Introduce your kids to random acts of kindness. You can do this by first demonstrating how it feels when someone performs a random act of kindness for you. For example you can give them a small gift or written note about how much you appreciate them.
Ask them how it feels when someone does something nice for them. Direct the conversation to what you, as a group, can do to make others feel good.
The kids will likely come up with an extreme list, like “Buy everyone an Ipad” or “Cook dinner for the school” etc. While great ideas, we do not always have the budget or time to handle that level of kindness.
Narrow down the list to a few manageable tasks and run with it!
Remind kids that a random act of kindness does not need to be a big gesture. Some of the simplest things are appreciated the most.
25 Ideas for Random Acts of Kindness
- Open the door for someone
- Tell mom thank you for making dinner
- Help wash the dishes
- Thank dad for coaching football
- Let my sister play with me
- Help the custodians
- Make tie blankets for the humane society
- Thank a teacher
- Walk around giving candy to everyone
- Hang a small basket of candy on my teacher’s door after school
- Make a welcome to school banner for Monday morning
- Ask someone about their day
- Give a high five
- pick up litter
- Make a bookmark and leave it in a book at the library
- Decorate bags for meals on wheels
- Ask someone new to sit with you at lunch
- Help someone pickup something they dropped
- Make new student welcome bags
- smile at someone just because
- Put together busy boxes for the children’s hospital
- Donate toys you don’t use any more to charity
- Paint kindness rocks and hide them around school or town
- Compliment someone
- Call grandma just to say hi