The magic is in you.
The parents.
The teachers.
The educators.
And the mentors.
Instead of being just another fun craft activity,
it can become a moment when a child discovers
empathy,
self-confidence,
leadership,
and the power to make a difference.
What's the difference?
Your guidance.
Through your conversations, your questions, and the way you encourage children to think, feel, and connect.
Some activities keep children busy.
Others help shape the people they will become.
The real heart of this project is the conversation
Imagine this for a moment:
A child growing up knowing they have the power to brighten someone else's day.
A child who doesn't just "do something kind" — but truly feels their ability to make a difference.
This isn't a distant dream.
It happens when you — parents, teachers, and mentors — take just 7–10 minutes to have a real conversation before the activity begins.
Because it transforms a good deed from a task into an emotional experience.
Because it builds genuine empathy.
Because it gives children a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.
Research shows that children who practice acts of kindness from an early age — with understanding and emotional connection — tend to develop greater emotional resilience, stronger self-confidence, lower levels of anxiety, and a much greater likelihood of becoming caring, engaged, and community-minded adults.
You have the opportunity to give them that gift
Before your child begins choosing or creating a surprise gift, sit together quietly.
Put away the phones.
Make eye contact.
Turn this moment into a bridge between your child's heart and someone else's.
Then ask these three questions:
This simple question shifts the focus from the child to another person
Encourage children to imagine a real person rather than "a child in general."
The clearer the picture becomes in their mind, the more real their empathy becomes
This is where children begin moving from understanding another person to wanting to help them.
You can continue with questions such as:
There is no need to guide children toward a specific answer.
Simply thinking about another person's feelings is the valuable exercise
This is where the magic happens.
Children begin using their own experiences to understand someone else's.
You can continue with questions such as:
Don't rush into the activity.
If an interesting conversation develops, give it time.
Do you think a child can change someone else's day?
This is a wonderful question to end with.
After children answer, you can ask:
This question helps children understand something important:
They are not preparing to make a difference someday.
They are already making a difference today
After the activity is finished, return to the conversation: "What did you learn? How did you feel
You are not "just" leading a craft activity.
You are helping build a child's capacity for empathy.
You are planting a seed of kindness.
You are helping create a sense of purpose and connection.
These are some of the rare moments in childhood when a simple conversation can leave a lasting impression — one that may stay with a child for years to come.
Long-Term Effects of Volunteering
Giving and Its Connection to Social Status
Children Influence Their Parents’ Behavior
How Children Learn to Care for Others
Physiological Changes and Empathy
Empathy – Physiology in Preschool Children
Giving Leads to Happiness in Children
The study examines adolescents who volunteered and finds a positive connection between volunteering during adolescence and later mental well-being, higher self-esteem and social involvement
The study shows a direct connection between volunteering during adolescence and confidence and mental well-being, while also pointing to a lasting impact — supporting the importance of early exposure to volunteering
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
🔹 Volunteering at a Young Age Is Linked to Confidence and Mental Well-Being
“Volunteering is associated with higher levels of psychological well-being and self-esteem.”
📍 תוצאות ודיון (Results / Discussion sections)
➡️Connection:
The research directly points to a connection between volunteering at a young age and confidence and mental well-being — strengthening the idea that early exposure to volunteering can contribute to personal and emotional development
🔹 A Lasting Impact Over Time
Described throughout the article – a connection between volunteering during adolescence and outcomes in young adulthood
📍 Based on longitudinal data (longitudinal study)
➡️ Connection:
This is not only a short-term effect — but a connection that remains over time, emphasizing the importance of starting at a young age
Stephen G. Post
A broad research review showing that volunteering is associated with improved mental well-being, reduced depression and a stronger sense of meaning
The review shows a consistent connection between volunteering and mental well-being — reinforcing the potential of volunteering as a tool for developing resilience and meaning
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
🔹 Volunteering Contributes to Mental Well-Being and Health
“There is strong evidence that volunteering is associated with improved mental and physical health.”
📍 Beginning–Middle of the Article (General Review of Findings
➡️ Connection:
The article points to a clear connection between volunteering and mental well-being — a principle that may be especially meaningful when the experience begins at a young age
Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, Lara B. Aknin
The study examines elementary school children and shows that acts of giving and helping others improve mental well-being and social status among peers
The study shows that acts of giving during elementary school years improve mental well-being and social relationships — findings that support volunteering activities at a young age
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
🔹 Acts of Giving Improve Well-Being and Social Relationships
“Performing acts of kindness led to increases in well-being and peer acceptance.”
📍 תוצאות (Results section)
➡️ Connection:
The study presents a direct impact of helping behaviors on well-being and social relationships — key factors in the development of emotional resilience
Gustavo Carlo, Laura Padilla-Walker et al
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
“Children’s prosocial tendencies can shape parenting practices over time.”
