As an orphanage volunteer, you help the children learn and grow by doing daily activities with them. But, how do you get activity ideas? What do the children like to do? What types of activities are most successful? These are great questions, questions all future volunteers have.
The answer?
We recommend to all of our past, present, and future volunteers that they follow us on Pinterest. Not only do we have a plethora of activity ideas on our OSSO Pinterest profile, but we also have packing and traveling tips, recipes from each country, and more!
Using Pinterest is a great way for volunteers to share activity ideas that have been successful in the past. It’s also a way for OSSO to help guide you and give you inspiration on fun and beneficial things to do with the children. Of course, you can do your own Pinterest searches for activities and find endless ideas that way, too!
When collecting activities on Pinterest, keep these four things in mind:
- Look for activities children with special needs, including those using wheelchairs, can participate in and enjoy.
- Look for activities high-energy children will enjoy.
- Look for activities that can be done with a group of children.
- Look for activities that are out of the norm. Be creative!
Not every single one of your activities need to include each of these four things. But keep all of them in mind as you decide which activities to do because some days you will be working with children with special needs and other days you might be scheduled to work with a group of high-energy children. As you search for and collect activity ideas, keeping these points in mind, you’ll find plenty of inspiration, no matter which children you take care of for the day.
We don’t expect you to have all of your activities planned before you arrive to volunteer with the children, but we do suggest having at least three or four activities planned beforehand. This helps you feel a bit more prepared upon arrival. When you are in country, you can continue to plan and curate ideas. We do have a craft cabinet in Ecuador with some supplies; but, if you want something specific for an activity, we suggest bringing it yourself.
And remember, the longer you stay, the more you play!
So, get your activity-inspiration on and use our Pinterest page to help you out. Activities are one of the main things volunteers do while on shift. After all, volunteers are there to help the children reach their full potential. Engaging with them and doing useful, fun activities will help them get there.
Follow us on Pinterest and check out some of these other stellar activity ideas.