Action Club Projects for Children aged 6 - 9 years old


Needs and Capabilities

From six years until twelve, children start to become more emotionally aware. They are emotionally aware long before then, but from age six onwards normally represents an important opportunity to help children start to refine their emotions. That is, to learn to direct their emotions constructively, instead of letting those emotions rule them. This is the time when they start to think of other's feelings and when they can be inspired to develop noble sentiments. They need constructive role models so the example you set them through action club activities is very important. It is also a good time to inspire them with stories of what other action clubs have done. Getting an older member of another long established action club to come and talk to the children also gives the older member an opportunity to serve by passing on knowledge and inspiration to younger people.

Physically their coordination and skills greatly improve so under supervision they can start using adult tools. At this age children also have a need to develop social skills through interactions with others. An excellent resource on stages of maturity for this age group can be found from Education for Life: Chapter 15: The Stages of Maturity & Chapter 17: The Feeling Years.

'There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those.'

— Mother Teresa

Basic project ideas:

(Please note that some of the ideas link to articles written by people in specific countries, often with their own country in mind. If you live in a different country and the core ideas are useful for your action club but some of the information provided is not relevant, then simply use http://www.google.com to find the corresponding information and resources for your country)

Environment
Practical work for empowerment
Working with adults, young people and younger children in need
Community health and safety
Working for and with animals


Environment

Creating a habitat for wildlife

Tree Planting, creating gardens and planting flowers for the public's enjoyment or to bring colour and life to public areas that need it. (You may need to get the permission of the local authorities for this)

	Organising composting projects for members' homes. (See this link also)
	Organise a recycling project for all members to start in their own homes

With the members set up a small-do-it-yourself worm farm for composting. The advantage of this is that the waste is turned into a liquid which can be drained off and used as liquid fertiliser on gardens Collecting litter especially from such places as river banks, parks and beaches

Creating posters as part of a campaign to encourage people to walk and use bicycles rather than cars to reduce pollution and carbon emissions. Similar campaigns could be used to encourage and inform local people how to recycle their house hold waste

Practical work for empowerment

Help plan volunteer projects for members' birthdays and help them do the same for their brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces

Projects that increase a child's physical coordination, such as working as part of a team on an assembly line. For example, helping to put together emergency supply packages for disaster relief

Fundraising through selling food, arts and crafts etc. that the children helped to make themselves and sell themselves through a stall etc. The more they plan, organise and do everything the better

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Working with adults, young people and younger children in need

	Working with elderly people, the sick and hungry, young people with learning disabilities (not adults) and other groups that offer the chance to develop social interaction skills. For example, gardening, raking leaves, washing windows for a senior citizen
	Organising and putting on plays and concerts for the community, especially in places where people don't get out much like care homes etc. This can give the members the opportunity to use their creativity especially if they write the plays and determine what music will be played
	Help to record and preserve the life stories and memories of elderly people. This helps to record history and it gives elderly people the opportunity to pass on life lessons to young people

Making cards and writing letters for people who need some upliftment. For example, widows and widowers, women in battered women refuges and homes, people in hospitals etc.

'Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.'

— Mother Teresa

Help victims of domestic violence who have fled to refuges. Most often they leave their homes in a hurry and leave all their possessions behind. They benefit immensely from care packages with basic items e.g. soap etc. Your action club could also write them letters of support and encouragement. Women in this situation often feel worthless and unloved. A warm letter of support and encouragement from young people who care can have a huge impact in aiding their recovery by helping them back onto their feet to start a new life

Put together baby-supply-kits containing basic items such as reusable diapers and gentle soap for new born babies born into impoverished communities

Collect toys to be given to underprivileged children and children in hospitals

Organise to collect colouring books and crayons for hospital emergency wards

	Help teach younger children living in slums whose parents are too poor to send them to school by teaching them to read and write
	Collect school supplies for schools in impoverished communities

Help blind or visually impaired people, for example read books and / or newspapers to blind or visually impaired people and /or record it on tape for them to listen to when they like

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Community health and safety

Organise a campaign to prevent bullying by introducing child mediation programs into your members' school or schools. (See also this link)

Organise a campaign to prevent cyber-bullying amongst children and young people

'If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.'

— Mahatma Gandhi

Take your action club grocery shopping in your community for elderly people and sick people who may become malnourished without help

	Get together with elderly people in your community and knit chemotherapy hats for cancer and leukemia patients
	Get together with elderly people in your community and make home-made baby blankets. Better still run a campaign to get even more people involved.

Make emergency contact cards for people in your community so if they arrive in hospitals unconsicous or unable to communicate; the hospital staff will know who they are; what their medical needs are and how to contact their loved ones.

Working for and with animals

Work at local animal shelters, dog walking, petting cats, playing with kittens and feeding animals. (Check with those who run the shelters first to find out about any health issues that may be of concern. For example, outbreaks of contagious illnesses)

Help to get cats and dogs at animal shelters adopted. (Click for more information on adopting dogs) (Click for more information on adopting cats)

Help get people in your community to foster new born kittens and take the pressure off over crowded animal shelters especially in spring and summer

	Take gentle natured animals to visit people in care homes etc. Or better still organise a campaign to get everyone in the community with friendly pets to participate. See also Pets as Therapy
	Create posters to help prevent animal cruelty to neglected chained dogs

'The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.'

— Mahatma Gandhi

Help to encourage local pet owners to get pet identification tags for their pets

Help lost dogs and cats get back home. (Only for countries that are free from rabies)

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