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With summer firmly upon us, kids are looking for entertaining activities to fill their time, and parents are looking to ensure those activities are educational. One idea for a fun and instructional lesson is to teach your children about community helpers. Summer is packed with patriotic holidays – it kicks off with Memorial Day, ramps up with Flag Day, and has the big finale with Independence Day. You can use these holidays to show children about the people that make this country great. Community helpers are an excellent place to start.

Who are community helpers? Simply put, a community helper is someone that works to make their neighborhood better. This typically includes emergency responders like firefighters, police, and EMTs. We can also include many more professions: medical professionals (doctors, nurses, dentists); educators (teachers, librarians); sanitation workers (garbage truck drivers, janitors); food workers (farmers, grocery store clerks); and transportation professionals (bus drivers, pilots) all could be considered community helpers. Think about who your children interact with regularly and how they improve the world around you. Any of these people could be a good example of a community helper.

What kinds of activities can you do? The great thing about community helper lessons is that they can be tailored to your child’s age and neighborhood. For young children, reading books or singing songs about your favorite community helpers is a good introduction. A

A classic book is Richard Scarry’s “What do people do all day?” but there are many newer books about specific professions. As for songs, Sesame Street has a fun one with “Who are the people in your neighborhood?” but even “Wheels on the bus” counts! You could also dress up in a firefighter’s hat or a doctor’s coat and play pretend.

Once your children get a little older, it is a good idea to teach them how to interact with the community helpers around them. What would they say to a policeman or woman if they got lost? Teach them your actual name (not “mommy” or “dad”) and your address in case of emergency. How do they tell a doctor what’s wrong? Help them listen to their bodies and express what they’re feeling so they can advocate for themselves at checkups. You can teach about the community helpers and ensure your children know crucial safety rules simultaneously.

Once you learn about the professions, maybe it’s time to thank them! You can make homemade food or treats to take to your local fire station or hospital. This is a thoughtful way to show your appreciation. Make sure to call ahead and ask about their policy for accepting food. If you can’t take food, decorate thank you cards! You can also practice saying thank you to people when you encounter them. Thank the crossing guard as she stops traffic for you, or the grocery clerk when he rings up your groceries. This is a great way to teach your children to express gratitude.

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Below are safety tips from the National Safety Council:*

- Never allow young children to handle fireworks. Older children should use them only under close adult supervision

- Never use fireworks while impaired by drugs or alcohol

- Anyone using fireworks or standing nearby should wear protective eyewear

- Never hold lighted fireworks in your hands

- Never light them indoors

- Only use them away from people, houses and flammable material

- Never point or throw fireworks at another person

- Only light one device at a time and maintain a safe distance after lighting

- Never ignite devices in a container

- Do not try to re-light or handle malfunctioning fireworks

- Soak both spent and unused fireworks in water for a few hours before discarding

- Keep a bucket of water nearby to fully extinguish fireworks that don’t go off or in case of fire

- Never use illegal fireworks

4th of July celebrations will be much more enjoyable if you take the above safety precautions! Remember that fireworks can be dangerous and can cause serious injuries if not taken seriously, especially around children.

*NCS.org

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