Do a random act of kindness
Although all of the above ideas are acts of kindness, they require a little planning and may come with some limitations according to the rules and regulations of where you plan to visit.
But getting your kids into the habit of doing small, random acts of kindness every day will give them a sense of how a small gesture can make a huge impact on someone’s day.
If you are running through a fast-food drive-through or in line buying an ice cream cone over the summer, tell the employee at the counter that you’d like to pay for the person behind you.
Or have the kids pick out a bouquet of flowers, some muffins or donuts, or a small basket of fruit and leave it on your neighbor’s doorstep anonymously.
Leave a drawing or card in the mailbox for your mail carrier wishing them a good day or buy a few gift cards in small denominations (like five dollars) to a coffee shop or bakery and hand them to sales associates, servers at restaurants, or anyone else you encounter while running errands who needs a little pick-me-up.
Let the kids get creative on this one – the possibilities are endless. They can even use a certain percentage of their allowance each week to purchase small items to brighten someone’s day or you can set aside an hour a week for the family to make cards or drawings to give out (these can be given at any of the above places you are visiting or simply put on a neighbor’s door).
Teaching our kids to show kindness is an important value that they will spread to others. Helping others and seeing what others who are less fortunate are going through builds compassion, understanding, and other positive character traits.
And not only will these activities keep them busy and bring a smile to someone who is down, the kids will have fun doing them and will develop a sense of pride and responsibility that they will likely want to continue on a regular basis.
Do you volunteer or do small acts of kindness with your kids? How has it built their character? Leave us your ideas in the comments.