While celebrating your children could involve going on a fun getaway or buying them the latest gadgets and toys, there’s nothing quite like spending precious time together to create special memories with the family.
More than just a school holiday for the kids, the Children’s Day weekend can also be an occasion to indulge in some family time over meaningful activities and projects. The Pride susses out some ideas.
Learning about nature, art & craft and recycling all in one activity
In this concrete jungle, it’s not everyday that you get to be one with nature, but you can do so on the outskirts of Kranji. Started in 2000, Bollywood Veggies is a farm started by Singaporean duo Ivy Singh and Lim Ho Seng with the intention to serve as a green sanctuary for city-dwellers.
Through the Art with Nature initiative, children can get their hands dirty using recycled seeds, branches and dried leaves, all picked up from the farm vicinity to form an artwork. A lot’s been taught in school about reducing, reusing and recycling, so here’s a fun way to get your children really acquainted with the idea.
Go for the full farm experience by joining the guided tours and sessions on a variety of subjects from rice farming to learning how to pot your own plants.
To find out more on how you can get involved, visit them here.
Preparing a warm meal for the less fortunate by volunteering at a soup kitchen
We’re fortunate to live in a country where most of us can enjoy three meals a day, but for a segment of our society who are less well-off, this is a luxury. That’s why learning how to prepare a meal together with your children at a soup kitchen could be an eye opening experience. From peeling onions to cooking up scrumptious meals and packing them to be delivered to the needy, there is much that can be learnt from an activity like this.
Willing Hearts runs a soup kitchen that functions 365 days all year round, for the less fortunate in Singapore. If you’d like to lend a helping hand in the kitchen, you can visit their website here.
Teaching your children to care for animals by helping out at a shelter
There’s a lot to learn about empathy and compassion through the way we treat animals, and taking an afternoon to volunteer at a pet shelter can be both meaningful and an opportunity to bond with your child. Causes for Animals runs an adoption centre that cares for street dogs and cats, and they are constantly on the lookout for volunteers to help walk their dogs, shower them and clean up the shelter grounds.
While they do require volunteers to be a minimum of 16 years of age, volunteers aged 16 and below can still volunteer when they are accompanied by an adult.
If you’re keen to take a walk with some four legged friends as company, volunteer with them over here.
Inculcating empathy and filial piety by volunteering at an elderly home
From music lessons to enrichment classes, weekends for Singapore’s children have a tendency to be packed with many different activities. If your child has a musical talent, why not share it with the senior citizens living in old folks’ homes? A rewarding experience could await you, as you see how a simple song or even just a heartfelt chat can go a long way.
At Lions Home, volunteers of all ages are welcome to lend a hand in bringing joy to the elderly residents. If song and dance isn’t your thing, you could also prepare thoughtful goodie bags or share some hawker favourites with the elderly to brighten up their day.
To find out how you and your child can get involved, you can reach out to Lions Home here.
Inspiring your kids to make a difference
The tots may be tiny, but that doesn’t mean they can’t accomplish big things. Over the course of six months, some 200,000 young pre-school champions from more than 300 pre-school centres have played a part in community projects and supported causes under guidance from their teachers and parents.
Organized by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), the Start Small Dream Big initiative will be holding an exhibition event this Children’s Day to showcase the many projects these 5 to 6 year olds have been working on. Take your child along and get them inspired on how they can give back to society. You’ll be teaching them that no matter how small their contributions are, together we can all make a big difference.
To find out more about the exhibition, you may check out their website here.
With a little bit of planning, Children’s Day can mean so much more for the family than just another day off from school for the kiddos.