Growing Goodness: Volunteer Actions That Lift Up Children
Good Deeds Day is celebrated every April, but doing good has no season, every day is an opportunity to make a difference. Looking ahead to Good Deeds Day 2026 on April 12, now is the perfect moment to choose how you’ll take action. One of the most meaningful ways is volunteering to lift up children in your community.
Investing in children’s spaces, learning, and community environments creates a ripple of long-term benefits: improved well-being, educational outcomes, civic engagement, and more inclusive communities. Research confirms that community gardens, reading spaces, and well-designed shared areas improve children’s nutrition, social connection, and psychological well-being.
If you’re looking for meaningful ways to support the children in your community, here are fresh, impactful project ideas that bring joy, learning, and connection to young people on Good Deeds Day and all year long.
Book & Toy Drive for Children
What to do: Place donation boxes or stands in public areas (schools, markets, clinics) to collect children’s books, educational toys, and games. Promote via social media, community boards, local youth clubs. Donate collected items to local schools, community centers, children’s hospitals or libraries.
Why it matters: Access to books and safe toys helps early reading development, stimulates creativity, and builds hope. When communities organize drives, children from under-resourced areas receive essential resources. Sharing stories builds a love for reading and learning. A book or toy can spark creativity, learning, and comfort.
Creative Activity Sessions at Schools or Community Centers
What to do: Partner with a local school or community center. Hold interactive sessions like story-time, theater and drama performances, musical activities, art workshops, or storytelling circles. Reach out to educators so you can tailor the session to the children’s interests.
Why it matters: Regular engagement through creative play and storytelling improves social-emotional skills, self-confidence, and connection. Simple fun activities help children express themselves and build trust.
Pop-Up Library (Community Literacy Project)
What to do: Identify a public or underused space (a room, park corner, community hall, safe street spot). Clean or renovate a small shelter if needed. Collect and sort donated books (children’s books, multilingual books, picture books) from the community. Launch the pop-up library with a reading day for kids and families. Host a weekly or monthly story hour.
Why it matters: Pop-up libraries and community-based reading initiatives increase literacy, access to books, and community learning spaces. Community gardens and small shared learning spaces have been shown to strengthen social connection, mental wellbeing, and access to knowledge. Many neighborhoods still lack access to books. A pop-up library can change that.
Community Center Renovations
What to do: Identify community centers, youth centers, or local hubs that need repair or revitalization. Organize a volunteer day to paint walls, fix equipment, clean or update play areas. Create safe, bright, welcoming spaces where children meet and learn.
Why it matters: Safe and inclusive physical environments help children feel belonging and encourage them to participate in community programs. Investing in shared community centers strengthens the fabric of collective ownership and pride. Many community centers operate with limited resources and aging facilities. A small team of volunteers can make a huge difference in just a single day.
School Garden (Outdoor Learning for Kids)
What to do: Partner with a school (or a community group) to plant a small garden. Grow vegetables, flowers or fruit. Create a schedule for students or children to tend it, learn about nature and growing food, and harvest together.
Why it matters: Community gardening programs promote environmental learning, nutrition education, increased social capital, and personal wellbeing among children and residents. Studies show that community gardens contribute to mental well-being, sense of belonging, community connection, and sustained learning for young participants.
Good Deeds Day, an annual global day of doing good, is the pinnacle of doing good year-round. Initiated in 2007 by businesswoman and philanthropist Shari Arison, Good Deeds Day has grown to 115 countries with millions of participants. Good Deeds Day 2026 will be on April 12.
