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Free Family Activities

We value your family and the unity that can be achieved by spending time with your children. Enjoy these free family activities that will help your family grow in understanding, gratitude and generosity.

COMPASSION IS ON-MISSION FOR ALL CHILDREN

When it comes to being intentional with your kiddos, we want to provide you with tools to create meaningful experiences. Whether it's teaching your kids about poverty, expanding their worldview, or simply creating a special memory for them, we believe the activities presented on this page are your ticket to free family fun!

As your family spends time together doing these activities, we pray you will consider blessing families around the world who are in need.

Many parents of Compassion-assisted children struggle to raise their families in the harsh circumstances where they live. Their children are at high risk of malnutrition, sickness and exploitation. But the trajectory of the children's lives can be completely altered through your support.

The Compassion Health and Parenting Skills fund trains parents in poverty to better care for their children through education, awareness, and prevention. Contributions to the fund allow us to offer free parenting and marriage workshops and seminars about domestic violence and child abuse, disease awareness and prevention classes, hygiene and sanitation classes and literacy classes to teach parents how to read and write

Help parents become confident family leaders raising healthy and responsible children. Donate today!

FUN INDOOR ACTIVITIES

These free family activities are great for rainy days stuck inside, game nights, play-dates, and quality time at home with your kiddos. Self-guided and easy, these budget-friendly activities will not disappoint your kids or your pocket book. Whether you have little ones or growing explorers, the whole family can enjoy these indoor games and crafts year-round!

Crayon Comeback

To save what little money they have, families in poverty are careful not to waste. Instead of throwing out crayon stubs that are too short to color with, this free fun activity helps you turn them into new crayons in fun shapes and swirly colors.

Paper Dolls

Clothing and fashion can change from culture to culture, and country to country. Print out and dress up these moms and babies to learn how some women and children dress in Bolivia and Rwanda!

A homemade picture frame with a picture of two boys in blue shirts

Picture That

Pictures help us remember the people and experiences in our lives. Here are some picture frames you can cut out and color with crayons or markers. Then draw a picture or paste a photo of your sponsored child, family, or friends in the middle!

A water bottle crafted to look like a pink pig for use as a piggy bank

The Bank of Oink

Here's a fun, free way to teach your children about earning and saving money! Recycle a plastic bottle and watch as your kids enjoy learning about math and money in style.

Pipes and Rivers

Many kids living in poverty don’t have clean running water at home. Some kids get water from rivers, but it makes them sick. Sponsored kids get clean water at Compassion centers! Print out this board game and have fun learning more with your family!

Tricky Trail Board Game

This free, printable board game is just one of the many ways you and your family can explore the world together while also learning to be more compassionate and caring! In this game you will see what a normal day is like for a kid growing up in Uganda.

Gulp, Gulp, Go!

Sponsored kids love to make toy cars out of plastic bottles! Your family can replicate this easy, free activity together at home! Get started by locating some recycled bottles and finding a hard floor or green space in the backyard!

Cartoon drawings of an armadillo and a sloth holding a folder

Passport Explorer Games

You might enjoy going swimming or playing sports or doing other fun things. Well, children around the world have lots of different ways to play, too. Explore how kids in other countries have fun by completing these activities with your family!

Fold-a-Fish

Some kids who live in poor countries go fishing to catch food for their families, and many sponsored children have parents who work as fishers. To “catch” this origami fish, you don’t need a rod or bait. All you need for this hands-on activity is a square piece of paper to fold.

Three small mason jars with ribbon around the lids and different color homemade glitter toothpaste in them

Countdown to Clean

This is a free fun way to take care of your body! It’s a great idea to brush your teeth two minutes a day, twice a day, to help prevent cavities. How well do you brush? Here’s a clever way to make sure you brush those pearly whites long enough.

Dream Weaving

Moms in Compassion’s Survival learn new skills to help provide for and sustain their families. One skill some moms learn is basket weaving. They make the baskets to sell to the public and earn money to care for their babies. Here’s an easy version of a basket you can make at home using recycled materials!

A girl holding a glass of dirty water and a glass of clean water

Clear the Way

In low-income countries, many kids have to hike to find water, and the water they find is usually dirty. The dirty water can make them sick, but they have to drink it because it’s all they have. Compassion provides water filters to families who need them in their homes. Make this DIY mini water filter with your family and see how the beginning of the process works.

