Every volunteer has different talents and comes from a different cultural and professional background. Before starting your volunteer work in South America it is good to know what your strengths (and weaknesses) are. Talking to the project leaders about the possible activities you can do can be helpful, but often it is expected and appreciated that you come up with your own ideas and take initiative.

For this it’s important to take into consideration the age group of the kids, whether the volunteer project is set-up for girls or boys only and their social situation. For example, if you choose to work at an orphanage, you can encounter children that have problems with trusting others, and sometimes don’t want to talk or just walk away. At a social rehabilitation home, most children have problems with their families and at an afterschool project it’s difficult to coordinate group activities due to many different schedules.

Still it is possible that they do not like your prepared activity. Therefore it’s important to always have a plan B and know how to improvise a little. There are literally hundreds of activities you can do with children, and here we share some of the more popular ones:

Creative Activities:

Physical Activities:

Concentration Activities:

Educational Activities:

Special Activities:

However, don’t be surprised that the children sometimes just prefer to sit and talk instead of doing other activities. Most go to school already and just want to enjoy their free time afterschool. Generally they are extremely interested in your ‘story’, country and language. Therefore, they are also very patient and helpful with your efforts to speak Spanish.

Whatever activity or way you spend time together, one thing is certain; you will make their world richer and your own as well!

Feel free to contact our volunteer coordinator for any questions, and for tips for working with children please read our previous articles here (part I) and here (part II).