Engaging young children in philanthropy and teaching them how to give back to their community instills values of kindness, empathy, and generosity that last a lifetime.
Here at Playful Learning, we believe in modeling these values for our students. Even more importantly, we feel it’s important to involve children in the art of giving back and learning how we can work together to make our local community a better place in which to live. With that in mind, we actively seek out opportunities and offer concrete learning experiences making them as tangible as we can, even for our youngest students.
One of our favorite experiences over the last two years has been our collaboration with Bookhampton, our local bookstore, in hosting a children’s book fair in the Playful Learning Studio. Prior to the book fair, our teachers brainstormed lists of their own favorite books centered around the themes of love and friendship (which was just in time for Valentine’s Day). Then to involve children in the experience, every step of the way, teachers asked their classes to make a list of their favorite books. Students loved coming to the book fair and browsing all of the titles that they helped curate.
However, the most important part of our philanthropic effort was in deciding to contribute our share of our proceeds from the book fair to another institution in East Hampton Village that shares our love of literacy, the East Hampton Library.
Our Primary Lab students took charge of this task and immersed themselves in a literature study that culminated in a field experience at the library.
Not only were they able to learn all about what their local library has to offer, and spent a great deal of time exploring books, they were also able to happily present the children’s room librarian with a stack of new books along with a check for $500!
We are so very proud of the children in our Toddler, Beginner, and Primary Labs for giving back to their community and learning the importance of being kind and responsible citizens.
Here are some ways you can continue the philanthropic spirit at home:
- Keep things simple (age-appropriate) and concrete.
- Identify things they like about their community (parks, libraries, playgrounds) and explain how it’s important to maintain and improve upon these areas.
- Identify ways they can give back to the community. Choosing opportunities that are especially meaningful to you and your family is a great place to start.
- Allow your child to be a part of the decision making process and make the experience fun.
- Model how you give back to the community. By seeing your example, they will be more likely to develop a giving spirit themselves.
QUESTIONS?
Do you have more questions about our early childhood classes? Click the button below to learn more about our preschool and summer lab programs.
