Ways to be kind for kids
100 Acts of Kindness for Kids
Doing acts of kindness is one of the best activities you can do with your kids.
It’s a great way to bond as a family, a lot of fun and teaches kids about compassion and service.
Any act of kindness no matter how big or small can make a difference–especially when done intentionally.
Here are 100 acts of kindness for kids that you and your family can do together!
100 Acts of Kindness for Kids
- Put change in a vending machine.
- Hold the door open for someone.
- Do a chore for someone without them knowing.
- Tell a joke.
- Return someone’s cart at the store.
- Give candy to your bank teller.
- Leave a letter in a library book.
- Feed the birds.
- Leave happy notes around town.
- Put a small bin in your car to collect recycling.
- Call your grandparents and ask them about their childhood.
- Pick up litter.
- Let someone go ahead of you in line.
- Compliment a friend.
- Wash someone’s car.
- Write a thank you note for your mail carrier.
- Plant something.
- Bake dessert for a neighbor
- Walk dogs at the animal shelter.
- Check in on an elderly neighbor.
- Set up a lemonade stand and donate the profits.
- Send a card to a service member.
- Bury treasure at the playground.
- Set the table for dinner.
- Leave bubbles on someone’s doorstep.
- Put money on a stranger’s layaway bill.
- Tell someone why they are special to you.
- Donate outgrown clothes.
- Buy a coffee for a stranger.
- Pass out stickers to kids waiting in line.
- Talk to someone new at school.
- Write chalk messages on the sidewalk.
- Weed or shovel for a neighbor.
- Donate food to the food pantry.
- Bring flowers to your teacher.
- Tell a manager how good your service was.
- Tape change to a parking meter.
- Donate socks and supplies to the homeless shelter.
- Give a lottery ticket to a stranger.
- Call a friend you haven’t seen in a while to say hello.
- Tape money for the ice cream truck to a friend’s front door.
- Take treats to the fire station.
- Read a book to someone.
- Leave heads up pennies on the sidewalk.
- Donate a book to a doctor’s office waiting room.
- Tell someone how much you love them.
- Say hello to everyone you see.
- Make someone else’s bed.
- Hold the door open for someone.
- Wave at kids on school buses.
- Sing songs at a nursing home.
- Invite someone to play on the playground.
- Tell the principal how great your teacher is.
- Donate a toy to Toys for Tots.
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
- Say thank you when you see service members.
- Fill a kindness jar with candy for another family.
- Make a thank you sign for sanitation workers.
- Make a busy bag for a family with young children.
- Bring cookies to the custodian.
- Help make dinner.
- Donate new pajamas for foster kids.
- Make a get well card for someone.
- Bring your neighbors’ garbage cans up for them.
- Take care of someone’s pet while they’re away.
- Leave a popcorn surprise on a DVD rental machine.
- Share a special toy with a friend.
- Clean up your room without being asked.
- Tape a video message for faraway friends.
- Leave kindness stones at the park.
- Give a candy bar to the bus driver.
- Send dessert to another family at a restaurant.
- Give spare change to the food pantry.
- Buy extra school supplies for a teacher.
- Make muffins for your pharmacist.
- Teach someone something new.
- Reuse paper when you are drawing.
- Pay for someone’s toll.
- Give someone a hug coupon.
- Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
- Write a note for someone’s lunch.
- Collect money or items for your favorite charity.
- Donate coloring books and crayons to the children’s hospital.
- Write a poem for a friend.
- Ask for donations instead of birthday gifts.
- Help someone unload groceries at the store.
- Make a candy gram for the police department.
- Collect books for the library.
- Adopt an animal online.
- Decorate tissue boxes and hand sanitizer for nursing stations.
- Make a homemade gift for someone.
- Clean up your toys without being asked.
- Deliver water bottles to the homeless shelter.
- Create activity bags for families of deployed soldiers.
- Give high fives to a friend.
- Make a thank you card for your librarian.
- Dry the slides at the park with a towel after it rains.
- Make play dough for a preschool class.
- Send a postcard to a friend.
- Smile at everybody. It’s contagious.
Print Your Own 100 Acts of Kindness
Ready to get started?
Yay!!!!
Download the 100 acts of kindness printable below and print it out for your kids (or self!)
