Holiday volunteering for families is a meaningful way to help children understand compassion, gratitude, and community during a busy season. Even young children can take part in age-appropriate acts of kindness that build empathy and connection.
Teaching kindness during the holidays helps children feel connected to the world around them. Simple giving activities help little ones:
Families in Gaithersburg and nearby communities often find that volunteering together strengthens family bonds and encourages children to see themselves as helpers.
To learn more about teaching gratitude to children, see:
Teaching Gratitude to Preschoolers: Tips, Activities, and Parent Strategies
Below are family-friendly holiday volunteering ideas for kids that require little preparation but create a lasting impact.
Children can make cards or small crafts. These can be gifted to family members, neighbors, teachers, such as those at our Silver Spring preschool, or other community helpers. Delivering these crafts or cards teaches children that thoughtful giving doesn’t have to be expensive; it can be personal, creative, and meaningful.
Turn donating coats, hats, and gloves into a small project:
Drop off the items at a local donation drive and let your child assist in handing them over so they see the impact of their giving.
Guide your child to make gift bags that include both practical items and something handmade:
Encourage them to choose the order of items, which helps with organization and decision-making skills, and let them deliver or drop off the bags to neighbors or families in need.
Make baking a hands-on, creative project:
Children can help select gently used or handmade toys and books to give to local hospitals, shelters, or teachers in early learning centers in Gaithersburg.
This activity helps children understand that receiving gifts during the holidays is special, but giving can be just as meaningful. Using toys they no longer play with to bring joy to another child teaches generosity and gratitude. Children also get to see the impact of their actions, practice decision-making and organization, and experience the joy of sharing with other kids.
Holiday volunteering for families doesn’t need to be complicated. Small, developmentally appropriate activities help children understand kindness in ways that feel fun, playful, and accessible.
A few parent tips:
Educators in Gaithersburg schools often find that even one small act of kindness sparks ongoing conversations about giving and generosity all year long.
With just a few simple activities, families can turn the holiday season into a time of connection, kindness, and meaningful learning. By involving children in giving back, even in small ways, you help them develop empathy, gratitude, and confidence that lasts well beyond winter
For more activities to do this winter, see our posts on:
MCCA has been recognized by the Maryland State Legislature for its commitment to Montgomery County issued a quality programs and special needs child care Proclamation in 2016 to MCCA for its commitment to Montgomery County child care for more than 50 years. MCCA was also selected as a 2018 nonprofit finalist for a MOXIE Award for boldness and innovation
MCCA is the oldest nonprofit licensed child care provider in Montgomery County and started its work in 1968 as a Community Action Project of the War on Poverty. Recognizing the need for quality child care programs in their neighborhoods, a group of local activists formed an association to establish centers in Montgomery County that would serve a diverse population and establish high standards for child care. Now, more than 50 years later, MCCA’s dedicated and expertly trained staff continue their tradition of providing high quality child care and play-based education for children.
Families with school aged children who can afford their child care expenses during the school year often struggle to afford the all-day programs they need when school is out for the summer. The Richard Krampf Summer Adventures Scholarship Fund was established to help provide children a safe and stimulating place to spend their weeks when school is out. Please contact an MCCA Director for details on how to apply.
