101 random acts of kindness ideas to do with kids

Opportunities to perform random acts of kindness are all around us, from volunteering at your local food bank to helping an elderly neighbor move some furniture. While random of acts of kindness are a good idea for everyone to perform, they’re a particularly important practice to share with kids.

Random acts of kindness are a great way to teach kids the importance of spreading love and joy. They’re also a way for parents and caregivers to help pass on worthy values to kids and bring you all closer to one another, especially during the holidays.

Looking for ways to lift your spirits while also lifting the spirits of others? Here are 101 random acts of kindness ideas for kids, parents, caregivers and everyone in between.

101 random acts of kindness to try

1. Have kids choose a charity to which they can donate a portion of their allowance.
2. Walk dogs at a local animal shelter.
3. Volunteer to sort the stash at a food bank.
4. Serve a meal together at a homeless shelter.
5. Hand-draw birthday or holiday cards for nursing home residents.
6. Cook dinner for a new or lonely neighbor.
7. Donate last year’s winter-weather gear to children in need.
8. Invite a friend or co-worker who doesn’t have local relatives to dinner.
9. Give a comforter to a homeless person.
10. Write letters to soldiers overseas.
11. Send a bouquet of flowers to a friend who needs some cheering up. The kids can choose the flowers.
12. Clean up a local park together.
13. Make no-sew fleece blankets for loved ones or people in need.
14. Ask someone to teach you about their holiday traditions.
15. If you have a garden, pick a bushel of veggies to give to a neighbor or friend.
16. Compliment each other.
17. Forward your change at the drive-thru toward the next person’s meal.
18. Distribute gold stars (like the kind you got in school) to other kids you meet throughout the day.
19. Bake cookies together for an older loved one’s club.
20. Set up a free hot-chocolate stand on a chilly day.
21. Offer to carry an elderly person’s groceries to their car.
22. Pack lunches for the homeless and hand them out.
23. Help younger children with homework or learning a new skill.
24. Donate pet toys to an animal shelter.
25. Donate gently used books to the library.
26. Send a care package to a military canine.
27. Stage a singalong at a nursing home.
28. Donate old eyeglasses via Lions Clubs or VSP.
29. Hand out flowers at a nearby hospital.
30. Encourage kids to carry a friend’s backpack for them.
31. Bring soup or a special meal to a sick friend.
32. Share a snack with a pal who doesn’t have one.
33. Plant flowers together in a community garden.
34. Set up a free-flowers stand straight from your own garden.
35. Grow some easy vegetables to donate to a food bank.
36. Have kids pick out (at least) one toy to donate after spring cleaning or during the holidays.
37. Re-fold the rumpled clothes on store display tables.
38. Hold the door open for someone.
39. Offer to wrap presents for a senior.
40. Make and send a photo collage to a faraway friend or relative.
41. Give your pet an extra-long brushing.
42. Hide encouraging notes for each other to find.
43. Start a shoe drive.
44. Walk a neighbor’s dog for them.
45. Donate warm socks to a homeless shelter.
46. Give gloves along with the sock donation.
47. Write a thank-you note to a server (and the grown-ups can tip 50%).
48. Give an older adult a balloon bouquet — just because.
49. Call a long-distance relative just to say hi.
50. Send holiday candies to service people overseas.
51. Give your spare change to a favorite charity.
52. Switch places with the person behind you in line.
53. Give the school crossing guard a bottle of water or a warm beverage.
54. Leave encouraging sticky notes around town for people to find.
55. Craft a seasonal wreath or kid-friendly craft for someone else.
56. Leave treats or books at your local fire station.
57. Stuff and hang holiday stockings for your neighbors.
58. Send a thank-you note to a community helper.
59. Share your umbrella when it rains.
60. Make a new friend.
61. Introduce a new friend to your other friends.
62. Teach kids how to really listen when someone is speaking (i.e., put the phone down).
63. Take a friend or loved one to a movie.
64. Donate diapers and hygiene products to a women’s shelter.
65. Offer to prepare a meal or do kid-friendly tasks for a new parent friend.
66. Stand up for someone who needs help.
67. Make and hang bird feeders for local birds.
68. Pick up something that someone else dropped.
69. Offer to be the carpool driver for one of the kids’ friends.
70. Have the playdate at your house.
71. Zoom with Grandma/Grandpa.
72. Bring holiday decorations to a shelter.
73. Bring treats to the kids’ soccer game — without being asked.
74. Set up a gossip jar in which family members drop change if they gossip. Donate the change.
75. Buy school supplies for a child in need.
76. Donate your gently used toys to a women’s shelter.
77. Leave a penny next to a fountain for someone else’s wish.
78. Have a yard sale and donate the proceeds.
79. Pick up litter when you see it.
80. Play board games with residents at a nursing home.
81. Hold the elevator.
82. If a worker is especially helpful at a store, make sure to let their manager know.
83. Bake an apple pie for a teacher.
84. Encourage a friend.
85. Host a neighborhood cookout or potluck.
86. Fill someone’s expired parking meter with change.
87. After a party, help clean up.
88. Give up your seats to a senior, pregnant mom or parents with younger children.
89. Buy extra groceries to donate.
90. Plant a tree.
91. Leave a card for your mail carrier.
92. Share your lunch.
93. Return someone else’s shopping cart.
94. Organize and paint a mural on a blank wall in your neighborhood.
95. Clean up littler on a hiking trail.
96. Give new crayons to a children’s hospital.
97. Donate toothbrushes to a local daycare or homeless shelter.
98. Add in toothpaste, too.
99. Send e-cards with encouraging messages to classmates.
100. Offer to help a teacher clean up or organize their classroom.
101. Share your random acts of kindness ideas to a friend.

Incorporating random acts of kindness into everyday life

In a world often filled with hustle, bustle, and stress, it’s the random acts of kindness that can make a genuine difference. These ideas, when put into practice, can create ripples of positivity, touching not just the receiver but also the giver and those who witness them.

As kids come together with their families and caregivers to make these acts a part of their routine, they foster a culture of generosity and love that is passed on to the next generation. So, why wait? Pick an idea or two, get your family involved and begin spreading kindness today! It’s a step towards making the world a brighter and more compassionate place for everyone.