“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
When’s the last time you did something for the greater good? Not because someone told you to, or because you felt compelled out of a feeling of guilt. Not because you wanted to share it on your Instagram and feel validated by getting over 100 likes. When’s the last time you did an act of kindness, just because?
The science-based benefits of being kind have been proven time and time again – it stimulates the production of serotonin, reduces anxiety and even makes you live longer. Paying it forward with a charitable act is also one of the easiest things to do, yet not that many people do it.
While a lot of people think of good deeds as grandiose gestures like spending weeks at a Sudanese refugee camp or donating a portion of your salary to save the turtles, it’s those small everyday acts that have just as much power. Viral stories like people helping strangers pay for groceries are responsible for inspiring other acts of kindness. So much so that kindness has been likened to some sort of contagious virus by scientists- one you’d actually want to get.
As part of a powerful initiative to teach kids the value of compassion and empathy, a school in Ireland assigned daily acts of kindness in lieu of December homework. For a month, students did things like reach out to an elderly individual or take care of their own mental and physical well-being. The result is reportedly overwhelmingly positive and deemed to be a huge success.
Though it’s great to get kids started with the habit of paying it forward from an early age, it’s really never too late to start spreading the kindness contagion. Here are 101 creative random acts of kindness ideas to show to someone else – anywhere, anytime.
Free Acts of Kindness
1. Have an afternoon visit with the elderly
2. Bake cookies or cake for a neighbour
3. Put together care packages with toiletries for the homeless
4. Stick notes with encouraging words all over town
5. Participate in a charity run or walk
6. Collect old clothes and make parcels to distribute to the needy
7. Help a new mom — babysit so that she can get some sleep or pamper time
8. Distribute a box of chocolates as an appreciation gift to those in service to your community (police, nurses, postman, firefighters, etc.)
9. Take a neighbour’s dog(s) for a walk
10. Help an elderly neighbour do some household or gardening chores
11. Read a story at a children’s shelter
12. Write positive affirmations and quotes on paper and hand them out
13. Make encouraging bookmarks to leave in random books at the library
14. Make activity packs for the local hospital’s children’s ward
15. Donate books or puzzle books to the adult wards
16. Clean the house for someone who needs help
17. Donate gifts to children in foster care
18. Share some online love by giving a review to a random business or author
19. Dedicate a few hours to only saying something kind or encouraging to strangers
20. Help a stranger load groceries in their car
21. Spend time with a lonely family member
22. Make a coupon book for elderly family members who may need help
23. Help the elderly with some grocery shopping
24. Donate old toys and blankets to a children’s shelter
25. Offer to tutor a struggling student
26. Join a mentoring program for troubled children
27. Donate your hair to charity after a haircut
28. Make contact with a friend, just to say Hi
29. Donate food to a food drive
30. Volunteer to serve at a soup kitchen
31. Hand your family members each a list of things you love about them
32. Instead of birthday gifts, request donations to a chosen charity
33. Spread positivity – for a whole day, refrain from saying anything negative
34. Sacrifice something you love in exchange for sponsorship and donate all collected funds to charity
35. Support local small businesses by leaving an online recommendation
36. Compliment a parent about what a good job they’re doing. They need to hear those words
37. Donate used books to schools and libraries
38. Listen to stories the elderly have to tell. Even if you’ve listened to them before
39. Help someone declutter their home
40. Instead of buying new clothes, arrange a swap night. Walk away with new clothes while getting rid of the old. What’s left can be donated
41. Cut out coupons, leave them in envelopes at random homes
42. Volunteer at an elderly care facility
43. Be there for a friend who is having a tough time
44. Practice patience by refraining from road rage
45. Start a friendly conversation with 10 strangers
46. Leave old books on buses or trains with an encouraging note for whoever finds each one
47. Help someone find a job
48. Cook a meal for a family with a new baby
49. Have a “tech detox” day — focus on genuine relationships with people around you
50. Make sandwich packs to hand out to the homeless around town
51. If you are musically inclined, play some music or sing at a nursing home
52. On trash day, bring your neighbours’ bins in
53. Offer to run errands for a busy friend
54. Wash a neighbour’s car
Environmental Acts of Kindness
55. Pick up litter
56. Plant a tree
57. Collect recyclables
58. Pick up dog poop on the streets
59. Remove the weeds for your community garden
60. Feed the birds in your local park
61. Plant flowers for the bees
62. Start a community vegetable garden
63. Opt to walk, cycle, or carpool to economize your car use
64. Build or buy a compost bin for use in gardens
65. Assist in a drive to get abandoned animals adopted
66. Visit an animal shelter
67. Volunteer to help treat or clean at an animal hospital
68. Help save water by closing any open faucets or fixing leaky taps
69. Buy some canvas grocery bags and hand them out to fellow shoppers
70. Reduce the amount of meat you eat
71. Buy someone a plant
Monetary Acts of Kindness
72. Buy some doughnuts and deliver them to someone random
73. At the grocery store, pay a bit extra toward the next person’s bill
74. Buy vouchers at a coffee shop and hand them out
75. If allowed, add change to someone’s parking meter
76. Leave coins on a couple of machines at your local laundromat
77. Buy a bouquet to hand out on the street
78. Buy or cook a meal for someone in need (individual or family)
79. Volunteer at a homeless shelter
80. Assist with a fundraiser
81. Plan a surprise birthday party for someone
82. Send a card, letter, or care package to deployed soldiers
83. Hire a housekeeper or nanny for someone
84. Pay the toll fees for the next car(s)
85. Buy extra school supplies for a child in need
86. Sponsor an underprivileged child’s school lunch for a week or month
87. When eating out, buy your waiter a meal
88. Hide money at random around town for strangers to find
89. Pay library fees upfront toward anyone who may need it
90. When purchasing a movie ticket, pay for the person behind you
91. Arrange a “welcome” party for a new family in the neighbourhood
92. Buy lunch for a police officer or nurse on duty
93. Buy dessert for a family at a restaurant
94. Take someone out for lunch or coffee
95. Ask friends to join you in sponsoring a day out for a children’s shelter
96. Sponsor an underprivileged senior for prom
97. Bring treats to the office for your co-workers
98. Surprise someone with event tickets
99. Have a bouquet or a gift delivered to someone anonymously
100. Pay for someone else’s gas
Last But Not Least
101. Share the most contagious thing – a smile
One of the biggest challenges that we face is to step out of our comfort zones; this list will help set that ball in motion. So, challenge yourself and those you know to pay it forward and carry out some random acts of kindness to someone else today. You’ll have some fun while doing it and we promise it’ll feel great. Which of these random acts of kindness are you carrying out today?
