Teaching kids the things you know can be a daunting task if you’re unsure where to start. This badge program will help you with identifying what you can share and how to share it. It covers the background work that others do not see so what you present seems organized and fluid. For more ideas on what to plan, see the Event Planning badge set.
Steps
1. Expert.
Look at the Enrichment Project badge program “Expert Status.” Per this badge program, create a list of things you might be interested in teaching or sharing. You can also brainstorm topics that interest you / that you know about. You can create your list digitally or physically. After creating your list, choose one or two that you are most interested in so you’re not overwhelmed. This will be the start of the educational activities you’re planning to do with others.
NOTE: By being the expert, you have a greater chance of controlling what kids are taught. You can also teach things that are trending and more relevant that items presented in a book that was published years ago
2. Connect.
The easiest way to create a program, event or singular activities based on your expertise is to pair up with an organization or group. They can help guide you to age-appropriateness with children, what they feel is an allowable topic, provide you with a mentor, or connect you with others who can supervise the participants while you do the activity. This allows you to focus on your activities. You might be able to find a group working on a similar topic so you can add an activity. Check out local organizations or groups you might work with. What kind of requirements do they have for you to do so? Are you willing to do so? If you are, try it!
3. Enrichment Project.
While the Enrichment Project cannot give you on-site help, there are a lot of badge programs, supplements and more that you can use for ideas and topics. It’s a great way to connect what you know with what’s available online on a topic. Check out any badge programs related to your topic and see if it is helpful in creating your activity.
4. Collaborate.
Finding one or more people to help you allows you to hand off parts you don’t want to do or are less knowledgeable about. For example, if you’re a chef, you can teach how to make things to others. You might not have the patience to teach them the basics, though. In this instance, a second person starting them off with what they need to know first will take pressure off you trying to cover a larger amount of knowledge. You might also choose someone just to troubleshoot your activities and give you tips on adjusting your activity to make it ability- and age-appropriate. Collaboration works when each person brings their expertise to the table to create a better activity. Is there anyone who can collaborate with you?
NOTE: If you do not have someone local for collaboration, you can find groups and sites online with helpful tips and ideas.
5. Own.
If you’re a control freak (no finger pointing) or you don’t have anyone to help you, you may choose to do it on your own. This means you create your activity, troubleshoot it, do it yourself to make sure it works and then present it. Try a simple project and see how this works for you.
NOTE: I do this monthly for my craft circle. Hobby Lobby allows me to use a classroom for a couple of hours and I bring my stuff in, do the program for the day and take my stuff with me when I’m done. Sometimes I have a collaborator (my daughter) who asks me a million questions and points out the flaws in my plan, but I usually catch most of them myself. Part of my expertise is teaching kids from kindergarten through adults, so I have a pretty good idea of what people can and cannot do.
6. Age.
Doing age-appropriate activities is important to make it a success. For example, I know Brownies and younger (kindergarten through second grade) don’t have great scissor skills. If I want to do a program with them, either I try to replace the cutting with paper punches or I pre-cut the difficult parts before I do the program. I’ve also found that nursing home residents have about the same abilities. When my girls did programs for a local nursing home, it was one of the points I would remind them of so they could adjust their activities. There are a lot more items to consider beyond dexterity.
7. Frequency.
You need to determine how often you want to meet and for what length of time. I would recommend no more than a 2-hour time slot as most kids find more than that too much unless the event calls for it. Here are some ideas for you.
- Once — A one-time event (normally about 2 hours) in which you can present a topic.
- Weekend — Event that carries over Saturday and possibly half of Sunday. You can have others do activities as well so the pressure isn’t on you as much. You can also do this as a retreat.
- Monthly — Once a month event that may or may not be linked through theme or topic. This gives you twelve meetings in a year.
- Biweekly — Twice a month or 26 times in a year.
- Weekly / School Year — No more than 40 meetings, but you may make it less by not starting immediately, skipping on holidays and stopping before the hectic end of the year.
- Weekly / Year — Like having a club, you’ll meet 52 times in a year.
- Day Camp — From Monday through Friday from 9-3 (typically).
- Summer Camp — From Monday AM through Friday PM, including evenings and nights.
- Special — You can target days the kids have off from school, a weekend morning / afternoon combo with different age groups at each time, etc.
You might even want to try various organizations or community groups until you find one you connect with not only on how often you volunteer, but what you have available within programming that they recommend.
8. Start.
If you’re thinking about doing this, do it. Don’t get caught in refining and adding information until it’s perfect. It will never be perfect and your expertise will be lost.
