Getting involved in their local community gives children a sense of belonging and broadens their perspective on the world around them. It also helps forge their sense of identity and their place in society. You can get your child involved in the community in a variety of different ways, and doing so will only enrich their lives. Here a prep school in Hertfordshire outlines some of the other important benefits children get from community involvement.
Gratitude
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Going out into the community and seeing how different people’s lives are will give your child a new perspective on their own life. They may realize how much they have to be thankful for in comparison to others, and by helping people in the community they’ll feel others’ gratitude toward them. This will boost their confidence and self-esteem.
Altruism
By volunteering on a community project which helps people in need, your child will learn how good it feels to spend time relieving others’ suffering in some small way or solving a problem for them. They’ll develop empathy and learn about the importance of always being kind to others and treating them how you would wish to be treated.
Social skills
Interacting with different members of the community will help develop your child’s social skills. They’ll engage in conversations with people they might not normally talk to and learn how to speak to people of different ages and from different backgrounds and cultures.
Open-mindedness
Seeing that people live their lives differently to them opens children’s eyes to the fact that life is not black and white, and the world is not the same everywhere. Through this they’ll develop the ability to be tolerant of others, as well as patient and understanding when people express different views or opinions to theirs.
Safety
Getting to know lots of different people gives your child a network of friendly people looking out for them. This creates a feeling of belonging and safety, as everyone looks out for each other. They’ll learn who they can approach if they have a problem while they’re out and about, for example, people in positions of authority like policemen.
Learning opportunities
Participating in community activities will provide many different learning opportunities for your child; for example, volunteering in a care home will give them the chance to interact with elderly people and learn how different generations lived when they were younger, and volunteering in a shop will equip them with interpersonal and customer service skills.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to the benefits of community involvement for children!
Note: This is a collaborative post
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