Attention: parents, grandparents, and other adults:  Would you like to know about two fun summer activities for the children in your lives? These activities will accomplish two goals: (1) kids of all ages will enjoy both activities, and (2) they will learn that it can be fun to care for others.

The first idea for summer fun is creating candy bar cards.  For example, for a friend’s birthday, you might include the following candy bars in a gift bag: “Slo Poke,” “100 Grand,”
“Payday,” “Mounds,” and “Almond Joy.” Then include a card with your birthday wish:

It took me a while to realize how awesome you are.  Sorry for being such a SloPoke.  You are such an amazing friend, I wish that I could give you a 100 Grand for your birthday.  Unfortunately, Payday isn’t until next week, so you’ll have to settle for this card wishing you Mounds of Almond Joy.

Kids will have fun checking out and being creative with the long list of candy bar names.
My favorite example is Lucy Reynolds, content coordinator for Best Version Media’s Lakeshore Living and Zeeland Living magazines. She says,

“When my children were little, we packed bags of different kinds of candy for the Zeeland Police Department.  My children colored the bags and wrote “Thank You” on the bags, and included in a paper that described all the candies, such as:

• “Smarties,” to give you wisdom for those split-second decisions you need to make.
• “Dum-Dum Lollipops,” because you deal with people who sometimes do dumb things.
• “Life Savers,” to remind you of the many times you’ve been one.
• “Starburst,” for the burst of energy you need to catch the bad guys.
• “Chewing Gum,” to help your team stick together.
• “Laffy Taffy,” to remind you that laughter is a great stress reliever.”

There are many helping/first responders’ groups who would value your sweet treats and recognition: Fire fighters, postal workers, doctors and nurses, staff at non-profit agencies such as Benjamin’s Hope and Boys and Girls Club, and teachers.

The second summer idea with a sweet twist is decorating cut-out cookies.  Why do we only do this at Christmas time?  All ages enjoy decorating cookies. Use my easy cookie dough recipe. Also, to save time, use frosting in a can or melt vanilla almond bark and provide several kinds of sprinkles and let the fun times roll. Share some of the end goodies with someone who is grieving, ill or lonely. 

Summer fun with a sweet twist. The twist: children have fun, and at the same time they are sharing and caring for others.  Everyone wins!

Want more great caregiving tips like these?

Download a free digital copy of our guidebook 122+ Ways to Care Well.