A great way to spend time with your kids is to sponsor a child together
Sponsor A Child Through Compassion or World Vision:
What an opportunity you have here! You can change the life of another child just by putting this date on your to-do list. We didn’t do this as a date, but our family has been sponsoring children for ten years now. This date is powerful for your child, but even more so for another child somewhere across the world.
The idea is to sponsor a child through a reputable organization to help spread support and love around the world. By doing this, you agree to provide monthly financial support of approximately $30–$40 per month to a child living in extreme conditions of poverty, health, and hopelessness. This is the foundation of a strong, sturdy relationship. You build on this foundation by sending cards and letters and should receive correspondence from your sponsored child in return. Our family has tried to match a child of the approximate age of each of our children. With their small monthly donations, letters of encouragement, and love, your kids can help make a profound difference in the life of another child.
For your actual date, you can sit down with your child and talk about what you’re doing, comparing different sponsoring agencies, and choosing who you want to sponsor. If you wish, you can even go ahead and write your first letter together. This can be done on paper where your child can add drawings, etc., or you can do it online. This is an excellent opportunity to tell your sponsored child or children about yourselves and ask questions about their lives.
WMTDS (What Makes This Date Special):
What makes this date so unique among all the others on our Chalkboard Dates list is that it allows you to change someone’s life outside of your own child’s. Having been a part of this for a long time, I’ve been able to see what a change it can make in the lives of the sponsored children. To do this as part of a date would make it memorable for your child and continue to yield benefits for years to come.
Teachable Moments:
How privileged your family is compared to families in other parts of the world.
Education on sponsored child’s country and daily life.
Helping others who are less fortunate.
How your child, even being young and only one person, can make such a big difference to someone.
With this date, you can teach your children that their lives are different from those of so many around the world. This is true in terms of material well-being, education, and health care, among so many other things. You can research your sponsored children’s country, learning about the environment and conditions they live in. Talk about the similarities and differences in how their lives look compared to your own. You can teach your children about appreciating what they have and helping others who are less fortunate, especially kids.
Variations:
One variation for this date could be to check if your city has a restaurant with cuisine from your sponsored child’s country. You can go out to eat there as you talk through what you’re doing.
You could also commit to finding more sponsors for needy children by reaching out to other friends and family members.
Expense:
This commitment involves a small to moderate ongoing monthly expense. Our family’s sponsorships range between $30 to $35 per month. We also spend approximately $25 each year for birthday and Christmas gifts for each of our sponsored children. Keep in mind that all of your financial contributions are tax-deductible.
A great way to spend time with your kids is to sponsor a child together
Planning:
You can do all the planning for this date together and don’t need any advanced preparation. If you choose, you can predetermine the organization you want to use before your date. I have listed a couple we have relationships with below as a starting point, but there are more. You want to make sure you feel confident in the integrity of the organization you select.
Materials Needed:
No materials needed.
Reference Websites:
Amazon Resources:
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Alternatives:
#21 Volunteer at a nursing home
For a list of other ideas on how to spend one-on-one time with your child, see the full list here.
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