16 Jul Volunteer Work in Prescott for Children in Summer
Summer is finally here, which means children have a long break from school. As a parent whose kids are home during the summer, you may be searching for fun and educational activities to keep your kids occupied and give them something to do—other than staring at the TV or getting lost in video games for hours at a time. Children’s minds and bodies need activity and their imaginations thrive on new, positive experiences. So, in addition to daycare, visiting family, or planning vacation trips, our Prescott Dentistry office has a great suggestion for you: volunteer work in Prescott. Why not give your children the experience of visiting elderly residents in a nursing home? It will teach them to honor and respect older people, and it will fill a giant need in the hearts of the often-lonely people you’re visiting.
While volunteering to visit and/or help out at a nursing home is incredibly beneficial for the elderly residents, there are also many positive influences on the children who visit. Children will learn the value of giving to others. They’ll grow in social skills by learning how to communicate with people of a different age, and gain confidence by meeting and speaking with new people. And their understanding of community and community service will expand. Here are some of the communities in our area to check out: Granite Gate Senior Living, Meadow Park Care Center, and Highgate Senior Living.
Residents in a nursing home may not get a lot of visitors, and in particular, they may not receive many visits from children. By taking your kids to visit elderly people in a nursing home, you can brighten residents’ days, and even become the high point of their weeks’ activities. And your visit will make them feel loved and valued.
There are many opportunities for joining in on some of the activities in nursing homes, from spending times playing cards or games with a resident, reading to residents, helping residents as they attend events within the nursing home, and participating alongside them in events that help to keep their minds sharp. Children can help with setting up or aiding in these events, or play one-on-one with residents in various activities. Another possibility is to allow residents to teach your children skills they’re good at, like doing crafts, knitting, or crocheting.
Our office believes in getting kids involved in the community at a young age, so why not give back to the elderly residents of our community who will greatly benefit from interactions with a younger generation?
And, since we’re a dental office, we’ll slip in a reminder that children need dental care and cleanings, too. If you schedule a dental cleaning this summer, before the school year starts, they won’t miss out on valuable class time throughout the school year. At Prescott Dentistry, we’re a kid-friendly office, and we’ll do our best to make your children feel safe and cared for when they come in for a cleaning. Here’s to a good summer, filled with growth and fun and volunteer work in Prescott!
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (7/16/2018) George (Flickr)