Are you and your family looking for ways to brighten someone’s day? This blog is packed with thirty acts of kindness ideas. The list of acts below is sure to inspire you and your little one to put a smile on a stranger or loved one’s face. We know it’s always nice to “be kind,” but sometimes we need new and fresh inspiration to add to our daily kindness activities. Read on to discover the brilliant list that has been prepared for you.
1. Write a Thank You Note to the Postman
Write an inspiring note to your neighborhood mail carrier and place it in the mailbox. It can be a simple, “Thank you for delivering my family’s mail. I hope you have a wonderful day.” Or it can be more involved. Keep the card plain and simple, or make it a coloring and/or painting activity.
Learn More: Tons Of Thanks
2. Make a Kindness Postcard
Nothing can beat a homemade card. Set up paper at the dinner table, add some paint, and you have a card! These inspiring notes can be sent to a random person or a loved one. Either way, these postcards filled with natural kindness are sure to lift the receiver’s spirits.
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3. Plan a Surprise Lunch for Your Teacher
Whether you prepare a lunch bag or purchase a meal, get the kids involved with picking out the items for your teacher’s lunch table. Teachers can have fun with friends in the teacher lounge as they share stories about what a sweet student they have. Provide extra food for them to share.
Learn More: The Kindergarten Connection
4. Put Away Carts at Grocery Store
Carts are constantly in parking lots. Help everyone’s daily lives by putting not just your cart away, but someone else’s too. This can free up some time for the grocery store bagger and is also a perfect act of kindness for strangers. You’re helping the larger community with this simple act.
Learn More: Ripple Kindness
5. Help an Elderly Neighbor
You can either choose to help an elderly neighbor unload their car, or you can play card games with an elderly person. Either way, you are boosting morale and helping them. Perhaps stop over with a handmade gift to brighten their day.
Learn More: Hope Healthcare
6. Help a Disabled Neighbor
Similar to how you can help an elderly neighbor, a disabled friend could also use help with their everyday life chores like putting away dishes or unloading groceries. Ask if there is a designated day you can come over with your child to help for fifteen to twenty minutes.
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7. Donate Money to Charity
Ask your child if they would be willing to empty their piggy bank to give money to charity. Do they have any extra money they could do without? Being able to share your wealth is life satisfaction. Learning the importance of giving back at an early age can set up a lifetime of donations to the cause of their choice.
Learn More: Data Driven Investor
8. Send a Letter to Grandma
Wouldn’t grandma love a handwritten letter? Happy messages about a favorite memory, or just a note to say “Hi” are great ways to reconnect with your family.
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9. Make a Letter Bead Bracelet
My two-and-a-half-year-old niece recently made me one of these that said “Auntie.” It warmed my heart and provided a talking point for our dinner-time conversation while I asked how she decided on the colors.
Learn More: Pretty Little Social
10. Participate in a Food Drive
A great way to participate in a food drive is to set up a food box collection that your child is in charge of bringing to the donation site.
Learn More: Feeding America
11. Create a Kindness Stone
Kindness rocks are fun and easy to make. You can give one to an elderly friend, or simply place it in your yard to remind yourself about kindness when you walk out the door.
Learn More: Feeding America
12. Create a Kindness Heart
Similar to the kindness rock, these hearts can be placed anywhere or given to anyone as a reminder to add kindness to your day. All you need is to add an encouraging message to the heart. More kindness leads to happier people.
Learn More: Pinterest
13. Create a Family Kindness Jar
Fill this jar with everything written in this blog, and then add some ideas of your own to create a single jar filled with loads of ideas. Each family member has to pick one item out of the jar each day as their daily kindness challenge. See if you can come up with enough ideas to last a month!
Learn More: Surf And Sunshine
14. Thank the Bus Driver
Whether you turn it into a nice card or just say it verbally, thanking your bus driver is something every kid in school should be doing.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
15. Volunteer at a Homeless Shelter
The gift of volunteering will warm your child’s heart for years to come. Get them involved now so volunteerism becomes part of their normal routine.
Learn More: Empower4Life
16. Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen
If a homeless shelter is not nearby, find a soup kitchen! Serving food to others and getting to know their story can be very rewarding.
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17. Add Coins to a Parking Meter
This is a classic kindness idea that is becoming harder to do as more meters become electronic. If you are able to find an old-school coin meter, try this out!
Learn More: Internet Of Kindness
18. Take Out or Bring In the Neighbor’s Garbage Can
Taking out or bringing the can in at the end of a long day is always just another chore. Having this already finished by the neighborhood kid is such a sweet surprise to arrive home to!
Learn More: Farm Discovery
19. Volunteer at the Local Animal Shelter
Children may be more interested in this type of volunteerism than the ones above. Petting cats and dogs in need of love will feel so good and put your child in a kind mindset.
Learn More: Humane Society
20. Purchase Extra School Supplies to Share With a Friend
There are always kids in need of extra supplies. You can either purposefully buy an extra set for someone, or you can donate them to your school district.
Learn More: Business Insider
21. Write a Get-Well Card
Do you know someone who is sick? Even if you don’t, sending a get-well card to your local hospital is a great happy note for someone to receive. Ask the nurse to help decide to whom the card should go.
Learn More: Parade
22. Write a Chalk Message
Bust out the chalk and write a nice message for people to see as they are walking. Strangers are sure to get a smile on their faces as they read notes.
Learn More: Think Make Share Blog
23. Send a Video Message
Sometimes crafting a card requires more effort than we would like. Send a video message instead!
Learn More: Dignity Health
24. Volunteer at the Local Food Pantry or Food Bank
Separate from a soup kitchen, donate your time to the food bank! Food banks usually give food for families to take home with them while a soup kitchen will serve a prepared meal directly to the person in need.
Learn More: Heaven On Earth Now
25. Park Clean Up
Bring a plastic bag for trash collection the next time you take your kiddo to the playground. They will establish a sense of pride for their surroundings as they pick up the mess. Be sure to let them know how good it feels to work hard and clean up.
Learn More: Pennies Of Time
26. Set the Table for Dinner
Perhaps one of the items in your family’s kindness jar can be setting the table. Kids can learn the items needed basing on the type of meal their family is having. After this sense of accomplishment, your little one might get excited about doing it again and again. Could this be their new chore?
Learn More: Doing Good Together
27. Rake a Neighbor’s Yard
It’s hard to keep up with yard work during the fall. An elderly friend could use your help with their yard clean-up.
Learn More: Kindness Acts
28. Visit a Nursing Home
Some nursing homes have “adopt a grandparent” programs. This is an especially good idea if you live far from home and would like your child to have a relationship with an elderly person.
Learn More: Doing Good Together
29. Clean Up Dog Poop
If you see it, pick it up! The next time you’re on a walk with your child, bring some plastic bags and go on a poop hunt!
Learn More: Be Chewy
30. Make Your Parent Breakfast in Bed
Encourage your child to get themselves up on Saturday morning and pour cereal for the whole family. Tip: pour a small amount of milk into a pitcher the night before so your child isn’t pouring out the whole galloon!
Learn More: Parenting OC
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