Community Service in Homeschooling: 6 Reasons Why You Should Do It4 min read

Community service often has a negative connotation because it’s usually a form of punishment that is doled out. But hear us out: we think community service is a great way to help our kids learn and grow.

You could even help your kid improve their critical thinking and social skills. So much good comes out of community service.

Still not convinced?

Keep reading!

6 Benefits of Community Service in Homeschooling

Sometimes, community service is a requirement that has to be completed for graduation. For kids, community service can be a great way to help them discover more about themselves.

So here’s why you should consider including community service in your homeschooling curriculum.

Community Service helps build social skills

Volunteering is one of the best ways to help your kid learn about the world around them. It is also a great way to help your kid develop some social skills.

Community is the glue that holds us together and by volunteering, your kid can get the opportunity to get out there.

It can also help to meet other like-minded people and give you the chance to help expand your kid’s social circle.

Volunteering offers you the possibility to exercise and increase your social skills, due to the fact you are generally with a team of humans with frequent interests. Once you have momentum, it’s less difficult to department out and makes more fantastic pals and contacts.

Community Service gives your family more time together

More often than not, we hope that our kids will grow up to share the same values as us. Of course, kids are complete human beings who end up forming their own beliefs and attitudes.

Children learn a lot from what the adults around them do. When you spend time with your family volunteering, you show your kid that giving back to your community is important.

You exhibit how volunteering makes a difference and how important it is to society.

It boosts self-confidence

Volunteering is a great way for your kids to improve their self-confidence and self-esteem. The main reason for this being when they volunteer, they see a whole new world, which also helps them understand themselves better.

With a better sense of self, kids also get a better sense of purpose. Working on causes that matter helps us feel good about ourselves. It also inspires us to be better in the way we conduct ourselves. This will motivate kids to volunteer more, which will make them feel even better, creating a positive reinforcement cycle.

Community Service combats depression and anxiety

Alleviating anxiety and depression is another essential advantage of volunteering. One of the key components of depression is social isolation.

Volunteering helps maintain you in regular contact with others. It helps you advance a stable support system, protecting you from stress and despair when you’re going through difficult times.

Working with pets and different animals has additionally been proven to enhance temperament and minimize stress and anxiety.

It helps your physical health

Volunteering is a great way to get in more physical activity. It helps kids spend more time on their feet and can help improve their physical strength.

This is especially beneficial if your kid does not like to or is unable to play sports like other skills.

Community Service helps build interpersonal skills

When working with others, kids also learn a great deal of skills that will be useful in later life. For instance, kids who work to raise money for a local charity may realize they like working with numbers and may consider a career in finance.

Kids who tend to volunteer in organizing events may realize that they have good leadership skills and influence their career choices as well.

On top of all this, volunteering instills key principles of empathy, hard work, and more, which will make them well-rounded individuals.

Keep in mind…

If you’re not already volunteering, make sure that you start slow. You will want to maximize the benefits and reduce the stress, so make sure to do your research on local volunteering opportunities.

Introducing it to kids may prove difficult, but try to talk to them about it as much as you can. If you plan to do it together, your kid will be more likely to try it.

Remember, each family has its own needs. Figure out what suits your family the best. You can do a trial-and-error with each cause to see which will be of most interest to your kid. Begin with small community service projects that can be split up over time.