41 Random Acts of Kindness
If you’ve ever experienced a random act of kindness, you know what joy a simple act can bring. Encourage your family to spread kindness to others today and every day. Here are 41 random acts of kindness that make the world a better place.
Simple Enough for a Child
- Collect stray carts outside the grocery store and put them back in the corrals.
- Send a note of appreciation to a coach, teacher or neighbor.
- Do a chore without being asked.
- If you see something out of place at the store, put it back where it goes.
- Start the day on the right foot: Smile and say good morning to everyone you see.
- Bring in a neighbor’s garbage cans or newspaper.
- When you get prize tickets at an arcade, give them to someone else so they can get a bigger prize.
- Give the mail carrier a bottle of water.
- Say “bless you” when someone sneezes.
Make Someone’s Day
- Let someone go ahead of you in line at the store.
- Compliment someone on their hair, clothes, nail polish or new car.
- Ask a friend about their day and let them vent.
- Give up a great parking spot to the person behind you.
- Send a silly e-card to a friend to let her know you are thinking of her.
- Give another parent a break. Offer to babysit while they catch up on sleep or shopping.
- Take the time to write a handwritten letter to a family member.
- Share words of encouragement with a parent who has their hands full.
- When you run to the store, ask your neighbor if they need something.
- Include a shy partygoer into your conversation by asking her about herself.
- If someone else made dinner, offer to do the dishes.
Share the Wealth
- Hand out $5 gift cards at a gas station, donut shop or fast food restaurant.
- Tape coins to the machines at a laundromat or hand out boxes of detergent.
- Place dollar bills on items at the 99-cent store.
- Pay for the order of the person behind you at the drive-through.
- Purchase a “BOGO” item and give the free one to a friend.
- Leave a generous tip for a small bill.
- Buy lunch for the service person working at your house. Pizza goes a long way if there is more than one.
- If you have an extra ticket, give it to someone who is waiting in line.
Do Something as a Family
- Encourage family movie night by providing $5 iTunes gift cards and microwave popcorn to families in your neighborhood.
- Tape coins to gumball machines.
- Play board games with residents at a nursing home. Take a plate of cookies with you.
- Collect old towels and blankets for an animal shelter.
- Help someone load groceries into their car and take the cart back to the corral.
- Make twice as much dinner as you need and give some to a neighbor.
- Attach coupons to items in the grocery store.
Help Your Fellow Man
- Leave a used book at the dentist office, coffee shop or auto repair waiting room.
- Sign up to be an organ, bone marrow or blood donor.
- Offer your seat on the bus or train to someone who needs it more.
- If you find a stray dog with a collar help reunite him with his owner.
- If a store or restaurant employee has been kind or helpful, be sure to tell her boss.
- Leave a package of baby wipes in a public bathroom changing area.
Pam Molnar is a freelance writer and mother of three. She is blessed to be on both the giving and receiving end of random acts of kindness.
