If you want to spend quality time with your children while instilling them with values and compassion, you should consider volunteering as a family. Whether you’re planting trees together for the Nature Conservatory, serving soup at a homeless shelter or building homes for Habitat for Humanity, volunteering is a powerful way to teach your children about giving back.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to teaching your children about volunteering:

Walk the walk: You know the age-old saying, “You can talk the talk, but can you can walk the walk?” This expression definitely applies to teaching your kids about volunteering. In other words, you can’t expect your children to be interested in volunteering if they never see you donating time to volunteer efforts. If your kids see you giving back, they’ll be much more likely to catch the volunteering bug.

Pull together: The most effective way to teach your kids about volunteering is to actually work alongside them. Experts have shown time and again that leading by example is the best way to teach children. Working side-by-side with your children not only reassures them and encourages their efforts, but it also gives you the opportunity to bond with your family on an entirely new level.

Find the right fit: There are countless volunteering organizations out there. As you try to find the best fit for your family, you should think about the interests you and your children share. For example, if you are animal lovers, you may want to donate your time to the Human Society. If you like to work outside and build things together, Habitat for Humanity may be the perfect organization for you. If you enjoy visiting with the elderly, you may consider donating time to a local nursing home.

It’s important to find a volunteering opportunity that your children will enjoy. If they are bored with a particular volunteering effort, they will come to associate giving back with boredom. Have a discussion with your kids to figure out where their passion lies and go from there.

Promise them a reward: As many moms discover, you may find it challenging to get your brood excited about volunteering as a family. Some kids, especially older children and teens, require a little extra prodding. If this is the case with your kids, don’t underestimate the power of a bribe.

Tell your children that if they stick with a volunteering effort for a certain number of months, you’ll reward them with a trip to the beach or a new outfit. The emotional high your children will experience from helping others will almost certainly make the bribe unnecessary the next time around.