Random Acts of Kindness
Have you ever been the recipient of a random act of kindness? Can you recall that feeling you got when someone went out of their way to do something that made your life a little easier or that made you feel seen? Sit with that feeling for a moment, let it fill you up, and take a deep breath…
These days, the world can seem like a scary place and so many things can feel like they’re out of our hands. When life feels rough, one thing we can do to make the world a better place (that is immediate and completely within our control) is to engage in random acts of kindness. Let’s give someone else (whether random or familiar) that wonderful feeling of knowing that someone was thinking of them, and encourage our kids to do the same. Maybe we can inspire others to pay it forward and keep the kindness train rolling!
Random Acts of Kindness to Do With Kids:
Leave snacks on your porch for your mail carrier and delivery drivers
Write a kind note on a Post-It and stick it in a library book
Help someone return their shopping cart in the parking lot
Find outgrown toys, books, or clothes to donate to those in need
Buy dessert for another table at a restaurant
Before trash day, take a walk around the neighborhood and offer to help neighbors who might struggle to take out their trash bins
Set up a lemonade stand on a hot day—give it away for free or donate profits to charity
Double the recipe you’re making for dinner and surprise another family with a free homemade meal
Random Acts of Kindness for Kids to Do on Their Own:
Play with someone who is alone on the playground
Make a card and send it to someone who won’t expect it
Paint rocks and hide them (at the park, in a bush next to the sidewalk, etc.) for someone else to find
Do a chore at home without being asked
Smile at 3 strangers
Call a relative and ask how their day was
Give a friend a compliment
While random acts of kindness are meant to help others, they have benefits for us too, because it feels pretty awesome to know you did something good. Imagine the change we’d see in the world if everyone did or received an act of kindness every day—let’s get the habit rolling, starting with our families.