30 random acts of kindness for kids

 In Building Emotional Intelligence

Are you raising kind kids? Wednesday November 13th is World Kindness Day, so now is a great time to reflect on what kindness means to us, as well as what it looks like in our families.

Ask just about any parent if they value kindness and they’ll say yes. We all want to raise kind kids. In fact, most parents (you too?) say they value kindness above all else.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the message our kids are receiving from us.

In fact, research tells us that most kids think their parents value academic success and achievement over kindness. Which means that somewhere along the way, our message about kindness is becoming lost.

So how do we get it back?

Well, there are lots of ways to encourage kindness in our kids. And I’ve written about them before in a previous blog post, How to Teach your Kids to be Kind. So I’m not going going to go into all of them again now.

But what I will encourage you to do is dive in and get your hands dirty (metaphorically speaking of course!).

One of my suggestions in my previous post was to talk to your kids about what kindness means and what it looks like, and to make a list of kind things they can do for others. And then of course, you’ll need to do them!

Random Acts of Kindness help kids develop empathy

When we engage in acts of kindness we help our kids understand how our actions impact others. It helps them to understand the different experiences of others, as well as the feelings of others. In other words, it helps them develop empathy.

Empathy is an important skill – one of the 5 skills children need to develop in order to build emotional intelligence. When we understand the emotions and experiences of others, we can use them to guide our own behaviours and responses. Empathy helps us develop close, connected relationships and respond mindfully to others.

What are Random Acts of Kindness?

Random acts of kindness are things we do for others without the expectation of receiving anything in return. In fact, many times we complete these acts anonymously and receive no acknowledgement at all of our good deed. It is kindness done simply to help others feel good.

Below is a list of kindness activities for you to try with your kids this month. These are all simple, low or no cost activities that are appropriate for kids. I’ve included a range of different activities that will be suitable for different ages. Some to be done within the family, and some for outside. Choose the ones that are most appropriate for your own situation, or come up with your own!

The Kindness Challenge

You can grab a printable version of the list down below. And if you hang out on Instagram, we’d love you to join our Kids Kindness Challenge! Just snap a pic of your child completing their random acts of kindness and share using the hashtag: #mindfullittleminds. I’d love to share your pics with our community!

Mindful Little Minds Kids Kindness Challenge

30 Random Acts of Kindness for kids

  1. Hold the door open for someone
  2. Smile at everyone you see today
  3. Tape some coins on a vending machine for someone else to find
  4. Leave a kind note in a library book
  5. Donate an old toy to charity
  6. Leave encouraging chalk messages on the footpath
  7. Donate clothes that no longer fit you to a charity
  8. Help a friend with their homework
  9. Bake and deliver some cookies to a neighbour
  10. Surprise someone with a letter in the mail
  11. Tell someone a joke
  12. Invite someone new to play with you
  13. Clean your room without being asked
  14. Leave a kindness rock at the park
  15. Make a cup of tea for mum or dad
  16. Wash the family car
  17. Draw a picture for a friend
  18. Pick up rubbish on your street or around your neighbourhood
  19. Bring your neighbours bin in from the kerb
  20. Pick flowers for someone you love
  21. Bring your teacher a coffee
  22. Share your snack with a friend
  23. Donate food to a food drive
  24. Give someone a hug
  25. Give someone a compliment
  26. Write a thank you note
  27. Do someone else’s chores for them
  28. Let someone ahead of you in the line
  29. Help mum or dad make dinner
  30. Tell someone you love them
Showing 2 comments
  • Bree Waymack
    Reply

    This is so sweet!

    • Sarah Conway
      Reply

      Thanks Bree! Glad you like it 🙂

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