Then choose a few from the list and get started.
Remember no act of kindness is ever too small!
DOWNLOAD HERE: 100 ACTS OF KINDNESS FOR KIDS FREE PRINTABLE
The best part about doing acts of kindness is once you start you can’t stop! They are so much fun to do!
Focusing on kindness can be life-changing for you and your family. We think doing acts of kindness as a family or group can be life changing and encourage you to join our kindness movement.
We share kindness ideas year round and encourage you to sign up for our emails or follow us on Instagram so you don’t miss any!
Join the Acts of Kindness Movement
We also help lead world-wide kindness efforts throughout the year we’d love for you to join. Read about each below and get involved with going good!
Countdown to Christmas with Acts of Kindness
Each year we share a Christmas kindness advent calendar readers can use to do a little good as the holidays approach. We have TONS of resources and lots of fun (and many free) kindness ideas for you to do.
We share a December version for those who aren’t counting down to Christmas and even have a RACK printable pack you can use to create a personalized calendar for your family!
Use this post to get you started: Random Acts of Christmas Kindness Advent Calendar
100 Acts of Kindness Project
Each year from Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday until Valentine’s Day we join with Toddler Approved to do a 100 Acts of Kindness challenge!
This is a wonderful way to kick off the year and is very popular with families and classes. We provide lots of resources and ideas and even have a Facebook group full of participants cheering each other on from around the world.
Use this post to find out more: Join the 100 Acts of Kindness Project
Want even more acts of kindness ideas for kids?
No problem! We’ve got lots of acts of kindness ideas that kids can do. You’re never too young to make a difference!
50 Ways For Kids To Be Kind
by Forrest Webber
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I remember when I first became a parent I was asked, “What do you hope for the most for your child?”
The answer was simple… “I want him to be kind and good.”
15 years, and 5 kids later I still want my kids to be kind and good.
Teaching our kids to be kind is becoming increasingly more difficult as the years pass. The world changes, kids change, and it seems it is harder to teach our kids to be kind.
We now not only have to teach them to be kind in person but also on the Internet. How do we teach our kids to be kind?
Teaching Kids to Be Kind
Teaching kids to be kind is not always easy, but there are some easy steps we can take to help them to learn to be a little kinder.
Lead By Example
The first thing we can do is lead by example and be kind to others.
When we are out and about smile at others, say hello, hold the door open for people, say please and thank you.
As we modeling kindness our kids will naturally want to be kind just like us.
Limit Teasing
Teasing always seems like such a harmless thing to do, but we must be careful when teasing. While families may love to tease each other, sometimes we need to be careful because some kids don’t understand it.
If your child cries or leaves the room when you tease them, then they may be feeling degraded or unsure of themselves. Teach kindness by being kind to each other and find other ways to have fun and be playful with one another, without teasing.
Teach Kids to Help One Another
To encourage kid kindness it is important to teach them to help one another, even with the smallest acts of kindness. These simple acts go a long way.
Explain to your child why you held the door open for someone else or why you helped someone with their groceries at the grocery store.
Explain that you were being kind by being helpful and explain why it is good to give even when you may not receive a thank you in return.
These random acts of kindness may be just what your child needs to see so they can emulate that behavior and be kind to others they meet.
Encourage Kindness
The last thing we can do is to encourage kindness through random acts of kindness activities. We have compiled 50 kindness activities for kids to help them practice being kind to others.
50 Ways for Kids to Be Kind
We are sharing 50 ways for kids to be kind that are easy to do and come naturally after a little while.
- The simple act of saying please and thank you.
- Point out when someone’s shoe is untied, or their backpack zipper is open.
- Greet your neighbors when you see them.
- Say hello to a classmate you don’t normally talk to
- Donate to your classroom library, books that you no longer read but are in good condition.
- Support brands that are supportive. We love Kind Snacks for this reason for their social impact and economic sustainability. #kindawesome.
- Print off a fun puzzle for a friend to do when they are home sick from school.
- Invite a schoolmate to sit on their own to join in your game.
- Say something nice about someone, just because.
- Write a small note of thanks for someone who has done you a favor.
- Wash the dishes or take out the garbage at home without being asked.
