Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. instill
    • ex. Parents try to instill good manners in their children.
  2. produce
    • ex. The market sells fresh produce every morning.
  3. excel
    • ex. With practice, you can excel in learning a new language.
  4. agency
    • ex. Giving students agency can improve their motivation to learn.
  5. sustenance
    • ex. The small farm provides enough sustenance for the family to survive.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Volunteering with children can instill confidence, teach social and problem-solving skills, and help families give back to their communities. However, finding volunteer work for young children is not easy because many nonprofit groups ask for helpers who are at least 18 years old. Even so, many parents still look for ways to help others together with their children.

In Pittsburgh, Cami Teacoach wanted to volunteer with her young son. When groups said no, she created her own activities. Her son helped harvest produce at community gardens, made cards for seniors, and cleaned parks. Later, Teacoach started a group called VolunTOTs. The group offers volunteer projects for children as young as three, such as packing food boxes and making dog treats.

Polly Lagana, a director for another volunteer group, said, “There’s a million different ways to help people and volunteer. So many families want to do this.” They just don’t know where to start. She said children often excel at simple tasks. They also like having agency in choosing how to volunteer. Some families deliver meals that provide sustenance to seniors. These activities help children feel proud and bring families closer together.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Volunteering

  • Some families volunteer together, like helping at community gardens or making cards for seniors. Do you think volunteering as a family is important? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Children can learn confidence and problem-solving skills through volunteering. Do you think children should experience volunteering at a young age? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Why do you think volunteering makes people feel good about themselves? Discuss.

Activities for Children

  • The article says children often enjoy having agency in how they volunteer. How important do you think it is for children to choose their activities? Discuss.
  • Besides choosing volunteering activities, what other activities can children have agency in choosing (ex. games to play, skills to learn)? Discuss.
  • Imagine you are a parent. What activities would you want your children to do in their free time? Discuss.