Here are 101 of our favorite kindness acts for kids! Kindness is contagious and paying it forward can be extremely rewarding.
This blog post includes some free printables to help you get started with making the world a better place!
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According to Mark Twain (American author), kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see. Kindness is universal; It can transcend boundaries, race, and even disabilities. Kindness is being nice to someone else without expecting anything in return – It’s seeing with our heart.
There are numerous scientific studies that discuss the long term benefits of engaging in random acts of kindness. According to Diana Samuel , MD, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, kindness acts can help us feel more connected to each other, which in turn, strengthens our sense of belonging; being kind can directly influence loneliness and improve relationships. Kindness has the potential to change you, me, our children and impact our world on a large scale.
Being kind can go a long way toward improving our emotional wellbeing. A 2019 study in The Journal of Social Psychology found that people who performed kindness activities for seven days saw a boost in happiness . Kindness is truly amazing!
Our Kindness Begins With Me coloring book series is the perfect tool to reinforce the power and beauty of kindness. These coloring books have beautiful kindness quotes on playful backgrounds that can encourage children to have more compassion and empathy towards others. Click on the images below to check them out!
Paying it forward and being kind has some incredible benefits! Here are a few mind blowing scientific facts:
Kindness decreases pain – Engaging in acts of kindness produces endorphins—the brain’s natural painkiller! Lizette Borreli, Medical Daily
Kindness decreases stress – Perpetually kind people have 23% less cortisol (the stress hormone) and age slower than the average population! Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 1998
Kindness decreases anxiety – A group of highly anxious individuals performed at least six acts of kindness a week. After one month, there was a significant increase in positive moods, relationship satisfaction and a decrease in social avoidance in socially anxious individuals. University of British Columbia Study
This is just a snippet of the many benefits of being kind. Incredible right?!
One of the best ways to foster kindness is through regularly participating in kindness acts. Here are 101 ways to help you do that. These kindness acts are not just for kids! Please feel free to participate alongside your kids.
Don’t forget to download our free 30 Days of Kindness Challenge PDF. This PDF file includes a colored and black and white version. I’ve also included a free Kindness Begins With Me coloring a page from our kindness coloring book series . This coloring page is a great addition to your discussions about kindness.
This 30 day challenge does not have to be completed in order and it does not have to be done for 30 days consecutively. These kindness acts can be incorporated into your schedule at your convenience.
I’ve divided these 101 kindness acts into different categories, so you can decide with your child or class, which area they’d like to focus on first or you can make your way through the list at your own pace.
These kindness acts can also be tweaked if necessary. Feel free to simplify or up level certain tasks depending on your location or age of children. Here we go!
Here are some kindness acts for kids that can be completed with family and friends!
1. Help your parents – When it comes to being helpful, sometimes it is nice for kids to help without being asked. For example, if they notice someone is struggling carrying bags, they can offer to help.
2. Be kind to your siblings – Siblings are bound to disagree, so this can be an excellent kindness act for kids to embrace.
3. Clear the table after dinner – This is a lovely way to show a bit of appreciation for the meal that has just been enjoyed.
4. Write letters to family members, especially elderly relatives – Sometimes families don’t live close by or you don’t see them as often. Writing a letter can be a lovely way to show someone you are thinking of them. Elderly relatives could really appreciate something like this.
5. Read your younger siblings a bedtime story – This is a lovely opportunity for some extra bonding between siblings. Older children get to practice reading, and younger siblings enjoy listening to stories told in a different way.
6. Look after pets without needing to be asked – Let’s be honest here. Most of the time, the responsibility of pets always seems to fall on the grown ups in the household, so helping take care of pets could be a fun thing for kids to do. Some suggestions include, cleaning out a pet cage, feeding them or refreshing their water bowl, and taking them out for a walk if appropriate.
7. Help siblings with homework – Offering help with school work can be a blessing in disguise for your siblings and is a great way to show some extra support and kindness within the family.
8. Tidy your room or put things away – A small gesture, but one that can go a long way. When kids help with tidying a room, or putting things away when they no longer need them, they can save others from having to tidy up after them.
9. Elf on the shelf ideas – Use the elves that visit at Christmas time as a way to encourage random acts of kindness. This blog has a printable with lots of different ideas for each day of December.
Find out more about it here .
10. Show your family some appreciation – A quick way to show some kindness is through appreciation. This post is called the Family Appreciation Project and it has some great ideas about how to show appreciation towards our family members.
Find out more about it here .
Other suggestions of kindness acts for kids when it comes to your family and friends:
11. Facetime a grandparent
12. Check-in on an elderly relative
13. Set the table for dinner
14. Send a postcard or a letter to a friend
15. Clean up your toys without being asked
16. Give high fives to your friends
17. Leave positive affirmations in places that your family will see
18. Write kindness notes to your parents
19. Share a special toy with a friend
20. Take care of a friend or family member’s pet while they are away
21. Clean your room without being asked
22. Prepare breakfast in bed for your parents
23. Bring a treat to a friend
24. Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while
25. Put the groceries away
26. Tell someone what you love about them
28. Help cook dinner
29. Make a handmade gift for someone
30. Really listen to a friend.
31. Recycle at home
32. Plant something in your garden
33. Wash your parent’s cars
34. Wash a neighbor’s car
35. Offer to cut the grass
36. Do some gardening for your family
37. Do some gardening tasks for a neighbor
38. Plan a family night
39. Create a kindness jar filled with lots of positive messages
