77 Beautiful Acts of Kindness for Kids and Adults
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Inside: Kindness matters, in a big way! We’re going to shower you with so many kindness ideas that you’ll never have to wonder how to be kind, ever again. Included are small acts of kindness, random acts of kindness, acts of kindness for kids, for school, for family, and even random acts of kindness for strangers!
It’s pretty simple! When you practice kindness, YOU change for the better, AND so does our world!
And here’s the best part:
Kindness is completely free!
But did you know that while kindness is one of the most powerful character traits, 80% of middle schoolers ranked personal success as more important than kindness?
According to parentingkindkids.com, 80% of kids also think their parents rank personal success as more important than caring for others.
But despite this, of course, we all want to raise caring kids. And we all want to be kind ourselves.
I want to shout from the rooftops, “Above all else, always choose kindness.”
What’s one way we can choose kindness?
We can encourage our children to engage in acts of kindness, and we can also model acts of kindness.
You can start small or go all out big. The most important thing is that you try.
So:
I’m leaving it up to you to make the difference our world so desperately needs!
Below you’ll find 77 acts of kindness for kids and adults to make the world a better place. (And some free printable posters and calendars too).
Why kindness matters to your kids
I could get lost in warm fuzzy rainbow and butterfly talk about how kindness is like a boomerang, and it makes the world a better place and then shoots back at you.
And while this is totally true, there are also many personal benefits of being kind.
- Kindness makes you happier. It’s not all hippie talk. There are scientific studies to prove that kindness makes us happy. This study confirmed that performing acts of kindness increases your life satisfaction. The Greater Good says, “kindness makes you happy…and happiness makes you kind.”
- Kindness increases your self-esteem and confidence. Kindness makes you feel good, right down deep at your core. This leads to increased self-esteem (and it just might make you more popular too).
- Kindness increases your physical health too. Dr. David Hamilton, Ph.D., who wrote The Little Book of Kindness says that acts of kindness promotes emotional warmth. This is responsible for the feel-good hormone oxytocin in the brain and throughout the body.
- Kindness leads to less bullying and a positive school and home culture! It’s just all-around good.
So let me ask you:
Why wouldn’t you partake in all this deliciousness?
must have
The Little Book of Kindness.
Connect with others, be happier, transform your life
Kindness Idea’s
Now:
One of the best ways to instill kindness in our kids (and ourselves) is to regularly partake in random acts of kindness.
Action = benefit!
But before we get to all the ooey-gooey kind acts of goodness, I want to say that there are other ways to raise kind kids, and if you are looking for some smart ideas, check out 5 super ways to raise kind kids.
(Like salt and pepper shakers, gratitude and kindness go hand in hand, so be sure to also check out the most popular article we have on the blog, The Best Gratitude Activities for Kids).
Now let’s get to it! 77 random acts of kindness for kids, and for you too!
Acts of Kindness Poster
This free inspirational poster will inspire your kids with loads of ideas to spread kindness where ever they go. This will make the PERFECT addition to your home or classroom.
77 Acts of Kindness for Kids and Adults
These acts of kindness apply to both kids and adults. So go on, get out there, and spread that kindness!
Random Acts of Kindness for Strangers
- Make kindness rocks
- Hold the door open for someone
- Give a toy away
- Leave a positive note in a book for someone to find
- Leave a kind note on someone’s car
- Let someone in a line-up go in front of you
- Use your allowance to donate to a charity
- Donate old books to the library
- Thank the wait staff
- Give the mailman a letter
- Wave at others
- Bury a treasure at the park
- Walk a dog from the shelter
- Adopt an animal online
- Give out lemonade on a hot day
- Write chalk messages on the sidewalk
- Pick up litter
- Leave bubbles on someone’s doorstep
- Smile at everyone
- Recycle
- Reuse
- Feed the birds
Acts of Kindness for School or Kind Acts for Friends
- Write your friend a handwritten letter
- Pick wildflowers for someone
- Send well wishes to a friend
- Help someone in need
- Make a homemade card for someone
- Share
- Share a funny story
- Make a handmade gift
- Give someone a high five
- Play with someone new
- Lend a friend a book
- Write someone a poem
- Think before speaking
- Give your teacher a flower
- Color a picture for someone
- Be on time
- Be a good listener
Acts of Kindness for Family
- Help your parents do a task
- Turn off the water taps
- Make a meal for someone
- Say 3 positive things to someone today
- Don’t argue
- Listen
- Give someone a nice letter
- Don’t interrupt
- Help someone in need
- Help with the dishes
- Set the table
- Make someone else’s bed
- Plan a family night
- Reuse paper
- Turn off the lights
- Help with chores
- Clean your room without being asked
- Let someone else pick what to watch on T.V.
- Tell the best part of your day at the dinner table
- Make muffins for someone
- Help shovel the snow or rake the leaves
- Give a hug
- Call a relative
- Say, “please and thank-you”
- Say, “I’m sorry”
- Say, “I love you”
- Say, “You rock”
- Use your manners
- Tell a story
- Bake cookies for someone
- Give a hug coupon
Kindness Idea’s for YOU!
- Sing a song
- Be yourself
- Give yourself a compliment
- Breathe
- Do one thing that makes you happy today
- Laugh out loud
- Give yourself a hug
Kindness Quotes for Kids
Here are a few kindness quotes for kids, but if you love all things quotes, then check out these 45 mesmerizing kindness quotes for kids.
Kindness it costs nothing but means everything
Unknown
If all we do is one random act of kindness daily, we just might set the world in the right direction
Martin Kornfield
Be kind whenever possible, it is always possible
Dalai Lama
Kindness begins with me!
Say’s everyone everywhere!
A kind word is like a spring day
Russian Proverb
In a world where you can be anything, be kind
Unknown
Kind people are the best people
Unknown
It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.
Unknown
And if you just love these kindness quotes for kid’s, we’ve got 40 more for you here!
Final Thoughts on Simple Acts of Kindness
Can you think of even more ways to make the world a better place?
Tell me below, and then go do it!
Feel good that you are changing the world, your kid’s world.
Bookmark this list anytime you need a reminder of simple acts of kindness you can do.
If you love teaching kindness as much as I do, you’ll want to take advantage of all the free stuff we have here for you below.
We’ve got the kindness calendar challenge, the 77 acts of kindness poster, and we’ve also got a kindness rocks activity kit for you! Get them here.
Let’s spread that kindness from the rooftops like confetti!
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Resources You’ll Love
Our shop is filled with printable resources to help you calm the chaos and assist your amazing little humans to believe in the amazing little humans they are!
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Calm Down Corner Bundle
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Mindful Minute
$12
Feelings Fun Kit
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Social Story Bundle
Fall SEL Resources
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Dive into fall with these fall-themed social-emotional learning activities
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