Share the Love

Posted by Susan Carney Feb 8, 2007

We all know the routine. It’s played out in most secondary schools across the country. It’s Valentines Day. Roses can be purchased and delivered to the recipient of your choice. But what seems like an innocuous expression of sentiment quickly dissolves into a popularity contest, yet another chance for those who have it to flaunt it over those who don’t. Yes, many kids grew up hating Valentine’s Day.

Rather than having kids spend money on something to give to each other, why not use this as an opportunity to teach them how to “Share the Love” with others? Show them some alternatives they may not have considered. Instead of spending five bucks to buy roses for their friends, help kids turn the focus off themselves and onto others with the following ideas:

For an animal shelter:

A bag of dog or cat food

Blankets, toys

Cat litter

For a hospital nursery or NICU:

Baby blankets

Hats, booties

Disposable cameras

For a food bank:

Toiletries

Canned goods

Boxed meals

For a women’s shelter:

Diapers

Small children’s toys

Baby food

Have kids brainstorm ideas for other recipients (Senior center? Daycare? Hospice?) and the types of donations that would be most helpful. Let kids be the decision makers: it helps foster ownership in the process

Involvement in a service project has many benefits. It helps teach kids empathy, a critical component of learning to care for others. Kids also learn planning and organizational skills, practice working as a team, and develop a sense of responsibility to their community. Most importantly, the sense of pride they gain from truly helping others enhances their sense of positive power and self-concept.