I know Christmas is over, and decorations are packed away for next year, but I had a friend ask how my children did with their service project, instead of exchanging gifts with each other. So I thought I would do a Christmasy post in January.
The first Monday in December, my kids drew names out of a hat, the person they drew were their service buddy for the month. The goal was to preform some act of service every day, when they did their service and reported it to Dadzoo or I they were able to add a “service ornament” to the Christmas tree.
They started off the project with a huge bang, the first day they had all done some kind of service before I had even woken up. I was very much encouraged. As time went on, they forgot and had to be reminded everyday, which is fine, but it even got to the point where some weren’t doing service at all. My more motivated children were pretty consistent, but the lesser motivated children had to be reminded, and still forgot sometimes. It was also a tad hard with my youngest, he is 3, and while he could do little things for his secret buddy, it was mostly up to me to help him do it, and sometimes even I forgot!
So, was it a success? I would say, yes. There was a spirit of service, and a lot of nice things were done for each other. We will be doing it again next year, for sure, but a little different. I think we will either do it for a shorter time, maybe the week before Christmas, or switch service buddies a few time throughout the month to keep things fresh, new and fun.
Did you try anything new this Christmas?
That is such a fun idea!
What a wonderful idea. It changes the whole feel of the season.
Erika
I really like that idea. It gives the kids a visible reminder of the things they've done for each other and they can see their kindness grow with every ornament.
i love the idea but i think with my troop we will try changing daily to keep it fresh and exciting! 🙂 and hopefully that will help me remember too!;)
I love the idea and I want to try it when my kids are older. Thanks for sharing it with all of us!
Diane