To help create your activity, check out the steps below for ways to approach creating your own activities.
Activities for Youth
9. Overview.
Just like when you were in school, you need to create an outline, mind map, brainstorm or anything that allows you to see the entire activity at a glance. If you get lost down a rabbit hole, this will bring you back to what you need to do. It will also allow you to see what you might have missed. Create an overview of your activity.
NOTE: If you’re working with an organization such as Girl Scouts, the badge or journey will be your overview to start. You can add your own expertise on top of the provided materials.
10. Plan.
A plan allows you to determine what you will be doing. It might be items you need to create or acquire, basic understanding your participants need to have, area for the activity, optimum number of participants, available outlets or WiFi access. Of course, there are a lot more but that will depend on your activity.
I like to plan, then review it a couple times over a week or so. This allows my brain time to troubleshoot items in the plan . . . and is why I always carry extension cords and blue painter’s tape when I’m doing activities because I always miss them. Take your overview and start your plan. Review it yourself or review it with someone else who has a basic understanding of what you plan to do.
11. Volunteers.
Volunteers can be the difference between the success or failure of your activity. They might serve as on-site collaborators or just drive participants from station to station in a multiple-activity event. Anything you can hand of to others that doesn’t focus on your expertise should be given to a volunteer, helper, mentor or even someone who wants to learn from you. If you need volunteers, put this into your plan. If they need to be trained, this should be added too.
12. Activities.
This is the most important time as a volunteer. It is when you connect with your young audience. Unfortunately, it’s also the shortest. You don’t want it to be like school where they have to sit and listen. You want them moving, engaged and asking questions. It’s okay to do a short demonstration, but then have them do it. Let them try and fail. Then, help them discover what went wrong so they can try again. This works with crafts, games, STEM, performing arts, cooking . . . well, anything.
If you are unsure about your activities, you can present them to others and get their opinions on what works and didn’t. You can also do dry runs with them to ensure you have everything for each activity.
13. Materials.
When you’re thinking materials, it’s anything that you will use leading up to, during or after your activity. This includes everything from signs to power strips. For crafts, it’s all the tools and materials. For games, it’s the balls, cards. rules or play area. I find that mentally walking through the steps to do something helps me remember most things.
Handouts are anything you give to your participants that they can take with them when they leave. Handouts might include:
- Activity sheets
- Agenda
- Checklist
- Completion certificate
- Other activities you have available (especially if this is how you make a living)
- Passport (mark off multiple completed activities)
- Recipe book
- Rules book
- Song book
Always keep extra copies of any materials you create in case you need to use them again. I would recommend both digitally and physically.
14. Journal.
Use a journal as things are happening — before the event, during the activities, right after and a week or so later. This allows you to record what happened, things that worked (or didn’t), how you can improve your activity the next time you present it and more. You can also include the feedback you receive about your activity. You might choose to have a few sheets of blank paper for this or include it as a part of a notebook. Determine what works best for you.
15. Again.
Review your notes and feedback. What could you have done to make the experience better for everyone? Take your notes and thoughts and do your activity again. Each time you do it, you’ll get better and it will work better until you’re happy with it. At that point, be sure to document everything in a new planner that you can return to if you want to do the activity again.
Badge and Supplement Files
Member Level
- 0EP_B_BPG_YouthVol_2in_12up_MS1_larajla — generic badge printable
- 0EP_BLIST_YouthVol_MS1_larajla — badge items per membership level
- 0EP_BSET0_YouthVol_MS1_larajla —badge set and related badges
- 0EP_SUPP0_YouthVol_Journal_MS1_larajla — badge journal
- 0EP_SUPP0_YouthVol_Planner_MS1_larajla — badge planner
- 0EP_SUPPL_YouthVol_MS1_larajla — supplements currently available per membership level
Supplement Fun
- N/A
Sites to Explore
- www.unitedway.org/get-involved/volunteer
- www.autonews.com/fixed-ops-journal/mentoring-programs-allow-veteran-techs-share-expertise-young-apprentices
- www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Shaw_urges_retirees_to_share_expertise_with_young_people?profile=1228
- www.quandora.com/10-reasons-to-share-knowledge
- www.tansquaredyouthministry.com/2019/04/help-im-a-new-youth-leader
- leaderconnectingleaders.com
- trailhead.gsnorcal.org/how-to-co-op-lead-a-troop
- www.scouting.org/training/adult
- www.4-h-learns.org/4Hleaders
- www.fundafundaacademy.com/the-benefits-of-4-h-for-homeschoolers
- questclubs.com/start-a-club
Get the infographic here > larajla blog post
Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here