It’s the season of giving and a time to think of giving instead of receiving.

It’s hard to know where to start your service endeavors because there are so many people in need and so many organizations that could use volunteers.

It can feel overwhelming, but the good news that if your heart is in the right place you can usually find a cause that you can volunteer your time and effort for.

And to help you get off on the right foot, here are five ways you can give back to your local or national community today and make where you live a better place.

Gather a clean-up crew

4 Ways to Help Your Community

Sadly, in most communities, there are areas that need a little extra love and care in the form of picking up trash and also cleaning it up in general.

Whether it’s a park, river, beach area, or other public areas, you can gather together a group of volunteers and create a clean-up project to help rejuvenate the community.

Make sure to get the permissions and permits you need, and then after that, go to work.

Your community will thank you for helping to beautify it, and those in charge will be grateful to not have to spend taxpayer money on it.

Volunteer to teach or help

If you have a specific skill you are really proficient at or are really good at teaching you may be able to volunteer to teach a class or be an aid.

For example, at a center that offers adult disability services you can ask if they need someone to teach a certain class or maybe the workers at the facility need help to put together a fun activity or program.

There are many places within your community that would probably love to have an extra hand.

Be a leader

Different, leader, best, unique, boss, individuality, original, special, worst, first, chief, champion and discrimination concept.

This can be applied to a community board or a little league coach, either way, you can definitely help your community out by becoming a leader in some organization that is city-run.

Since most of the time those positions are on a volunteer basis, becoming those leaders can help your voice to be heard in the community as well as affect lives for good.

Donate some money

Not everyone can put the time in to do something for the community, so if you have the means and big time constraints consider giving funds to a community cause in need.

Donations are very helpful to many organizations in your community, and you can do a little research to see where your money would best be served and then hand it over.

Share with your friends

The Science Behind the Joy of Sharing Joy

One person can really make a difference, but if that person gets their friends involved it can cause a positive ripple effect and before you know it there are people helping out everywhere you go which can only help your community.

If you are planning to volunteer or donate, share what you are doing with a friend, and if they want to get involved too, share with them how they can do their part.

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1. Thankful Tree

Gratitude and giving thanks is what this holiday is all about. Try this fun little thankful tree from The DIY Mommy this Thanksgiving season. Let your littles explore outside for the perfect fallen branch to be the base for their tree. Find a cute bucket or vase to place it in, filled with marbles, moss or dirt. Help them cut out leaves on which they can write down the things they are thankful for. Hang the leaves on the tree and you’re done! You can even have your child think of one thing they are thankful for each day and add a leaf every day.

2. Paint Chip Turkey

This is a fun one. Pick up some paint chips from the store, or let your kids pick out some color. Then use those for the turkey’s tail feathers. Have your kids write or draw what they are thankful for on the paint chips. You can pull these out at the Thanksgiving dinner table to have each child read off what they are thankful for this year. Find the full tutorial at Preschool Alphabet.

3. Wreath of Gratitude

Make a wreath with your child like this one from Parents.com. Pick up some colored paper and a styrofoam wreath from the dollar store. Have your kids write down or draw what they are thankful for and pin their leaves to the wreath. You could even go on a nature hike and find real leaves to add to this project.

4. Thankful Dry Erase Boards

With this craft, let your child pick out a picture frame and frame a paper that says “Today I am thankful for…” with some space to write what they are thankful for. Each day have them write down with a dry erase marker what they are thankful for. Let them decorate the frame with pompoms, glitter, leaves, or whatever their little minds can imagine. You can find some free printables for this craft at Bren Did.

5. Thankful Pie

With this fun craft, all you need are some paper plates, a bracket, paint (or markers), and something to write with. Turn one of the plates into a pumpkin pie with the paint, cut out a “piece” of the pie, and write the words “I am thankful for…”. On the bottom plate, have your child write the things they are thankful for. Attach both plates with a bracket in the center so they can turn the plates to show what they are thankful for each day.

6. Grateful Rocks

Find some rocks on a hike, or pick some up from a craft store, and let your child paint, write, or draw what they are thankful for on them. This is a great activity for the entire family to participate in. For a fun activity afterwards, you can even let your kids hide the rocks around the house (inside or outside) and try to find each other’s rocks. Find the tutorial for these rocks at Teach Kids Art.

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