How to get your Kids involved in OCC

Hello Packers!

     What I have found that is common in OCC Packers is the love for children. Seriously, if you go onto the Operation Christmas Child Facebook page you see TONS of loving comments and advice. It's truly heartwarming. Anyway, another tidbit I realized was that a lot of packers have children or are starting families while continuing to donate to the wonderful cause of OCC. 

     Children love to be taught new things, exposed to new experiences and believe it or not, a lot of children are more generous than we like to believe. Children live and act by examples set forth by their family figures and that's where Operation Christmas Child comes into play. But, something that can be a bit of a concern for packers all around are the means to how we introduce Operation Chirstmas Child to our children and how to get them involved/interested in OCC.

VEGGIE TALES:

     Something that came about two years before I was born was the glorious idea by the original Big Idea company was Veggie Tales. Originated with a cucumber named Larry and a tomato named Bob, veggies have helped the stories of God's work impact young children through two decades now. The idea is still as relevant as it is today for the children of today. Which is why I'm glad that Veggie Tales has paired up with Operation Christmas Child and made this great video:

Veggie Tales is one of my favorite animated choices for God's works and to really relate to children. I specifically like this one because Larry and Bob are my favorite characters and they tie into my childhood. When I was looking into packing party ideas, especially ones that include children, they mention playing something along the lines of this video first to get the children excited to be like Bob and Larry and pack a shoe box. 

This is another great option from Veggie Tales and it is all about the origins of St. Nicholas and the story and meaning behind giving gifts during the holidays. I think this is a good one to play in either the background or to play while you are still setting up the boxes or the packing supplies. Veggie Tales really does help in relating to children in religious aspects and I thank Veggie Tales for all that they've done for my religious journey and this is a great idea for your kids to get into the spirit of giving.

OCC VIDEOS:

     Operation Christmas Child's motives are heart warming and reading about the stories are absolutely wonderful however from a child's point of view, videos tend to be a bit more motivating. One of the videos that I came across was motivating on my side and I have seen posts that use this video as well to help children and people who don't know about Operation Christmas Child's mission.

     This video was attached to the post that lead me to Operation Christmas Child and it is such an impacting short video that can help children relate to OCC. I also like this video for young children because it is pretty upbeat and tells the message of OCC through the impact on children. It's no lie that children relate to children regardless of situation and this video can help with that. 

DUCKY DYNASTY UNCLE SI VIDEO:

     One of the most beloved Louisiana families, the Robertson's, has been booming across the nation as the most favorite Christian family on TV with Christian values and the love for the Second Amendment. The oldest son happens to be a Pastor like his father and does a video for Operation Christmas Child with the absolutely favorite uncle, Uncle Si. Uncle Si is a super fun and familiar old man that every one of us should have in our family so his video sends us some laughs and see another celebrity packing boxes so the children can relate.

BOX SHOPPING:

    Something that I have yet to do but I should do within the next year or so is to create a video for you all of myself shopping for my boxes rather than just post photos but something that is another great part of Operation Christmas Child is that it is for children, which makes it so much easier for children to want to get involved. Children love picking out toys for themselves but how about taking your child/children to the Dollar Tree or some other store and have your age appropriate child pick out items for an age appropriate child? What person knows what children like better than a child?

     I like the idea of taking your child out to the store because they see what they like, they know what they like but when they think about other children, they take more time and consideration into what they want to buy for others.

PACKING PARTIES:

     Packing parties can help your child and their friends get into the spirit of giving and can become a tradition in your child's group of friends for years to come. Packing parties are meant to bring you, your child and maybe some neighborhood friends or family members together to pack shoe boxes with whatever you guys have available for the boxes. I like this idea a lot because it makes a party out of the shoe box experience and what child doesn't like parties and parties add to the fun aspect of it. Of course it isn't meant to get rid of the overall meaning of the box packing. :)

Well, that is all I can really think about to get children involved in packing shoe boxes and I hope that they help you in getting your kiddos involved in such a great organization. :)

Happy Packing!