➡️ Connection:
✔A child who behaves with empathy → changes family interactions
✔ The beginning of a “bottom-up influence
Nancy Eisenberg,
Richard A. Fabes ואחרים
The article explores the development of empathy and prosocial behavior in children, showing that social experiences and helping others strengthen empathy and positive behavior
The article shows that helping others strengthens empathy and social behavior — a finding that supports volunteering activities at a young age
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
🔹 Helping Others Strengthens Empathy
“Prosocial behaviors are strengthened through opportunities to help others.”
📍 Sections discussing the development of empathy and prosocial behavior
➡️ Connection:
If helping others strengthens empathy — volunteering activities at a young age may serve as a direct mechanism for developing empathy.
The article explores the role of the hormone oxytocin in social behavior, interpersonal relationships and empathy
Oxytocin has been linked to bonding, trust, emotional regulation and prosocial behavior from an early age
The article does not directly discuss volunteering, but it presents a biological basis for connection, empathy and social behavior, emphasizing the importance of early social experiences — principles that support the value of early social and volunteering activities
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
🔹 A Biological Basis for Prosocial Behavior and Human Connection
“Oxytocin plays a central role in the formation of social bonds, affiliation, and prosocial behaviors.”
📍 Beginning–Middle of the Article (Theoretical Review of the Role of Oxytocin)
➡️ Connection:
If there is a biological system supporting connection, empathy and prosocial behavior from an early age — exposure to social activities such as volunteering may activate and strengthen these mechanisms
🔹 Early Development of Relationships and Emotional Regulation
“Early interactions with caregivers shape the oxytocin system and influence social functioning across development.”
📍 אמצע המאמר (חלק על early development)
➡️ Connection:
If there is a biological system supporting connection, empathy and prosocial behavior from an early age — exposure to social activities such as volunteering may activate and strengthen these mechanisms
The study examines children and finds a connection between physiological responses (such as heart rate and arousal) and empathy and prosocial behavior
The study shows a connection between physiological responses and empathy and social behavior — reinforcing the understanding that empathy is a deep process that also includes biological components
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
🔹 Empathy Is Connected to Physiological Mechanisms
“Physiological responding is associated with empathy-related responding and prosocial behavior.”
📍 תוצאות (Results section)
➡️ Connection:
The study suggests that empathy is not only an abstract idea — but is also connected to physiological systems, meaning that social experiences may influence children on a biological level as well
The study examines preschool children and shows that even at a very young age, children naturally tend to help others, even without reward, as part of the development of empathy and prosocial behavior.
The study shows that preschool children display a natural tendency toward helping and empathy — supporting the importance of nurturing these abilities at an early age through social activities.
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
🔹 נA Natural Tendency Toward Helping and Empathy at an Early Age
“Young children readily help others in instrumental tasks, even without being rewarded.”
📍 Experiment Results (Results section)
➡️ Connection:
The study suggests that young children already possess a natural tendency to help — therefore frameworks such as volunteering can nurture and strengthen this existing ability
🔹 Empathy as a Basis for Prosocial Behavior
Described throughout the article – the connection between helping behavior and the development of empathy
📍 Introduction and Discussion
➡️ Connection:
If helping behavior appears at an early age as part of empathy development — exposure to activities of giving can support and strengthen this development
The study examines young children and shows that giving to others — even at a very early age — increases happiness more than receiving a personal reward
The study shows that children experience greater happiness when they give to others — supporting the idea that acts of giving may contribute to emotional well-being and resilience
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
🔹 Giving Enhances Emotional Well-Being (a Foundation for Resilience
“Children were happier when giving treats to others than when receiving treats themselves.”
📍 Results section
➡️ Connection:
The study shows that giving creates positive emotions — and emotional well-being is one of the central components of emotional resilience
The study shows that using resources for others (giving) increases happiness more than using them for oneself, including among children in follow-up experiments
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
🔹 Giving to Others Enhances Emotional Well-Being
“Spending money on others promotes happiness.”
📍 Results section
➡️ Connection:
The study suggests that acts of giving create positive emotions — a principle that supports volunteering and giving activities at a young age
A meta-analysis of long-term studies examining the connection between volunteering and mental health
The findings show that volunteering is associated with improved mental well-being, reduced depression and an increased sense of meaning and control in life.
The research mainly focuses on adults rather than children — but it still provides an important foundation, especially when combined with studies about children
The meta-analysis shows a consistent connection between volunteering, mental well-being, reduced depression and a sense of meaning — findings that support the potential of volunteering in developing emotional resilience
Connection to the HELEK Initiative – Education for Community Volunteering & Selected Quotes
🔹 Volunteering Is Linked to Mental Well-Being and Resilience
“Volunteering was associated with reduced depression, increased well-being, and improved life satisfaction.”
📍 Results section
➡️ Connection:
The study points to a consistent connection between volunteering, mental health and resilience — principles that may be especially significant when volunteering begins at a young age
🔹 Sense of Meaning and Control – Components of Resilience
Described throughout the article – sense of purpose and control)
📍Discussion section
➡️ Connection:
A sense of meaning and control are central components of emotional resilience — therefore volunteering activities may support the development of resilience
