I’ll be honest, sometimes my kids act like spoiled brats. They don’t say thank you. They whine for ‘more’ and always tell me they don’t have enough. I think if I really checked my heart I’d realize I can be a little like this too. This is one of the reasons I find serving to be such an important part of life. We need to teach our kids how to serve others well. One simple thing you can do is a family is write thank you notes to local law enforcement and first responders.
This blog is sponsored by Behind the Badge Foundation.
Step 1: Get your supplies ready.
Are you hand writing a letter? Do you need a card? Will you have your kids make cards? Gather up all the things you want to create your projects. Guess what mom, you should do this with them too! Bonus tip: If you don’t any art supplies or cards a great place to get some is at Goodwill or from your local free group!
Step 2: Set aside the time to do your project.
It’s nice to have a special afternoon set aside where you are talking about serving others. Our school does this and I love that it is a built-in part of what they are learning in school. Setting a special time aside allows you to have the opportunity to really talk about what it means to serve and love others well in the community.
Step 3: Download our easy to use letters & coloring page.
If you need a starting point, we’ve put together letters you can use for law enforcement, fire fighters and paramedics. Feel free to use these in their entirety or bits and pieces. We would recommend hand-writing the letters for a more personal touch, but you can also print them and sign your name.
Letter Template for First Responders
Floral Thank You Coloring Page
Grateful for You Coloring Page
Step 4: Put in the mail
You can mail your letters to any local police station or fire department. Just Google your local one. While normally I would suggest stopping by with some cookies too, since we are in COVID times, I would stick with mailing everything as you may get turned away in person. You can check with your local offices to see if stopping by is okay and what the current rules are. Just don’t call the emergency line!
Step 5: Ask your kids how it felt to serve.
Don’t miss the opportunity to talk to your kids about serving, how it made them feel, and what you want to do next time. In fact, I would recommend making it a regular part of your routine! Do it at the same time every month and allow each of your kids to brainstorm different ideas or things that may be close to your heart.
Serving others is simply a great opportunity to remind ourselves to be grateful. It is something that doesn’t always come naturally and building in fun ways to serve is a great learning time for kids and adults! Build a service day into your day to day life and let us know how it goes. We’d love to see the fun letters and coloring pages you put together!
The mission of Behind the Badge Foundation is to honor law enforcement officers who have died or suffered serious injury in the line of duty. They serve as a trusted resource, providing immediate and ongoing support to families, agencies and communities in times of critical need. They also maintain the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial, commemorating the lives and dedication of officers who have died in service to the state of Washington. You can donate today by visiting the Behind the Badge Foundation website.
