The holidays are here, and as everyone knows, the real best way to spread Christmas cheer is serving your community and helping those in need. Luckily for dance teachers, dance studios are the perfect backdrop for the start of some seriously awesome service projects. Your dancers will learn the value of helping others, and you will all feel warm and fuzzy inside!
Check out these three service-project ideas, and try implementing them at your studio this season. Let us know over on our Facebook page, or in the comments below, what other projects you do at your studio that make a difference in your community!
1. Perform at an assisted-living center.
In our not so humble opinion, using your talents to serve others is the most gratifying way to do it. You have some seriously gifted kiddos, and people living in an assisted-living center would love to see them bust a move! Bring art and culture into their lives in a beautiful and impactful way this holiday season. Once the performance is over, have your dancers spend some time talking with them. It will mean so much more to them if they’ve developed even a small connection with your kids.
Everyone wants to feel loved over the holidays, so let your dancers spread that love through dance! You won’t regret it!
2. Tie blankets for a children’s hospital nearby.
Tying blankets for those in need is the perfect holiday activity. Tack this on to your holiday party, and your kids will feel the spirit of giving in their hearts. Once you’ve tied the blankets that will keep those darling kids warm this time of year, take your dancers up to the hospital with you to donate them. Some hospitals will even let you visit some of the kids in need, and your dancers will be able to see the small but positive impact their actions can have on others.
3. Do a sub for santa.
This is slightly trickier because you have to ask your students to give of their substance rather than just time, and that’s not always realistic, but it’s totally worth it if you’re able! Find an organization nearby you who is doing a Sub for Santa, and ask to be a part of it. From there, assign each of your students a child in need for whom they can provide a Christmas gift this year. Ask them to buy the gift with their parents, and then bring it to your studio’s holiday party where they can spend time wrapping the gifts together as a team.
Enjoy this season of giving! Thank you for all you give to your kiddos! We know they will love the opportunities you will give them to give back to others this Christmas.
