Make the Most of a Rainy Day | Family Volunteer Ideas
Rainy days don't have to ruin your kid's summer schedule! If you find yourself cooped up inside because it's too wet outside to play, turn your rainy day into a day of doing GOOD for others.
1. Clean your closets. Rainy days are the perfect reason to stay in and get organized. Spend the time to empty and sort your closets, getting rid of old clothes that don’t fit your kids anymore. In the meantime, your kids can sort through toys to get rid of things they don’t play with or have outgrown. At the end of the day, box up your gently used clothes and toys and donate them to a local charity, like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or St. Judes.
2. Bake sweets for your neighbors. Make the best of a rainy afternoon indoors by baking some sweet treats for your neighbors, be it an elderly neighbor who lives by themselves, a new mom, you name it. Incorporate summer learning math and science lessons by asking kids to help count and measure ingredients, set timers, stir, mix, etc. At the end of the day, keep a few treats for home, and have your kids deliver the rest to neighbors. (See more: 4 Ways to Help Your Elderly Neighbor)
3. Write cards to a nursing home or homeless shelter. Brighten a strangers day with a simple handwritten card! This rainy day volunteer activity is a great boredom buster too, encouraging kids to get creative and use all the arts and crafts supplies at their disposal. When they’re finished, have them seal the cards in envelopes and practice addressing the letters to a local nursing home or children's shelter.
4. Get some shopping done, while doing good. If you're stuck inside and getting some online shopping done anyways, why not give back at the same time? There are a ton of online platforms that support "cause shopping" where by with each purchase you make, you donate to a cause or group you care about. Sites like Amazon Smile and iGive are great example - find these and more in our Shopping for Good blog post. You can get everything you need purchased online, while knowing you made a difference too.
5. Pack "Blessing Bags". Add a few items to your next grocery list - small toiletries, granola bars, bottles of water, socks, gum, etc. Store somewhere dry for your next rainy day inside with the kids so that you have everything you need to pack "blessings bags." Pack a couple of each item in a gallon size plastic bag with a handwritten note saying "Hi, hope you have a GOOD day!". Next time you're out running errands, hand out these bags to the homeless or other people you see in need on the streets, on the sides of the highways, etc.More ideas for goodies here.
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