50+ Random Acts of Kindness Kids Can Do

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Who doesn’t love random acts of kindness? Did you know that February 17th is actually Random Acts of Kindness Day? Also, November 13th is World Kindness Day. Yes, there is a day for everything these days, but ones like these are important to remember and observe.

Today I want to share with you some random acts of kindness ideas that kids can do!

An old Chinese proverb says: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”

Do you want your kids to learn the joy of kindness and service? I want my kids to naturally desire to show love and kindness to others around them. Sometimes I feel like I am not doing enough service activities with my kids.

We have the most adorable book from Usborne called Do Nice, Be Kind, Spread Happy by Bernadette Russell. This book is full of acts of kindness kids can do for others. We decided to explore the book and try out a few for ourselves.

Our Random Acts of Kindness

Recently, we went to a local museum and thought it would be the perfect place to try out some of the acts of kindness we found in the book. The kids wanted to leave kind notes on people’s cars.

During lunch, before we went to the museum the kids got out paper, markers and stickers and set to work making a whole bunch of notes to brighten people’s day.

When we got to the museum, the kids ran around the parking lot and put the notes on people’s windshields. They were so excited about it and had a lot of fun! You could use sticky notes for this to make it extra easy!

Another idea in the book was to give someone a book you love. My son wrote a note on the book telling whoever found it that they could keep it, read it, and pass it along in the same way. He left it somewhere in the children’s museum. I love that he was being generous with something he really liked.

This book is packed full of fun small acts of kindness like these ones! We are having a great time doing kind things for our friends, the neighborhood, family, and strangers. I love having new ideas of how to serve others in a simple way.

Sometimes kids may be afraid to do something nice for a stranger, so be sure to be there to make them feel safe and secure. Or maybe you can be an example to them by showing them how these things are done first. Do these acts of kindness right along side your kids!

Another book we found that we enjoy is called 101 Small Ways to Change the World by Aubre Andrus. This book is packed with fun ways you can show kindness to others.

We also love the website Just Serve that gives you service opportunities that you can find in your area, or online.

50+ Random Acts of Kindness Ideas That Kids Can Do:

1. Bake cookies or fresh bread for a neighbor or friend.
2. Shovel someone’s driveway after a snow storm.
3. Bring your neighbor’s trash can in from the street.
4. Put extra money in an expired parking meter.
5. Make a handmade card for somebody.
6. Write a positive note of encouragement for somebody. (See my Acts of Kindness Coloring Notes!)
7. Do chores for a family member.
8. Give money, a warm meal, or a water bottle to a homeless person.
9. Serve food at a homeless shelter.
10. Donate towels or blankets, toys, or food to animal shelters.
11. Walk a neighbor’s dog for them.
12. Send a care package to someone in the armed service or to a missionary stationed abroad.
13. Help someone unload their groceries at the grocery store.
14. Pay for someone’s food behind you in the drive through.
15. Make a positive comment on somebody’s social media post.
16. Talk to somebody new. (At school church, or wherever you may be. It always makes the new person feel good to be noticed!)
17. Write a thank you note to somebody.
18. Pick up trash you see on the side of the road. This may not seem like you are directly being kind to a person, but it makes the world a cleaner place!
19. Compliment somebody.
20. Congratulate somebody on their recent success.
21. Visit a nursing home. You can sing a song or even just stop in a few rooms to say hello.
22. Donate your toys or clothing to others in need. There are many organizations helping those in need!
23. Donate your hair! Gif you have a long ponytail, you can donate it to places that make wigs for people losing their hair for various illnesses.
24. Donate food to a food drive.
25. Hold a charity bake sale or lemonade stand. Rise money to give to your favorite charity.
26. Donate a percentage of your money to charity each month.
27. Volunteer your time at a food bank.
28. Make blankets, hats, teddy bears, or anything needed for charity.
29. Have a Free Little Library in front of your home to give books to others!
30. Paint rocks with kind messages and put them along a local walking path or park.
31. Play with a younger sibling.
32. Leave kindness notes in library books at your local library.
33. Put coupons you will not use on items they match with at the grocery store.
34. Spend a day being perfectly obedient to your parents!
35. Write thank you notes to your parents or siblings and hide them in their drawers or under their pillows.
36. Draw a picture for someone to cheer them up.
37. Start a change jar to donate to somebody in need. Collect all of your spare change in it for a year.
38. Teach somebody a skill you are good at.
39. Weed somebody’s garden for them, or mow their lawn.
40. Offer to take a picture for a group of people so they can all be in the picture.
41. Adopt a pet from your local animal shelter, or pet sit for someone.
42. Leave your spare change in the vending machine for the next person who comes along.
43. Visit the children’s hospital and bring them homemade cards or toys.
44. Wash somebody’s car for them.
45. Share your umbrella with someone in the rain.
46. Make signs of encouragement to cheer on people running a race in your town!
47. Write messages of encouragement on the pavement with sidewalk chalk to cheer people up.
48. Give a treat or a thank you note to the mail man or UPS man.
49. Leave a positive review for a local business you enjoy.
50. Return somebody’s shopping cart for them at the grocery store.
51. Share produce from your garden with others.
52. Feed the birds in the wintertime.
53. Give somebody a gift card to a grocery store or a restaurant, or anything you think they would like.
54. Smile! Give a smile to each person you pass.
55. Leave your mail carrier or delivery drivers a cold drink or snack on a hot day.
56. Write a letter to or call a grandparent.
57. Bring treats to your local fire station or police station and thank them for their service.

We don’t need a reason to serve or show kindness. It does not have to be a special organized day. Serve and give every day. The world can always use a little more cheer, so find a way to do some random acts of kindness in your community or your online circles. If you start teaching your children while they are young to spread cheer, they will continue it as they are older. One person can make a huge difference in the lives of others.

Be the One!

What is your favorite way to serve with your children?

Also check out my printable Acts of Kindness Coloring Notes for kids! You may also enjoy my post on Teaching Children to Serve.

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