Are you looking for meaningful volunteer opportunities for your kids? Volunteering as a family is a powerful way to teach compassion, responsibility and the value of community. It allows you and your children to contribute your time and talents to causes that matter while spending quality time together. And while it might feel daunting to coordinate volunteer activities with your children at first, it doesn’t have to be. The right opportunities can be fun and incredibly rewarding for the whole family. It’s all about finding the right youth volunteer opportunities.
By carving out time in your family’s schedule for shared volunteer experiences, you’re not only helping those in need—you’re also creating meaningful moments and lasting lessons for your children.
Why Volunteer With Kids?
When it comes to family volunteer opportunities, the benefits of giving back to the community are easy to see. Volunteering will give your kids the chance to learn empathy, have a meaningful impact on the lives of others and teach them the value of giving back to those around them.
It can also be good to volunteer with kids so they can learn from your example and see your impact on your community when you work together as a family to help others.
Kids of all ages benefit from volunteering. Research through JAMA Network has found that children ages six to 17 who volunteer tend to be associated with better overall health and wellness. No matter your kids’ age, they can gain something from volunteering!
8 Exciting Volunteer Opportunities for You and Your Kids
Taking the time to volunteer with your kids throughout the year can give your family valuable time together. It can also help them grow into empathetic, thoughtful individuals. Here are eight of the best volunteer opportunities for kids.
1. Organize a Food Drive for a Local Food Bank
Giving back to the community is a huge part of volunteering, and one way to give back is by organizing a food drive for a local food bank. A food drive can be as simple as asking your neighbors to donate any shelf-stable food that won’t spoil and doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Your kids can even create flyers to post around the neighborhood.
You can also have your kids work with teachers or other leaders at their school to organize the drive and get students involved. They can volunteer with other kids to collect food for a local food bank and work as a team with other students to make the project a success.
Need to find a food bank near you to donate to? Feeding America, a nationwide network of local meal programs and food banks, offers a local food bank locator.
2. Contribute to a Little Free Library Near You
Little Free Libraries can be found all over the world. They are typically small, wooden boxes that house books and are part of a “take a book, share a book” free book exchange. You and your kids can contribute to local Little Free Libraries close to you by going through your family’s books to see if there are any you’re no longer interested in keeping. Anyone is free to donate books to any of the book-sharing boxes.
You can find one near you with the Little Free Library world map.
3. See if the Local Animal Shelter Has Volunteer Opportunities for Kids
Your local animal shelter or humane society are great places to volunteer. Each shelter might have various volunteer requirements and needs, such as an age limit for on-site volunteers or the activities they need help with. On-site volunteer work, including walking dogs, admin work and cleaning up after animals, might be a good fit for you and your older kids!
Even if the animal shelter doesn’t have volunteer opportunities for younger kids, they can still get involved. Help them collect items to donate to the shelter, such as animal food, treats, toys, leashes and cleaning supplies.
4. Participate in a Local Cleanup Day
Participating in a cleanup day is a great way to instill gratitude in your kids through community service. A cleanup day is all about bringing volunteers together to clean and spruce up all kinds of places, from neighborhood streets and empty lots to public areas, like beaches and parks. A local cleanup can be anything from picking up trash to planting trees and plants. Keep America Beautiful is a great resource for finding an established cleanup day near you, or consider organizing one with your kids.
5. Collect Books and Toys for Your Local Children’s Hospital
Volunteer opportunities for kids can involve various activities, including organizing a book or toy drive for a children’s hospital near you. Plus, it’s pretty straightforward: Help your kids collect new or gently used children’s books and toys and donate them. You can ask friends and family to donate and even consider reaching out to your neighbors and local organizations that might be able to help!
6. Become a Citizen Archivist With the National Archives
Perfect for parents and older kids interested in history, consider volunteering your time to the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) Citizen Archivist program. NARA is the nation’s record keeper and is responsible for preserving U.S. federal government records deemed important for legal or historical purposes.
NARA volunteers will help tag records with keywords to make the archive more searchable or by transcribing documents. This volunteer opportunity can be done virtually and helps to preserve unique history.
7. Find Out if There Are Volunteer Opportunities for Kids at the Local Zoo
To find volunteer work that’s more on the wild side, check to see if your local zoo or animal sanctuary needs volunteers of all ages. Some zoos have specific volunteer programs for teens, kids and even groups, including families. Zoo volunteer opportunities might include preparing food for animals, giving guided tours, interacting with zoo visitors or working alongside zookeepers.
8. Spend Time at Local Nursing Homes
Nursing homes often have volunteer opportunities for all ages, even kids. While nursing homes have staff on hand, they often don’t have as much time to socialize with residents as they would like. That’s where volunteers come in!
You and your kids can volunteer at local nursing homes to interact and socialize with residents. Depending on the nursing home, you might visit with residents one-on-one or even participate in specific program opportunities for kids and assist at activities hosted by the facility, like bingo and social events.
Get Out and Volunteer!
Give back to your community while also having a good time with fun volunteer opportunities for children that will engage them and make them feel part of their community. These volunteer opportunities can help your children learn valuable skills while positively impacting the world—and they can spend some precious time with you, too! Make family volunteering opportunities a great excuse to spend time together or find youth volunteer opportunities for your kids to benefit them by boosting their confidence and giving them valuable time with their communities. You won’t regret getting your kids involved, so see what’s out there that interests them and encourage them to volunteer!
This article was updated May 2025. Photo by Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com
