Children’s Awareness Month

Founded by grieving parents and grandparents in honor of children who have died violent deaths in the United States, Children’s Awareness Month is dedicated to children, seeking to bring hope and encouragement to everyone.

History of Children’s Awareness Month

Children’s Awareness Month has roots that can be traced back to the late 1990s when the National Children and Family Awareness of America got its start. This organization was founded in Northern California but has been active all over the United States.

The idea behind Children’s Awareness Month was to embrace and promote the health and well-being for these children who are the future of the nation. Sometimes referred to as “June for Kids” or “USA for Kids”, this program was first started in 1997. The event was originally sponsored by the mayor of Miami, Florida, and then continued to garner support from governors of many other states, including Connecticut, Iowa, New Mexico and New Hampshire.

The proclamation for Children’s Awareness Month was written in memory of “all children who have died from violent deaths in America”. Along with the idea that children reflect the greatest amount of hope for the future, the proclamation states that “every child deserves to be truly valued and cherished.”

As a kick-off for these thirty days of Children’s Awareness Month, the first Sunday of June is often celebrated as Children’s Awareness Day. Other special days throughout the month include Multicultural American Child Awareness Day on the second Sunday of the month, Family Awareness Day on the third Sunday in June and America’s Kids Day or “Kids Love America Day” on the fourth Sunday of the month.

Each year, Children’s Awareness Month is celebrated to show appreciation for and honor the youth of the country, with hope for the future!

How to Celebrate Children’s Awareness Month

With thirty full days to celebrate, it’s easy to come up with all sorts of ideas for celebrating Children’s Awareness Month! Kids are so creative, resilient and interesting, and this month is perfect for getting outside and spending some time together. Check out some of these ideas for getting involved in the celebration of this month:

Spend Time with a Child

Children are always in need of personal time and attention, whether from parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, neighbors and so many others. Kids can never be over-loved and over-cared-for! An excellent way to show honor and respect for Children’s Awareness Month might be to arrange to spend some one-on-one time with a child in your life.

It might be a niece or nephew, a younger sister or brother, or a family friend – any child enjoys and appreciates it when they can get the extra attention they need and deserve! Make arrangements with their parents or guardians to take them out for a little one-on-one time. This could mean shooting some basketball hoops with a kid who likes sports, participating in some art or music activities or just going for an ice cream cone together. Choose something they might enjoy and then just spend some quality time with a child, who also happens to be part of the future of the planet!

Volunteer with Kids

Don’t have any kids in life locally? That’s okay! There are plenty of kids in the community who would enjoy and appreciate time with an adult who cares. This can be done through various organizations that have mentoring programs, after school tutoring for homework help, teaching kids outdoor skills and so much more.

Children’s Awareness Month is a great time to get involved in kids’ lives, not only this month but all throughout the year. And those who are not able to volunteer their time may be interested in making a financial donation. Check out one of these organizations to see if volunteering would be a good fit.

• Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America. This is a mentoring program with community centers located throughout the United States.
• Save the Children. From running races to advocating for children in government to starting school clubs, there are plenty of ways to volunteer through Save the Children.
• Boys & Girls Club of America. Creating safe places, offering mentors, providing empowerment and doing whatever it takes to ensure that kids have a great future is what this charity is all about.

Participate in Children’s Awareness Month Campaigns

Sometimes parents, teachers and other adults need reminders about how special the children in their lives really are. Children’s Awareness Month is the perfect time to host or participate in campaigns that remind folks of this important fact. Whether sharing some pictures or campaigns on social media or promoting the month at schools or community centers, this is a great time to get active on behalf of a child!

Get Creative with Kids

One of the best ways to celebrate Children’s Awareness Month is to simply be aware of children. And the way to do this is by listening, watching and being attentive! Then, invite them into an activity that allows them to be creative. School teachers, sports coaches, art teachers, parents, grandparents and so many others can look for opportunities all month long to invite children to get away from their usual routines and move into ways to be creative.

Consider some of these creative activities with kids:

• Tell a story together. This can be done with one or more children. Start with “Once upon a time”, and then let each person say one sentence that takes the story further. It’s an exciting and creative way to see where kids’ minds and hearts are.
• Build something. A building activity can be done with any kind of found objects, from sticks in the backyard to cans in the recycling bin. Come up with a few different types of building materials and see what the kids will enjoy creating with you.
• Go on an outdoor adventure. Kids today need outdoor time more than ever! Take them to a safe but somewhat unknown place like a park, woods or other outdoor space, and see what adventures can be found.