Ah, there's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment, especially when you know you have been of service to someone along the way. But while this warm, heartfelt fuzziness may be a good enough reward for your hard work, it may not be quite the same for your children. After your family has completed the activity, take time to praise everyone for their efforts. And until the act of volunteering reveals its own rewards to your kids, you may also want to treat them to something special after the activity. Trips to the park or ice cream parlor are easy ways to reinforce the idea that volunteering is an important priority for your family.

Now that everyone is feeling good about the day, try evaluating the experience together. Spend time talking to your children about what they liked best and least. Also ask them about what they may have learned, if they considered it a worthwhile experience, and if they would like to volunteer again. Remember that although it is important for everyone to share thoughts, there are no right or wrong answers. For example, your children may not understand the meaning of what they did and might consider the experience a waste of time. Connect the dots for them by pointing out how their efforts benefited the people or organization you were helping. Show your kids how their very own services directly strengthen your neighborhood or community. If your younger children are having difficulty verbally expressing their feelings, have them use crayons and colored pencils to draw a picture about their volunteering experience.

Talking about the experience as a family should give all members a better understanding of what volunteering is really all about. Hopefully, by this point every family member will have recognized something rewarding in the experience and would be willing to try it again. And after a few unforgettable months of life-enriching, service-oriented memories, you might just find that there is something even more concrete to gain. Not only will your family receive hugs and thank-yous for time well spent, you will have also developed a diverse network of contacts who may support your development in other aspects of life. For example, a letter of recommendation from the director of a local volunteer center can work wonders in securing that much-desired job or scholarship. Remember, all it takes is an open heart to get started. Volunteers are the wheels of our society, and once you get into the rhythm of giving, you'll be in a cycle of goodness that just never stops.