Random Acts of Kindness: How to Make Them a Habit

In my last post of this series, I shared about the Wreaths Across America program and other ways to serve and honor our veterans. Teaching our kids to give back and serve others is a valuable opportunity we have in our homeschools. In this post, I’ll share 50 random acts of kindness your kids will enjoy, and a fun way to incorporate them throughout the year!

Tis the season for serving others, giving and random acts of kindness. I even have a fun Acts of Service Advent Printable that is perfect for this time of year.

I love random acts of kindness, and there are many easy ideas we can do with our kids. But, we also want to make sure we are encouraging our kids to be intentionally kind and caring all of the time (not just during the holiday season).

I’ll share some of my favorite kindness activities for kids below, plus a fun way to make random acts of kindness a year-round habit.

50 Random Acts of Kindness for Kids

Some of the ideas we have shared in our series about teaching kids to serve others require a little more time, planning, and sometimes money. However, being kind doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. Our world could certainly use more simple, kind gestures from people all the time, and we need to teach our kids how they can do this.

Here is a list of 50 easy ways kids can show kindness everyday:

1. Help out a friend without complaining.
2. Write a thank you note to someone and send it in the mail.
3. Read a book about kindness.
4. Leave spare change in a vending machine (in the coin drop or tape it to the machine!)
5. Give someone a compliment.
6. Bake cookies for your local librarians.
7. Let someone go ahead of you in line.
8. Help someone with their groceries (carrying them into the house or loading them into the car).
9. Volunteer with your family.
10. Hold the door for someone.
11. Leave a kind note somewhere unexpected (like in the pages of a library book).
12. Do a chore for a sibling (or an extra chore for mom and dad!).
13. Draw a picture for someone.
14. Bake a treat for your neighbor.
15. Take a walk and pick up litter in the park or your neighborhood.
16. Clean your room without being asked.
17. Donate food to a local food bank.
18. Help make a meal at home.
19. Make a homemade gift for someone.
20. Call a long distance relative to say hi.
21. Donate your allowance to charity.
22. Write a letter thanking a veteran.
23. Donate old teddy bears to police officers through Stuffed Animals for Emergencies.
24. Send a get well card to someone.
25. Donate old blankets to an animal shelter.
26. Make cards to drop off at a local nursing home or senior center.
27. Read a book to a sibling.
28. Pack a box full of old books you don’t read anymore and donate them.
29. Bring flowers to an elderly friend.
30. Make a friendship bracelet to give to a friend.
31. Start a fundraiser for a good cause.
32. Invite someone over for lunch.
33. Write a thank you letter to a janitor at your church.
34. Tell someone you’re proud of them.
35. Cheer for a friend at one of their sporting (or other) events.
36. Let someone else go first at something.
37. Start a piggy bank to collect money for a good cause.
38. Create a poster showing what kindness means to you.
39. Donate clothes you’ve outgrown.
40. Make a birdfeeder to hang in your yard.
41. Make a no-sew blanket or toy for the animal shelter.
42. Help a neighbor weed, mow, shovel or rake.
43. Write kind notes on the sidewalk with chalk.
44. Bake cookies or muffins to bring to police officers or firefighters.
45. Collect soda tabs to donate to the Ronald McDonald House.
46. Learn how to recycle and start doing it with your family.
47. Make blessings bags to keep in your car.
48. Learn a new joke to tell that will make people smile.
49. Organize a small canned food drive with friends.
50. Leave a fun surprise at a friend’s doorstep.

A simple act can make a big difference in someone’s day, or even life. Let’s get our kids motivated to spread kindness this year!

Random Acts of Kindness Bingo

To help encourage my kids to spread kindness all year long, I created a fun Monthly Kindness Bingo Printable.

I wanted a way to keep these ideas fresh on my mind (and my kids’ minds!) each month, and not just around the holidays or once or twice throughout the year. I wanted to be intentional, and hold myself accountable as well, to teaching them ways to go out of their way to show kindness.

Each month is filled with kindness challenges you can complete together as a family, or let your kids do on their own. Some of the activities are the same each month, and help your kids build up a habit of kindness, but some of the activities are more month/season specific.

Most of the tasks are pretty easy, but some will be challenging and require more help from you, and might push you out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to join in with your kids in some of the kindness tasks – let them see your great example and excitement in giving back and showing kindness to others!

The goal is to at least get one “BINGO” each month (any 5 tasks completed in a row), but you might set a goal to get more than one! You have the option to set a reward for reaching your goal – yes, there are rewards in general for being kind, but for younger kids, a little external motivation can be fun and help them get into a routine. Once they begin seeing the benefits from their acts of kindness, the intrinsic motivation will follow!

Each monthly page has a bible verse printed at the bottom to help remind our kids (and us) WHY we serve others – we show love because God first loved us.

I recommend that you check in with your kids at the beginning of each week to discuss which activities you might want to complete that week. Stick them right on the fridge or bulletin board next to your chore charts so that they are easily remembered!

Monthly Kindness Bingo | Random Acts of Kindness for Kids

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Teaching our kids to be kind and empathetic towards others is as important in our homeschool as our core subjects. Keep kindness in the forefront of your family’s mind all year long with these fun Monthly Kindness Bingo printables!

Are you ready to start a habit of kindness in your homeschool and your community? Drop a comment below to share how you incorporate random acts of kindness into your routines!

Don’t Miss the 12 Days of Serving Others Series

This post is part of the series “12 Days of Serving Others”. In this series, you’ll find great tips and ideas on how you can incorporate service and volunteering into your homeschool all year.

I’ll link the rest of the series posts here to make it easy to navigate!

1. Something Important That Might Be Missing From Your Homeschool
2. The “Giving Box” and Other Ways Kids Will Love to Donate
3. How Your Creative Cards Can Make a Big Impact
4. Helping Our Furry Friends: Fun Ways Kids Can Get Involved
5. The Best Boxes You’ll Ever Pack
6. One Wreath Can Make a Difference
7. Random Acts of Kindness: How to Make Them a Habit
8. Why You’ll Want to Host a “Packing Party” This Season
9. Crafted With Love: Wonderful Service Projects for Crafty Kids!
10. How To Begin Volunteering With Your Family
11. 7 Ways to Bless Others With Your Baking Skills
12. How to Build a Great Foundation for Service With Your Kids

This post is also part of the 12 Days of Homeschooling Fun Through the Holidays Series. Click here to check out the other amazing bloggers who are a part of this, and to enter the giveaway!