Small glasses filled with water that has mold floating on it

Germs Germs Germs

When you touch something dirty, you can wash your hands with soapy water to get the germs off. Many children around the world can’t do that because they don’t have running water inside their homes. Germs are everywhere and can make all of us very sick, which is why it’s so important to wash our hands when we're in public and at home. Conduct this hands-on science experiment to see how many germs lurk in your family's house.

A woman and three children smile and laugh together

Compassion Blog

Compassion’s blog is full of interesting information about the world of children in poverty and how Compassion sponsorship provides them real help and lasting hope. Find some great family discussion starters, as well as engaging educational pieces and inspirational stories about real children on a journey out of poverty, all from the comfort of your own living room. (Not recommended for young children due to occasional sensitive content.)

A picture of a sponsored child among several letters written to the child

Write a Letter to a Sponsored Child

The most effective way to build a relationship with your sponsored child is through letter writing. Letter writing can bring two people together from vastly different places and cultures, and forge a friendship that is deep and personal. Grab your family and gather around the table to write your sponsored child a note of love and encouragement.

OUTDOOR FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Get ready for an adventure! These outdoor activities are fun-filled learning opportunities for the whole family. Why spend money at the children's museum or go to the playground for the fourth time this week when you can have a blast exploring something new! Perfect for family outings, road trips and vacations, or a beautiful day in your local community - these activities and free events are great ideas for spending time together!

S.S. Juice Box

Many parents in poor countries don’t have enough money to buy new toys for their kids. So kids use their imaginations and make their own toys with any supplies they can find! Get everyone together for some family fun! Transform recycled juice boxes into sailboats, then hike to the water (with your favorite grown-ups) for a boat race!

a bingo card with items a person sees on a road trip

Road Trip Bingo

Here’s a free game to help a long road trip zoom by: road trip bingo! Download, print, and cut out the bingo cards. Mark the “free” space on your chosen bingo card with an X to begin. Whenever you look out the car window and see one of the things on your card, draw an X on that square. Once you get five X’s in a row, in a column, or diagonally - you win!

a pine cone bird feeder hanging from a tree

For the Birds

The thousands of species of birds around the world show God’s creativity. You can make a pinecone bird feeder to hang in your front or backyard, then get your family together and see how many different types of visiting birds you can count!

Step Into My Shoes

This at-home resource "takes" you to Uganda to meet a family living in poverty and to experience life “in their shoes.” The free, digital resource kit includes four interactive steps. Each step includes a video and a downloadable guide with engaging activities to help your kids learn about poverty and develop the values of generosity and gratitude.

Compassion Experience

Take your kids on a virtual adventure to the developing world! Through the Compassion Experience’s interactive exhibit space, you will step inside the daily life of a real Compassion-sponsored child and be guided by that child (through the use of an iPod and headset) on his or her journey from poverty to hope. This educational and kid-friendly activity is coming to a city near you soon! Don't miss out on this family favorite!

A tour of the Compassion International Global Ministry Center in Colorado Springs includes a child development center like the ones in the developing world.

Tour Compassion's Headquarters

Planning a trip to Colorado Springs? On this interactive, hour-long tour, your family will walk into a replica of a impoverished child's home, explore a Child Development Center much like the ones in the countries where we serve, visit the distribution center where thousands of children’s and sponsors’ letters are processed, and much more! Your heart will be lifted to see how hope and opportunity is changing children’s lives! This is an attraction you don't want to miss out on!

Compassion Summer Family Events

Set your summer destination for Colorado Springs and join us for some free family fun! On one of the three-hour Compassion Family Events at our headquarters, you can search for water, firewood, and experience other daily life activities that will give your family a better understanding of the challenges children face in poverty. Experience the hope that comes when one person chooses to make a difference in a child’s life.

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With Compassion, your donation is used wisely to help children around the world.

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Trusted Charity Since 1952

Have Questions About Compassion and How We Work?

Donating to a charity is an important decision. So when you’re passionate about a cause and want to make a difference, we encourage you to do your research. Compassion is 100% committed to financial integrity, stewardship and using each dollar wisely. If you have any questions about Compassion or exactly how your donation will be used, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Questions?

Please call us at 800-336-7676, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. MT, to speak with a Compassion representative.