- Let your brother or sister choose the TV show to watch with the family on Friday night.
- Draw a picture with sidewalk chalk on the sidewalk that will brighten other people’s day.
- Speak up for someone that others aren’t being kind to at school.
- Read a story to someone who has read a story to you.
- Write a note to a distant relative and send it in the mail.
- Keep a journal and write a happy thought in it every night before bed.
- Bake cookies for your teacher.
- Wave at kids driving by on a school bus.
- Donate toys you no longer use to a local shelter.
- Thank your teacher for being patient teaching the class today.
- Smile at everyone.
- Pick up some additional food items when grocery shopping and donate to the food bank.
- Sit next to someone you don’t normally eat lunch with.
- Tell your sister/brother that you love her/him.
- Count to 10 in your head to avoid yelling at someone when you get angry.
- Ask mom/dad how her/his day went.
- Pick-up litter you find outside, around your house.
- Make an easy bird feeder to welcome birds in your yard.
- Forgive someone who did something you didn’t like.
- Hold the door for someone.
- Share a riddle with a fellow kid (or adult!) to cheer them up.
- Leave the mail carrier a thank you note.
- Carry an extra granola bar or Kind Snack with you to give to a homeless person you pass.
- Clean your room without being asked.
- Use kind words when speaking to others.
- Leave coloring books and crayons in your doctor’s waiting area for other kids to use.
- Volunteer at your local Humane Society to spend time socializing with the animals waiting for their new forever home.
- Send postcards or letters to veterans thanking them for their service.
- Give positive feedback in class when someone is making a presentation.
- Donate to the local hospital, family-friendly DVD movies or TV shows you don’t watch anymore.
- Rake leaves or shovel snow for an elderly neighbor.
- Leave kindness rocks in the park or playground.
- Start a compliment jar or positive memory jar for your family.
- Make a meditation chain for your daily positive thoughts.
- Start a Little Free Library outside of your house.
- Bring school supplies with you on your next family vacation as part of the Pack for Purpose initiative.
- Encourage your school to acknowledge those who are kind through simple award certificates or school announcements.
- Get out of bed on a school day when your parents wake you, without complaining.
- Give those people you care about a hug, right now.
These 50 ways for kids to be kind are so easy to do! I love teaching kids to be kind is simple and has such a positive ripple effect. Your kids can actively impact their future by encouraging kindness.
As we continue teaching kids to be kind we are making the world a better place. One random act of kindness at a time!
If you happen to see an act of kindness, don’t forget to send them a #kindaweseome card, a great initiative to encourage others to pass it on. What are some other ways for kids to be kind? Share ways you are teaching kids to be kind in the comments!
Check out these other great posts!
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We want our children to be kind.
Can they be taught this? If parents really appreciate kindness in people, there are many ways to bring it up in a child
November 13 is World Kindness Day in many countries. The participants of the holiday call on all the inhabitants of the planet to do some good deed on this day. But is it possible to make it so that doing good becomes a habit, and we do good deeds every day, and not just once a year? There are several ways to become kinder yourself and teach your children to do the same.
A person's character is formed before the age of 5, according to psychologists. It is good if before this age adults managed to lay the foundations and instill good habits in the child. This also applies to moral qualities. Parents can teach their child not only to brush their teeth, dress themselves, read and count confidently, but also to be kind! Kindness is not only a character trait, often innate from birth, but also a habit of behaving and treating others kindly, which can be instilled in a child in childhood and developed later throughout life.
How to show a child what kindness is, what actions we consider good and why? Recall 10 affordable ways to make acts of kindness a natural part of your children's lives.
1. Be an example. No common truths will be learned if the child does not see their application in practice. The brain of a small child is set to imitate. Children reproduce in behavior only those models that they see in front of them. You must be an example if you want your child to be kind to himself and others. The most valuable observation for a baby is to see how mom or dad helps a stranger on the street, in a store, in transport.
2. Don't be afraid to talk to a stranger. You can always exchange a couple of kind words with a salesperson in a store, with fellow travelers on a bus, with strangers who find themselves next to you in some general situation. Treat them kindly, like old friends. Communicate freely and with a smile.
