Spread some kindness in your world!

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32

 

February is kindness month. Let us all help spread some kindness in our community – and if you’re out of town, spread it wider! Here is a list of some ideas for helping spread kindness. Feel free to choose items from the list or maybe you have some great ideas all of your own. Try to reach out to people beyond your regular friend and family group. Your acts of kindness can be done anonymously. 

Scroll to #76 to see a list of ideas just for kids!

  1. Pay it backward: buy coffee for the person behind you in line.
  2. Compliment the first three people you talk to today.
  3. Send a positive text message to five different people right now.
  4. Post sticky notes or note cards with kind words or inspirational messages around your neighborhood, office, school, etc. 
  5. Donate old towels or blankets to an animal shelter.
  6. Leave gift baskets on your neighbors’ (or a strangers’) porches.
  7. Bake cookies or pick up a treat for a neighbor.
  8. Leave a gas gift card at a gas pump.
  9. When checking out at a grocery store or convenience store, as, the cashier what their favorite candy bar is and buy one for them.
  10. Let someone go in front of you in line.
  11. Leave random nice notes on cars in the parking lot.
  12. Leave quarters at the laundromat.
  13. Encounter someone in customer service who is especially kind? Take an extra five minutes to tell their manager.
  14. Leave unused coupons next to corresponding products in the grocery store.
  15. Smile at five strangers.
  16. Send a gratitude email to a coworker who deserves more recognition.
  17. Give away stuff for free on Facebook Marketplace.
  18. Know parents who could use a night out? Offer to babysit for free.
  19. Buy a plant. Put it in a terracotta pot. Write positive words that describe a friend or someone you admire on the pot – then give it to them!
  20. Write a positive comment on a friend’s social media account.
  21. While you’re out, compliment a parent on how well-behaved their child is.
  22. Leave a kind server the biggest tip you can afford.
  23. When you’re throwing something away in a public place, pick up any litter around you and put that in the trash too.
  24. Put 50 paper hearts in a box. On each cutout write something that is special about your partner or a friend. Give them the box and tell them to pull out a heart anytime they need a pick-me-up.
  25. Everyone is important. Greet people by name. Also say “hello” to strangers and smile. These acts of kindness are so easy, and they almost always make people smile.
  26. Write your partner, child, sibling, or friend a list of things you love about them.
  27. Purchase dog or cat food and bring it to an animal shelter.
  28. Find opportunities to give compliments. It costs nothing, takes no time, and could make someone’s entire day. Don’t just think it. Say it.
  29. Take flowers or treats to the nurses’ station at your nearest hospital or care center.
  30. Send a ‘Thank you’ card or note to the officers at your local police, fire station, or ambulance service.
  31. Take muffins or cookies to your local librarians.
  32. Run an errand for a friend who is busy.
  33. Leave a box of goodies in your mailbox for your mail carrier.
  34. Put your phone away while in the company of others.
  35. Email or write to a former teacher who made a difference in your life.
  36. Clear snow from a neighbor’s sidewalk or driveway.
  37. Thank a veteran or current member of the military for their service.
  38. Leave money in the vending machine to pay for the next visitor’s snack.
  39. Hand out encouraging notes to strangers when you’re out shopping, dining, or commuting to work.
  40. Say thank you to the teachers and other workers at your child’s school.
  41. When you make dinner, double the recipe. Give the extra meal to someone who is going through a stressful time or who needs a break from meal duty.
  42. Donate blood, sign up for the organ donor’s list, or register for the bone marrow donation list.
  43. Bring donuts to work.
  44. Make an extra lunch and leave it in the fridge at work with a note that says it’s for anyone who forgot their lunch.
  45. Payoff a stranger’s overdue utility bill.
  46. Payoff overdue lunch accounts at the local school.
  47. Donate your talents and skills by offering to tutor students at the local school for free.
  48. Buy groceries to donate to the local food pantry.
  49. Give a teacher a gift card to buy supplies for their classroom.
  50. Send a “thinking of you” card for no specific reason.
  51. Brush off someone’s windshield when it snows.
  52. Bring in a neighbor’s garbage cans.
  53. Put quarters in candy machines or games at the grocery store or restaurant.
  54. Leave a sticky note on the mirror in a restroom that says, “You are beautiful! Yes, you!”
  55. Buy several stems of fresh flowers and give them to random people you encounter.
  56. Bring a food basket to a family in need.
  57. Clean up someone’s mess.
  58. Bake cookies for the elderly.
  59. Help someone unload groceries.
  60. Give a stranger a compliment.
  61. Give someone a gift card.
  62. Write an encouraging note.
  63. Visit a nursing home.
  64. Give a treat to a custodian or maintenance worker at your work or school.
  65. Send a care package.
  66. Write a kind message on your mirror with a dry erase marker for yourself, your significant other, or a family member.
  67. Support a KICKSTARTER or GoFundMe project.
  68. Knit a blanket for someone.
  69. Invite someone new to your home.
  70. Hide money in a random place for a stranger to find.
  71. Pay for the person behind you at a drive-thru.
  72. Freely offer your skills to help someone else.
  73. Leave a used copy of a good book in a café.
  74. Throw a party to celebrate someone just for being who they are, which is awesome.
  75. Have a LinkedIn account? Write a recommendation for coworker or connection.

    … and Just for Kids!

  76. Tell someone you love them.
  77. Thank a friend with a gift.
  78. Write your parents and siblings a list of things you love about them.
  79. Do a favor without asking anything in return.
  80. Hold the door open for someone.
  81. Try to make sure every person in a group feels included.
  82. Let someone go in front of you.
  83. Make a bracelet for a friend.
  84. Fill a box with toys to donate.
  85. Give a family member breakfast in bed.
  86. Read to a sibling.
  87. Send a drawing to your grandparents.
  88. Write kind words on a rock, decorate it, and place it where someone will notice it.
  89. Write an encouraging note.
  90. Make a craft and give it to a favorite adult at school or church.