Community/Volunteer Activities

One significant way educators can help develop students' sense of worth and social conscience is to empower students to make a difference.  There are many ways students can impact their community and the lives of others by volunteering their time and talents.  Here are just a few ideas your class or school can use to get involved outside the classroom.   

• Plant flowers, plants and trees on school grounds.  Students can be responsible for watering, pulling weeds, and keeping the area beautiful. Incorporate this activity into a lesson plan by explaining where certain flowers came from, types of trees, how climate affects vegetation, etc. Or, students can plant flowers for residents at a long-term health care facility to enjoy.

• Set up time at a city library for students to read stories to younger kids. Or, have middle school and high school students act out famous fairy tales to show kids how much fun stories can be.

• Lead students to organize a food or clothing drive for charity. Once a charity has been chosen, give students an opportunity to learn more about it by setting up a tour, or having a representative come and speak to the class. Set goals for individual students, classrooms or grades to reach, then celebrate when goals are met and exceeded. Have students create posters or other visual reminders that track progress along the way.

• Pick-up trash and litter around the school and neighborhood. This is a great group activity that will teach kids the importance of not littering and will instill a sense of pride for keeping their school and neighborhood beautiful.

• Allow students to choose their own service project. Provide a list of approved volunteer opportunities to choose from, and have each student journal what they learned and experienced through volunteering.