3. Show love and affection towards your loved ones.
Hug, kiss each other and the child more often, prepare pleasant surprises, say kind words, and then the children will begin to behave in the same way. A child raised in a warm, welcoming environment learns empathy faster.
4. Read books and watch movies about kindness. Discuss what you see and hear with your child. Talk about what is good and what is bad. Such shared moments teach children to understand situations and people.
- Eduard Uspensky "Fur boarding school" (Kid, 2019). A funny and touching story about a girl, Lyusya Bryukina, who unexpectedly turned out to be a teacher for a whole class of cute animals. Illustrations by Victor Chizhikov.
- Jutta Langreuther "It's better at home!" (Polyandria, 2013). A tender tale about love and the indispensability of a mother.
- Sam McBratney "Do you know how much I love you?" (Pink giraffe, 2019). How to explain what love is? Try to find the answer.
- "Girl and Fox" (France, 2007).
A film about what can be sacrificed for the sake of love and friendship. - Dolphin Story (Canada, USA, 2011). Dolphins are clearly smarter than humans. They can teach compassion, perseverance, and optimism.
- "We bought a zoo" (USA, 2011). Buy a zoo and save the animals. Or will they save you?
- Paddington Adventures (UK, France, USA, 2014). The teddy bear turns out to be a beloved member of the family and gets everyone involved in unexpected challenges.
5. Teach the children to help each other. And not only in some acute situation, when help to another is urgently needed. It will be great if the child learns to show his participation in everyday things. Teach your child various useful skills that he could share with others. You will teach him how to make Easter cakes, and he will show how it is done to other children on the playground.
6. Pay attention to your baby's actions. Every person is pleased when he is appreciated, and especially a child.
The kid really wants his parents to celebrate his achievements and good impulses and be proud of him! This not only gives pleasure, but also helps to build a system of reference points. Children love to analyze and reflect. If a child does a good deed and receives feedback, after a while he will definitely want to repeat this action again. So good deeds will gradually become a habit.
7. Explain your actions. When you say, "I'm staying at a friend's tonight," be sure to add "because she asked me to babysit her little daughter while no one was home." Children need to understand why you act this way and not otherwise.
8. Tell your child about volunteering. Explain who volunteers are and why they help others for free. Together with your child, you can clean up garbage in the park, feed homeless animals. Invite your child to donate some of their toys to the orphanage. If you help charities or participate in volunteer projects, explain to your child why this is important to you and what your help is about.
9. Come up with a reward system. For example, earning cotton balls! It's extremely simple, but very effective. Put in a prominent place (for example, in the kitchen) a jar in which the child will put cotton balls “earned” for good deeds and deeds. Balls are not issued for the performance of any duties or for housework.
The child receives them only when he does something that he was not asked to do, something pleasant and unexpected. Usually this process turns into an exciting game.
What can I give a ball for? If one child spills their food/drink and another helps clean up (without asking!). If the parent needs to bring something, and the children will follow him to help (without asking). If children do or say kind things to each other or to someone else.
The reward for collected marbles must not be material. It is better to organize some kind of fun event. Go bowling with dad, or go to the movies with mom, or maybe just a sleepover party in the parent's bedroom on the floor in sleeping bags!
Cotton balls can be taken back as a punishment: for example, if a child has been rude or aggressive towards another person.
The threat of losing the ball is also a good incentive to control your behavior.
10. Do not judge other people in front of children. Today, public discussions of celebrities or even ordinary people who have attracted public attention are widespread. Being unkind to others is nothing new. But just today, people began to condemn each other easily, thoughtlessly and anonymously. Children who live and develop in the world of digital technologies and social networks learn this very quickly.
Remember that your conduct must be honest and consistent. You need to teach good deeds at any age and you can start with the simplest - do not forget to say hello to your neighbors, make a bird feeder and make sure that there is food in it all the time, and just smile at other people. These are trifles, but it is precisely such regular work that will help children grow up different, constantly show kindness, and this will not just be a habit, but a way of life.
100 ways to be kind to your child
Often at a psychologist's appointment, I hear a request from parents to give advice on raising their "children".
Parents want to create comfortable conditions for the development of the child, to be there when it’s hard for him, they try, they do, but ... however, it doesn’t always work out. And they come to a psychologist: “Help, give advice, he behaves in such and such a way .... we break down, we can’t cope ... “we go too far”, we can’t do it differently. We act as with us, our parents ... and much more.
