(This post was last updated: 10/18/24.) Read our ultimate list of ideas for doing random acts of kindness!
Since we are focusing on relationships during the month of February, I thought we should put together a list of ideas for doing random acts of kindness. On our February Goal Focus Worksheet, we have listed as one goal to do something nice for a co-worker or neighbor that is going through a difficult time or just needs an extra boost in their day. And it just so happens that this week is Random Acts of Kindness Week. Yeah really, there is a week set aside just for this very thing, February 16-22, according to The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.
Do you remember watching that movie Pay It Forward? I think it came out about twenty years ago. Well that is the general idea. Do something nice for someone unexpectedly and maybe they will pay it forward by doing something nice for another person. And it doesn’t have to be anything big or expensive, the smallest gesture sometimes has the biggest impact. You never know what other people are going through, so a tiny but thoughtful gesture can really make someone’s day in ways you would never imagine.
So I want to challenge you. Do one random act of kindness this week. And leave us a comment to let us know what you did. I can’t wait to see all of the creative ideas you come up with!
List of Ideas for Free Random Acts of Kindness:
- Smile at everyone you see
- Give someone a hug that really needs one
- Call a family member or friend that you haven’t spoken to in a long time
- Hold the door open
- Hold the elevator
- Offer to help someone carry their groceries
- Leave a note of affirmation on someone’s desk or in a family member’s lunchbox
- Donate clothes that you don’t wear to a friend or co-worker
- Donate some canned goods from your pantry to a food bank
- Donate your time at a local charity, nursing home or school
- Pick up trash at the park or along the road of your neighborhood
- Donate your hair to Locks of Love
- Give a compliment
- Wash someone’s car
- Spend time with someone that is a loner at work or school
- Hand write a thank you note
- Clean someone’s home
- Mow someone’s lawn or rake their leaves
- Help someone that has a flat tire
- Let that person in line cut in front of you
- Pack lunch for your family
- Donate old blankets or towels to the local animal shelter
- Regift that Christmas present you received and didn’t like
- Participate in a charity walk
- Teach someone something new
- Return someone’s shopping cart back up to the store for them
- Give someone the encouragement they need
List of Ideas for Inexpensive Random Acts of Kindness:
- Pay for the coffee for the person standing in line behind you at the coffee shop
- Pay the toll fee for the car in line behind you
- Take treats to the local firehouse or police station
- Leave an extra large tip
- Give someone a freezer meal
- Send flowers
- Send breakfast through a local restaurant that delivers like Panera Bread
- Leave money at a vending machine
- Add coins to someone’s parking meter
- Send a care package or letters to our troops overseas
- Buy someone a lottery ticket
- Give someone a gift card
- Make bag lunches for the homeless
- Donate pet food to the local animal shelter
List of Ideas for Kids to do a Random Act of Kindness:
- Leave a letter in a library book
- Give the bus driver a thank you note
- Do your siblings chores
- Give the neighbor’s dog a bath
- Babysit for a neighbor for free
- Read to your sibling
- Bake something for the entire class
- Donate used toys to a shelter or children’s hospital
- Sell lemonade for a charity
- Walk the neighbor’s dog
- Give someone a friendship bracelet
- Make book marks and leave them at the library
- Help someone with their homework
- Pick up litter at the playground
- Pull the neighbor’s trashcan up their driveway
- Visit an elderly neighbor
