Life is busy, but I'm a big fan of taking some time to give back and make a difference in our community. I'm an even bigger fan of teaching our children to do the same and to value volunteerism.

With two young children (one is 4 and the other is 19 months), it's often hard to come up with volunteer gigs they can do with us.

But here's two ideas that we recently did with our 4-year-old. We had fun, and he took away some good lessons about sharing, caring and putting others first.

Arkansas Rice Depot: My husband volunteered on a Saturday at the Rice Depot with his class from Little Rock Taekwondo. The adults were encouraged to bring their children to help pack up food at the pantry.

Our son helped his dad arrange food items and get them ready for the many nonprofits that rely on the Rice Depot to feed hungry children and families across the state. He learned that not everyone has food on the table – a sobering lesson for a 4-year-old, but one that is very important to understand.

Centers for Youth and Families: For my son's 4-year-old birthday party, we asked his friends to bring toys for the kids at Centers for Youth and Families. Our home was already completely overtaken with toys, so I really couldn't foresee bringing anymore home. I explained to our son, Nathan, that it would be really nice for us to ask our friends to help other kids who had no toys at all. Surprisingly, he thought this sounded like a good idea.

That is until we arrived at Centers the Monday after the party to deliver the toys we'd collected. He didn't understand why we were giving away “his presents!” After a meltdown outside the doors of the Parent Center, we walked in ready to part ways with our beloved toys.

I was very proud of Nathan, who shuffled in and told everyone that he was sad but he wanted the other kids to have some toys too. That was a lot to ask of a 4-year-old, so you can imagine the pride I had when we finished unloading at least five bags of presents. I made sure to tell him what an amazing little boy he was and how happy he just made some kids.

In today's “me” world, it's even more important that we teach our children to think of others. We need to remind them – however harsh it may seem – that there are many who are less fortunate than we are. We need to teach them that they can make a difference by simply putting others first sometimes.

So, what have you done to help plant the seed of volunteerism with your children? Share your experiences in comments.

Want To Give?
Learn more about getting involved with the Arkansas Rice Depot and the Centers for Youth and Families.