As we head out of the dank, dark days of winter and into the altogether friendlier season of spring, you may be starting to think about heading outside with your family for the purposes of exercise and fun. Whatever you and your family enjoy, why not combine a little outdoors time with fundraising this summer? It’s time to put the ‘fun’ into fundraising, and to bring your whole family along for the ride….
Making time for your family: it’s all about the weekends
Making time for your family has perhaps never been so important; we all seem to be so busy these days that weekends can pass by in a blur without much being achieved at all. Activities such as walking, hiking, jogging, cycling, water sports, or introducing your children to a new team sport or game are all great ways to spend quality time together while keeping them fit on the sly, and few things are as rewarding as watching your family bond in such a way.
If you’re always on the lookout for the next adventure, or enjoy raising awareness of your favourite cause, why not combine the two? Involving children in fundraising can be fantastic for teaching them about social responsibility and those less fortunate, while making a team activity or sport incredibly fun. This is something that will benefit your family unit, and the wider community. It’s time to get on with it!
Choosing your charity and event
If you’ve decided you’d like to fundraise as a family, but have drawn a blank as far as the event and activity go, it may be time to get online for a little inspiration. There are dozens of websites offering activity ideas, organised events, and hints and tips, as well as individual charity pages that will tell you about the fundraisers that are coming up in your area. How many people will be taking part? What age ranges and skill sets do you have in your group? How far can you travel? Once you have ascertained your group’s limits and strengths, you can agree upon an activity that everybody will enjoy, whether that’s cycling a particularly long or tricky route, running a certain distance, or hiking up any number of mountains.
With an activity agreed upon it’s now time to choose your charity. Perhaps you have an organisation close to your heart already; you may even have chosen to participate in an event with a set charity.
One charity that many families do often feel passionate about is Help for Heroes, particularly as many children will have grown up with news reports and footage from war-torn countries, and may have, or know a friend who has a connection to the forces. Discussing a charity such as Help for Heroes, as well as the work it does, can be difficult or daunting if you have children. Helpfully, though, there are a number of Help for Heroes videos on the charity’s website and social media channels that will encourage your children to ask questions and become involved. This is fundraising and social awareness at its most caring, and will provide so many opportunities for you to work together as a family while having fun outdoors.
Hopefully this blog post has inspired you to think about fundraising with your family. We would certainly love to hear about your plans for the summer!
Image credit: Mother and son during bike ride in autumn forest Shutterstock
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.