In today’s culture, kindness is needed now more than ever. You don’t have to have a special gift to be kind. Acts of kindness do not have to take much time or money to do. They can be the most simple gesture, but mean a lot to the recipient! Random acts of kindness have many benefits to both the giver and the recipient. You never know if someone is having a bad day or holding in their sadness but putting on a strong face. When you do random acts of kindness, you show the recipient that they matter. It can turn that strong face they put on into a genuine smile!
Spread Kindness
When you perform random acts of kindness, it spreads like wildflowers, randomly popping up all over the place and bringing beauty. If everyone would make a conscious effort to spread kindness, imagine how many lives would be touched! Why not make it a goal to touch more lives and spread kindness by doing at least one random act of kindness every day? If you run out of ideas or have trouble thinking of what you can do, here is a list of 25 simple acts of kindness that will make anyone smile!
25 Simple Acts Of Kindness To Inspire You
- Hold the door open for the person behind you when entering or leaving a store. This is especially kind when you see someone with their hands full, or a mother carrying a baby or holding the hand of a child.
- Allow the shopper in the grocery line to move ahead of you if you only have a few items and their cart is full. If you see someone who looks like they are in a hurry, and you have more free time on your hands, this is also a nice gesture to let that person go ahead of you. You never know if they are in a hurry because they need to get to a family member in need or to a job on time.
- Check on an elderly neighbor or shut-in. Many of them do not have family that lives close to them. They may be afraid to ask for help when it’s needed. Or they might get lonely and would love to feel noticed and cared for.
- Donate your old clothes to charity. There are so many people in need. When they have access to free clothes, it can remove many burdens. Donate your children’s clothes as they outgrow them. There are even donation sites for business attire. If someone has been without a job and can interview or start work but need professional clothing, this is a big help to them.
- Tape change to a parking meter or vending machine. This is a kind act for those who don’t have the change or just forgot to bring some change with them.
- Give the new employee a tour of your work area or offer to sit with them at lunch. When you start a new job, it’s a little like being the new kid at school. Having a new friend to sit with at lunch and show them around can help take away the nervous jitters.
- Volunteer. Help out a nursing home, a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, your kid’s school, anywhere. Many of these places struggle to keep staff or volunteers regularly and need help.
- Adopt a child or family during the holidays to give gifts to. This is an excellent idea for an office or team to pool their money together and bless a family in need with gifts.
- Send a get-well card to someone, or even a card for no reason whatsoever. Examples would be when someone loses a loved one or goes through a stressful time and needs encouragement. This is an act of kindness that your children can do, as well. Kids love to create their own cards to encourage someone.
- Ask for donations to your favorite charity instead of presents for your birthday. Sometimes the best gift is the ability to give to others in need.
- Smile at someone on the street. Don’t be offended if they don’t smile back at you. You just planted a seed of kindness into someone’s heart.
- Give an unsolicited compliment. You don’t have to compliment them on their appearance if that makes you uncomfortable. Compliment them on anything you see in them that you appreciate, such as the great job they did on a project or the kindness you saw them show to another person.
- Pay for the person behind you in line at the fast-food restaurant or drive-through. This usually results in the recipient paying it forward, spreading kindness that will reach many people!
- Let the manager of the store or restaurant know when an associate gives you exceptional service. People who work in customer service often deal with complaints, or they just don’t usually feel appreciated. This is an act of kindness that will really make their day. It may also help them with their job performance reviews.
- Leave kind notes in the dressing room to encourage body positivity. Ladies can relate to that feeling of looking at themselves in the dressing room mirror. What a great reminder to love ourselves!
- Offer to babysit for parents who really need a night away or help with the nightly feedings for a new mother friend. New parents often appreciate this gesture more than financial gifts because rest and time away are much needed.
- Clean up the trash in your neighborhood or your favorite outdoor recreation spots like a park or beach. The earth could use some kindness too! And you might think this deed goes unnoticed, but when people can walk through a beautiful park or beach and see the beauty of nature, not trash, it makes the experience much nicer.
- Visit a nursing home to spend time with those who rarely receive visitors or bring treats for the residents. The elderly love visitors, especially children. If you are a teacher or a daycare provider, make it a field trip!
- Send a note of thanks to someone who’s made a big difference in your life. People love to know that they have made a positive impact on someone’s life.
- Pay for someone’s layaway who hasn’t made a payment in a long while. What a blessing this is during the holiday season, especially to a family in need.
- Fundraise by participating in a 5K walk or other sponsored activity.
- Shovel the driveway for elderly neighbors or those who may otherwise have trouble doing the job themselves. Mowing lawns and raking leaves are also good ideas. This is a good act of kindness to teach your children how to help their community.
- Mentor a young person entering your profession. You can also mentor children through programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters Of America.
- Help someone stranded on the side of the road. Be cautious of safety, but this is a great act of kindness for those not mechanically inclined!
- Take the time to listen to someone who is having a bad day. Sometimes just having a listening ear to vent to can relieve stress and anxiety and bring peace to the chaos they experience at the moment.
Hopefully, this list of simple acts of kindness will inspire you to spread kindness. These are excellent reminders of how to be kind to one another at all times. Pick from this list or come up with new ones on your own and spread your kindness!
What random acts of kindness did you do today?