreneurism.  The Newman’s Own Foundation donates all profits from the products it sells to thousands of charities and has been doing so since 1982 to the tune of over $300 million dollars!  Knowing this, I always enjoy directing my daughter to select the Newman’s Own pasta sauce instead of other brands.  We happen to like the taste, but I also use the opportunity to remind her how choosing that product results in money going to charities. Plus, it’s fun to read the Newman’s Own-isms like “Sockarooni” and “Industrial Strength” to describe his product flavors. Okay, okay! I am an unabashed groupie, and why not? Newman’s Own is a great reminder that doing good can be good fun.

© YesKidzCan, 2011

When our kids do something great, we naturally tell them or show them how proud we are.  Recognition is an important part of teaching our kids about community service.  Of course, we hope that when our kids give back, they feel good about their actions on their own.  But have you noticed when we say ”atta boy” or “atta girl” to provide that extra pat on the back, our kid’s response is something like, “You are just saying that because you are my mom or dad!’

One way to try to get around this never-ending back and forth of words is to provide a more objective recognition.  Surprise your kid with a “You Did Good” Certificate of Achievement. You can download and print it out for free.  There is room on the certificate for you to sign it, and if it helps in any way, the certificate also has our signatures  — the co-founders of YesKidzCan!  We may not be rock stars, but we do know kids and philanthropy!  You could also consider giving them a cool t-shirt, binder, or mousepad with fun messages about giving back. (100% of the profits go to support children’s causes, by the way. You can tell your kids that, too!)

Check out more ideas for recognizing the good in your kids, and let us know other ways you’ve gotten responses beyond the eyeroll and heavy sigh!  We would love to know about them professionally . . . and as parents, too!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

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