13 Ideas to Get Your Child Excited About Serving Others

13 Ideas to Get Your Child Excited About Serving Others

October 1st, 2011

“Mom, it’s Emily’s turn to feed the dog!”
“I don’t want to take out the garbage.”
“Why do I have to help Julie get her shoes on?”
Have you ever heard statements like these in your house?
Teaching our kids why it’s important to serve others is a challenging task for us as parents. We are born with a selfish nature. Our inward focus on ourselves often prohibits us from seeing the needs of others.
But God’s plan is different. He sent His Son to teach us a new way: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)
So how can our kids become more like Jesus and begin to serve others? Perhaps these ideas will provide some helpful next steps:
Serve in the home

•  Model a servant’s spirit to your kids. If they see you complaining or grumbling about serving a family member or friend, what lesson will they learn?

•  Daily chores provide ongoing service opportunities for your kids. Things like setting the table and emptying the dishwasher are small acts of service that make a difference in family life.

•  Challenge your kids to show random acts of kindness to their siblings without being asked. Praise them when you catch them in the act!

Serve at your church

•  Volunteer to serve as a family in your church in the nursery or as greeters. If you’re a musical family, offer to sing or play an instrument during a weekend service.

•  Bring a meal to a new mom in your church or someone just home from the hospital. Read Galatians 6:10 and talk about what it means to serve others in need.

•  If your kids are old enough and have trusted Christ for salvation, teach them about spiritual gifts. Explain how they can use their gifts to build the body of Christ. Read Bible verses about spiritual gifts.

 Serve the community

•  Participate in community-wide food drives. Collect food and help stock food pantry shelves.

•  If a family member has recently battled an illness or disease, encourage your child to raise money for research or other fundraising activities.

•  Reach out to neighbors. Rake leaves, make cookies, invite them to your church or Awana ministry or have them over for dinner. Make sure the kids play a big part in this outreach.

•  Take your children with you to a nursing home. Bring pictures or cards or other small gifts to share with residents.

Serve the world

•  God commands that we show compassion and care to those in need. World Vision  has a helpful list of verses to read together as a family.

•  Participate in your Awana ministry to reach kids around the world through Adopt-a-Club.

•  Sponsor an international child through a child advocacy agency like Compassion. Pray for your sponsored child every night at dinnertime. Send notes of encouragement. Challenge your children to raise money for their overseas friend.

Additional Bible verses on serving:
Deuteronomy 10:12
Joshua 22:5
Joshua 24:15
Matthew 20:26-28
Romans 12:11
Ephesians 4:12
Ephesians 6:7
Philippians 2:5-11
Colossians 3:23-24

Taken from http://parenthelps.awana.org/