P L A N T E D S O F K I N D
YOU rarely find a family that does not participate in charitable works during the holy month. Some distribute meals and donate money while others do voluntary work. Volunteering is not limited only to distributions and helping others in doing good deeds, but it can also be through a kind word and a smile, especially to those we do not know.
Volunteering is a simple language of communication that makes everyone feel loved. How can we help our children volunteer? Family consultants say parents should instil volunteering in children from a young age. Plant the seeds of good values and it will grow along with them to adulthood. Children who perform acts of kindness increase well-being, popularity and acceptance among their peers. It will lead to better behaviour in the classroom and higher academic achievement.
The first step that parents must take is to choose some home activities for the child, direct him/her, follow up on his/her work completion, and set an example for the child. Whenever a child sees his/her parents doing volunteer work, the values of love, goodness and helping others become entrenched within him/her, and s/he begins to follow parents’ good deeds.
Promote compassion: While fasting during Ramadhan, the feeling of hunger and thirst can be used to illustrate the plight of children who normally cannot find food and a safe place to live. It will make your child feel the extent of every person’s need and appreciate their feelings and circumstances.
Encouragement to help: Children can be encouraged to help others, whether the elderly, or to search for places that need volunteers, such as nursing homes and orphanages. They can also be urged to participate in meeting the needs of others for food, drink, clothing, or money. Encouraging the child with motivating words, talking to him/her about the basics of Islam and the results of doing good in our lives, reading stories and telling examples from the life of the Prophet can motivate children. Treat them with respect: Experts say when you treat your children with respect, love and appreciation, they will share this feeling with you. They will be a mirror of you in society, so that they will love others, be calm, and be able to deal with their emotions.
Help them volunteer: Parents should encourage children to visit hospitals and care homes. Experts stress that practical implementation is more important than theoretical explanation to the child, so parents strive to assist others in front of the children so that they see the impact of such actions in reality.
Parents must realise that our children learn only through small acts of giving. To become changemakers they should teach children means to be good persons and citizens so that these interventions become force multipliers in their communities.
Children who perform acts of kindness increase well-being, popularity and acceptance among their peers. It will lead to better behaviour in the classroom and higher academic achievement