The Perfect Primary Grade Service Project

Hello, Teaching Friends!

Are you looking for a service project for your primary grade class? Sometimes it's a bit tricky to come up with ideas that the little guys can handle and feel personally involved in, too ... as in, not just bring in money or items from home.

When I was a first grade classroom teacher, we did the usual canned goods and pennies collections. We had Jump-a-thons for heart health and walk-a-thons for various causes. In February, for Dental Health Month, we organized a collection of toothbrushes and toothpaste among all of our first grades and sent them to a local domestic violence shelter. We even graphed the amounts as they came in, for a bit of extra math learning. All good projects, but really more the work of supportive families than the children.

But the very best, simplest, and most primary-oriented project was drawing and coloring pictures for Color a Smile.

This is a project you will love! It's simple, child-friendly, doesn't take a lot of time or space, and it really gives children the opportunity to know that their very own work is actively helping others.



The Color a Smile organization distributes your students' seasonal and holiday coloring projects to nursing homes, Meals on Wheels recipients, and individuals who are ... well, in need of a smile!
The pages you'll use are printable directly from their website. You can literally do the coloring, pop the pages in an envelope, and mail it to Color a Smile on the same day!

The coloring pages come in two formats: color a picture that's provided, or draw your own. They've thought of every holiday and sentiment from "Happy Spring" to "Cooking Up a Smile".

The kiddos really loved this project! After all, nearly all kids like coloring, right? They would even request to do it again as each new holiday approached. I loved it, too, for it's simplicity, but even more for the fact that the children felt a personal connection with what they were doing and the people they were doing it for.

Ready to find out more about Color a Smile? Just click here!

Do you have a service project that's been especially successful with your primary grade students? Please share it below!

Happy Teaching!