This list is a repeat of a post from three years ago and since Friday February 17th is National Random Acts of Kindness Day, I thought it worthy of reposting! For me, the most attractive quality in another human is kindness. Loyalty, honesty, and a great sense of humor are wonderful traits to have, but I’ve always measured how close someone will be in my life by how kind they are to their fellow humans.
We live in a fast paced society where we make our busyness and to-do lists a priority, but we all have an hour or two we can carve out of our schedule to practice kindness. In celebration of Random Act of Kindness Day, I offer these fifty ideas to choose from. :)
buy the coffee for the person behind you in line
offer to walk someone’s dog
write a heartfelt note or text to a friend to remind them why they are important to you
bring cookies to a nursing home
compliment a stranger
keep care packages in your car to hand out to the homeless
write thank you letters to men and women in the armed forces
spend time with an elderly relative or assist an elderly neighbor
give up your seat on a bus or train
offer assistance to someone in a stranded car
send someone a song with a text “thinking of you!”
volunteer for a non-profit once a month
stop and buy the lemonade from the kids with the lemonade stand
donate books and gifts to a children’s hospital
tutor a kid struggling in school
bring bagels and spread or snacks to your coworkers
tip your waiter generously
pay for someone’s overdue library fees
donate school supplies to classrooms
give your umbrella or jacket to a stranger
give grocery gift cards to someone struggling financially
plant a tree
sit with someone new at lunch at work or school
offer to share your table with a person dining alone
bring flowers to someone you know could use some cheering up
tell someone how nice their hair or clothes look today
call an old friend you haven’t spoken with in awhile
send printed photos of grandkids to grandparents
deliver a plant to your spouse or partner’s office
shovel your neighbor’s driveway
offer to mow your neighbor’s lawn
leave a sticky note on a stranger’s car wishing them a nice day
donate backpacks or school supplies to struggling families
plan a “kids are the boss” day where the kids make the rules
tell the regular people who help you (barista, grocery clerk, custodian) that they matter
offer to babysit or pet sit for free
offer to pick up goods for family and friends on a grocery or Costco run
sign up for be my eyes to assist the visually impaired
pick up someone’s dry cleaning
sign up for Amazon smile to give a % to charity
send a text or make a phone call to someone just to ask “how are you today?”
offer to cook someone a meal during a hard time
invite a friend for a mani or pedi as an opportunity to catch up
pay the toll for the person behind you
put change in an expired meter
help someone with heavy bags at the airport
offer up your table at a busy restaurant
check in with someone who is ill
write a positive recommendation for a local business
give someone a great big warm hug!
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Pick a few on the list and get busy spreading some kindness around!
Thank you for the reminder of being kind every day. Several suggestions on your list are things I do on a regular basis and it’s a feel good feeling for both recipients and giver.
An addition to this list, when I see a family with children eating in a restaurant, I make a habit of complimenting both the parents and the children on their behavior and interactions with each other. Their response is so gratifying.
Thanks so much for this great list Kate. I send out cards on my late son’s birthday, and ask everyone to do a Random Act of Kindness in his memory. It’s in October. When I post about it this year, I will include a link to this post. It’s great!
My friend who lost her daughter, also a Kate, has a site called Kindness For Kate. She promotes kindness as well.
It’s a great thing to get behind! xo
a smile a day, keeps sorrow away.