I have to explain that each case is individual, there are no general tips, you need to understand each individual case, but there are ways to “be kind to your child” (I found them on the site, link below) I share with you with pleasure and, I hope it will be helpful.
So:
Tell your child:
1. I love you.
2. I love you no matter what.
3. I love you even when you are angry with me.
4. I love you even when I'm angry with you.
5. I love you even when you are far from me. My love is always with you.
6. If I could choose any child on Earth, I would still choose you.
7. I love you to the moon, around the stars and back.
8. Thank you.
9. I enjoyed playing with you today.
10. My favorite memory of the day when you and I *______* (what you did together).
Tell the children:
11. The story of their birth or adoption.
12. About how you *tendered* them when they were little.
13. The story of how you chose their names.
14. About myself at their age.
15. About how their grandparents met.
16. What are your favorite colors.
17. Which is sometimes difficult for you too.
18. That when you hold their hand and squeeze it 3 times, it's a secret code that means *love you*.
19. What is your plan.
20. What are you doing now.
Play:
21. The sea is rough at times.
22. Charades.
23. Card games: uno, dodo, 10 pigs or just playing cards.
24. Board games: Monopoly, dominoes, memory, business, mafia, checkers, jenga.25. I spy or in "cities" - especially when there is a long drive ahead.
26. Classics.
27. Hide and seek.
28. Catchers.
Pretend:
29. That you caught their kiss and put it on your cheek.
30. That their *tickler* is empty and you have to fill it up.
31. That their *high five* is so strong it almost knocks you off your feet.
32. That you are *super ticklers*.
33. That you are explorers in an amazing new world when you go outside to play.
34. What a holiday today! And decorate everything for no reason!
Try:
35. Get enough sleep.
36. Drink enough water.
37. There are useful products.
38. Wear clothes that make you feel confident and comfortable.
39. Talk to a friend when you feel like you need to unwind and get distracted.
40.
Replace words of approval with a gentle touch.
41. Dance in the kitchen.
42. Dance and sing with the children in the car.
43. Show your kids that you can do somersaults, wheelies, handstands,
bridge, split, somersault - even if it looks crooked and funny :)
44. Have fun jumping together to freshen your breath.
45. Speak in a kind voice, even if you have to pretend to do so. Keep sadness to yourself.
Read:
46. A book with stupid poems.
47. A book and play it, or put on a skit.
48. Read your favorite children's book to them.
49. When there is absolutely nothing to do, at any time of the day, not just before going to bed.
50. Read outside, under a tree.
51. In the children's corner of the library, or in the children's library.
52. Comic books or magazines that they love so much, even if you don't really like them.
53. Read for yourself personally - what to expect from a certain age, so as not to be disappointed and not to overestimate your expectations.
Listen:
54. Your child is in the car.
55. What the child says about his toys, and consider how important this is to him.
56. An issue that your child really needs your help with.
57. One second longer than your patience allows.
58. Feelings behind your child's words.
Ask:
59. Why do you think this happened?
60. What do you think will happen if _____?
61. How can we find out?
62. What are you thinking about?
63. What is your most pleasant memory of the day?
64. What do you think *it* tastes like?
Show:
65. How to do something instead of forbidding it.
66. How to whistle through blades of grass.
67. How to shuffle cards, make a fan or a house.
68. How to cut food.
69. How to fold clothes and underwear.
70. How to look for information when you don't know the answer.
71. Attachment to your spouse.
72. It is very important to take care and take care of yourself.
Set aside time:
73. To watch construction sites.
74. To look at the birds.
75. For your child to help you cook.
76. To go to some interesting and meaningful places for you together.
77. To dig in the mud together.
78. To complete tasks at your child's pace.
79. To just sit with your child while he plays.
Believe:
80. What your child is capable of.
81. That you are a good and right parent for your child.
82. That you are enough for him.
83. That you can do whatever it takes for your family.
Treat your child:
84. Surprise and clean his room.
85. Hide the chocolate in the pancakes.
86. Put a love note in the school lunch box.
87. Post a meal or snack in the shape of a smiley face.
