Random Acts of Kindness You Can Teach Your Kids To Do Today

We all know the world could use a little more kindness. A simple wave, a smile, or friendly greeting as we’re out in the world can sometimes be all our busy schedules allow. But when it comes to children, encouraging them to go above and beyond from time-to-time can be transformative.

Too many times, kids get caught up in their own little bubbles, surveying the world through just their own perspective (let’s be honest, us adults do too). Although it’s important to be self-aware, learning to step into another’s shoes is essential for their growth. Challenging them to do acts of kindness, not just to feel good about themselves, but to make others feel good too, is a great way to teach them empathy and reinforce your family’s values.

Here’s a list of 30 simple acts of kindness you can teach your kids to do today.

 

In Their Classroom:

1. Compliment a classmate

2. Bring your teacher an apple (or their favorite snack!)

3. Let someone ahead of you in the lunch line

4. Ask to push someone on the swing

5. Draw your classmates a picture

6. Offer to help your teacher clean up

7. Put change in a vending machine

8. Leave a nice letter in a library book

9. Give a sweet treat to your bus driver

10. Write thank you notes for the lunch and janitorial staff

 

At Home:

11. Help wash/dry dishes

12. Help fold laundry

13. Choose an old favorite toy to donate

14. Donate a book to a doctor’s office waiting room

15. Leave a hand-drawn picture on a parent’s pillow

16. Sing to your baby sister or brother

17. Give someone a hug coupon

18. Help make breakfast for your family

19. Make a homemade gift for your sibling

20. Put a surprise sticky-note message somewhere your parent or sibling will find it

 

random acts of kindness

Source: @hithapalepu

 

Throughout Your Neighborhood:

21. Dry the slides off at your nearby park after it rains

22. Tape a dollar to a friend’s door for the ice cream truck

23. Bury “treasure” in the nearby park and make a map for someone to find it

24. Offer to pick the weeds for a neighbor

24. Help bake a treat for someone in your neighborhood

25. Make cards and delivery them to your local retirement home

26. Leave heads-up pennies along the sidewalk

27. Make a kindness jar for someone to find in your local park

28. Offer to take an elderly neighbor’s dog on a walk

29. Collect books from neighbors to donate to the library

30. Make a chalk hop-scotch on the sidewalk for anyone to play

How to Teach Values to Babies and Toddlers
(Because We All Want to Raise Nice Humans!)
Click to Read