Objective To develop the teaching practice of volunteer service for the aged in higher vocational nursing program, and to train the elderly service talents. Methods The newly-enrolled nursing students were divided into 2 groups according to their intention of volunteer service for the aged:an experimental class of 58 nursing students willing to volunteer for the aged, and a control class of 61.The control class was given routine teaching according to the objectives of the higher vocational nursing program. The course content includes three modules: vocational quality, professional knowledge and skills, and comprehensive practice.The experimental class, besides traditional curricular contents, had additional 90 hours (26 hours of theory, 64 hours of practice) of volunteering service for the aged, which took 4 semesters to complete the teaching task.Before and after the teaching, nursing students were surveyed with the Kogan′s Attitudes toward Old People Scale（KAOP）, Facts on Aging Quiz I（FAQI）, and Willingness of Engagement in Elderly Nursing Care.Results After the teaching, the attitudes toward the elderly, mastery of aging knowledge and occupational willingness to be engaged in nursing for the aged in the experimental class were significantly higher than those in the control class (P＜0.01 for all).Conclusion The teaching of volunteer service for the aged can help nursing students master aging knowledge, improve their attitudes towards the elderly and willingness to be engaged in elderly nursing care.It can be used as an effective practical teaching model for the cultivation of nursing talents for the aged.