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Kids Who Serve Others- Spreading Cheer

By Michelle Myers 8 Comments

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Do you want to raise children who are passionate about making the world a better place? Do you want them to have a heart for helping others? There are many ways we can instill these values in our children that can even be fun. Learn about Raising Kids Who Serve Others; Spreading Cheer. SunshineandHurricanes.com

Spreading cheer may sound like a holiday activity but it’s actually something you can do all the year through! Some of my dear friends and I rounded up our kiddos for a little crafting and a visit to an assisted living facility so we could spread some smiles and love!

This is a creative and inexpensive project with BIG impact, just my thing! I drew some inspiration from Valerie Weiner’s art and gathered my kiddos and some friends to create some Love Monsters. These little cards were so fun to make and came together quickly. The cards are meant to be hung on the bathroom mirror as reminders that God loves each of these precious people. Let’s get started!

Supplies Needed:

watercolor paints                                                                  watercolor paper or precut cardstock

wiggly eyes                                                                              black fine tip pens

Raising Kids Who Serve Others

Raising Kids Who Serve Others

We just began adding color splotches to the paper, one section at a time, with the paints. This was a great project and our bunch had kiddos from ages 2-12 and everyone was able to participate. The cards dried quickly and we added details with a black marker before gluing on the wiggly eyes.

Raising Kids Who Serve Others

 The finished monster cards!

We also used tempera paint to make some handprint flamingos. We let the kiddos paint their hands, press onto the paper and finished up the details. We were all set for our visit the next day!

Raising Kids Who Serve Others

I wish I had a picture of all 13 of us, holding hands and praying in the parking lot before we went inside. We just asked God to help us be a blessing and spread His love to everyone we meet and it calms all those little sweeties down before we head inside.

Kids Who Serve Others- Spreading Cheer

As moms, we talk with the kids beforehand about being friendly, offering smiles, hugs and handshakes, about looking people in the eye and speaking up, not mumbling when talking to the residents. The bigger picture in all of this is two fold: we’re teaching our kids, in a tangible way, to respect their elders & show compassion for others. The new friends we make are so excited to talk with the kids and the kids can see right away how they’re impacting these folks.

Raising Kids Who Serve Others- Spreading Cheer

This sweet lady is a special friend. She is completely blind and is reading the Bible in Braille each time we visit. It’s been a neat experience for the kids to hear her read and touch her Bible.

Raising Kids Who Serve Others-Spreading Cheer

We’ve visited a couple times and have plans to keep it up. My recommendation is 6-10 kids at a time, more than that can get overwhelming for the residents, kids, and the chaperones. Because of dietary restrictions, the best thing to bring along is artwork the kids created, whether it’s the projects that come home from school or art you set out to make with the kids. We are generally there about 45 minutes to an hour, which has worked out well.

So don’t wait, call your local assisted living facility and see when a good time would be for a visit, you won’t be sorry!

This post is part of our ongoing series on Raising Kids Who Serve Others, be sure to check out all of our simple ideas that encourage children of all ages to practice a lifestyle of service to their family, their community, and their world.

Raising Kids Who Serve Others – Spreading Kindness

Spreading Kindness- Raising Kids Who Serve

Raising Kids Who Serve Others

Raising Kids Who Serve

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Filed Under: Young Kids Tagged With: community service, Life Skills

About Michelle Myers

Michelle Myers is mom to four kiddos ranging from elementary thru high school, each with strong opinions and a flair for the dramatic. In other words, they're a lot like her. Former educator and lover of learning, she divides her time between carpool and Starbucks by reading voraciously and giving TED talks to herself at red lights. A Floridian for almost 40 years, Michelle loves the beach, making people laugh, and date nights with her hubby of 25 years...and yeas, they clearly married at age 7.
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Comments

  1. Kelli says

    July 22, 2015 at 6:07 pm

    This is a great idea. Sometimes I’m not sure what to do with so many art projects around the house. Slowly we could make a cute collection to take to an assisted living facility. Thanks so much for sharing this!

    Reply
  2. Katie Pinch says

    October 2, 2014 at 8:04 pm

    Such a sweet and touching activity!!!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Sharing the Holiday Magic - Family Traditions - Spoil My Family says:
    March 24, 2016 at 5:17 pm

    […] Kids Who Serve Others – Spreading Cheer from Michelle and Kira at Sunshine & Hurricanes […]

    Reply
  2. 10 Ways To Spread Holiday Cheer - Sunshine and Hurricanes says:
    December 31, 2015 at 5:02 pm

    […] more ideas on how to serve the world with your children, check out our posts on Raising Kids Who Serve Other: Spreading Cheer and Spreading […]

    Reply
  3. Ten People in Your Life Who May Need Encouragement Today | the striped pearl says:
    September 21, 2015 at 9:04 am

    […] ran across this article the other day about raising children who serve others. This was a great reminder that our […]

    Reply
  4. Raising Kids Who Serve Others - Sunshine and Hurricanes says:
    July 11, 2015 at 11:34 am

    […] Raising Kids Who Serve Others – Spreading Cheer […]

    Reply
  5. Raising Kids Who Serve: Spreading Kindness - Sunshine and Hurricanes says:
    July 11, 2015 at 10:54 am

    […] Raising Kids Who Serve Others: Spreading Cheer […]

    Reply
  6. How to Raise Kids Who Serve Others (in a Selfish World) - For Every Mom says:
    May 21, 2015 at 5:59 am

    […] Spreading Cheer- combine a little craftiness with an hour of your time for a lesson on compassion & respect […]

    Reply

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Hi There! We’re Michelle and Kira, two Florida moms who know that parenting is full of sunshine and hurricanes. So glad you are here. >>>LEARN MORE





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