image from justpooh.com
~ Plato
Do you ever think about teaching kindness? It sounds very simple but sometimes I think we expect our children to be naturally kind but in fact like any other personality trait, only a few have kindness as a natural part of their personality. Children seem to be more likely not to be kind.
In this time of school shootings and other violence maybe we need to take the teaching of kindness more seriously! And as most parents know, the best lessons are taught by example. You can model kindness. You can be kind to your children. And together you can do Random Acts of Kindness.
Did you know next week is Random Acts of Kindness Week? It lasts from February 11th through February 17th. What a perfect week to coincide with Valentine’s Day next week, to teach kindness and love for people we don’t even know.
Start with this short video of Random Acts Of Kindness Caught On Security Cameras.
I love this video. It got me thinking that teaching children to love anonymously is a great gift to give them. Here are some ideas for teaching your children Random Acts of Kindness. The first 13 ideas can be done by your children themselves. The next ideas, 14-30, need you as the parent (or aunt, uncle, friend) to help out.
30 Random Acts Of Kindness To Do With Your Children!
1. Smile at five strangers
2. Hold the door open for someone
3. Help a neighbor with light yard work
4. Let someone go in front of you in line
5. Return a shopping cart
6. Pick up trash in your neighborhood
7. Wash a car
8. Say good morning to people
9. Complain less
10. Make someone laugh
11. Share a toy
12. Be a positive person
13. Compliment a friend
Child with parents:
14. Bring canned food to a food bank
15. Hand out popsicles at a park
16. Carry around lollypops for crying kids at stores
17. Put something nice in the mailbox for the mail man
18. Say thank you to the bus driver
19. Pay for the person behind you in a drive through or at the toll booth.
20. Tape quarters to the gumball machine
21. Leave flowers or candy at someone’s door, ring the doorbell and run away! (We do this at Christmas for a special family each year for 12 days…but that’s another post!)
22. Sponsor a family at Christmas
23. Donate to the local food bank
24. Make cookies for your teacher
25. Hand out a $2 bill when you catch someone doing something nice. (We do this because someone did it for us)
26. Put a gift card on someone’s windshield
27. Bring a neighbor dinner
28. Shovel a neighbor’s walk without telling them
29. Send a real letter to someone
30. Leave kind notes on other people’s windshield
My kids and I have done a few of these ideas. We plan to do them all in the next 12 months. Please, write more ideas in the comments below!
You and your children can change the world, one person at a time!
I also had to include this quote from Rachel Scott, the first victim at Colubine High School (just miles from our house). She had a vision, that her parents and brother have taken as their own (http://www.rachelschallenge.org), that we can start a chain reaction of kindness! Be part of that chain!
Unconditonal Love… pass it forward and start a chain reaction.
I also recommend a friend, Carmen’s website, Paying It Forward, One Day At A Time and her Facebook page.
One quote of inspiration from Mother Teresa:
“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
~ Mother Teresa
And one more…
“Fill each day with life and heart. There is no pleasure in the world comparable to the delight and satisfaction that a good person takes in doing good.”
~ John Tilloston (1630-1694); Archbishop Of Canterbury
Here’s to being kind! I’d love to hear your ideas of Random Acts of Kindness! Please comment below…
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PS: Letting Go: Share Your Story
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Hi Betsy,
Great suggestions for Random Acts of Kindness! When I was teaching we had a Kindness board and my students would write something that they had done that for someone else without being asked. You could see the pleasure the students felt as they placed their message on the board. This is a lesson that can never start early enough. We all need the reminder as well, so thank you!
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Betsy Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 5:48 pm
Hi Cathy,
So glad you enjoyed the post! I love the idea of a kindness board. And you’re right, teaching kindness can never start too young. I need the reminders myself and for my students as well, too.
Thanks so much for the comment!
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Loved the post Betsy!
It’s something every parent and child need to do and practice – the acts of kindness – in whatever small way they can – and whenever possible. I guess a lot starts from the parents and how they instill such things in their kids – because I strongly believe it all starts from home – isn’t it?
That was a lovely video, and the perfect quotes to match the post too. Thanks for sharing, and for reminding us about the Random Acts of Kindness Week coming up.
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Betsy Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 5:51 pm
Harleena,
So glad you enjoyed the post! As you can tell, I strongly believe kindness begins at home, too. I don’t think we often realize how much we’re observed and copied by home. Glad you enjoyed the video, too.
Thanks for the comment!
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Such a valuable reminder, Betsy. Love the ideas you posted and am glad to say we practice many of those naturally.
I also love Cathy’s suggestion of a Kindness board!
Here’ s my two cents:
For children, maintaining a random acts of kindness journal is a great thing. We’ve encouraged Vidur to do that and apart from the joy and pride, we’ve enjoyed reading all the stuff that he categorized as kindness. It is a great way for children to be mindful.
Another idea is to have a piggy bank/savings box where a wee something is added – could be just a cent. It all adds up. At the end of the month, donate it to a deserving cause.
Now I am going to be thinking of various ways all day today
Hugs and trust you to always brighten up my day! Love to you!
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Betsy Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 5:52 pm
Vidya,
I love the idea of a kindness journal. And I’ve had friends do the piggy bank. They do 1/3 to spend, 1/3 to save and 1/3 to help others.
Your comment brightened by day, too! Thanks!
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I agree, the best lessons are taught by example. My younger teen was telling me one night that while walking to school with her girlfriend, they passed an older man trying to straighten garbage cans that were lying on their side at the front of the small apartment building. My daughter said she did pass him at first, but then stopped and went back to help. Her friends nagged that they would be late for school as my teen helped the old man straighten the cans and drag them back to their place beside the building. He complained of crazy teens throwing his cans down all the time and then thanked her many times for helping. I asked her what made her go back. She said she remembered that day in the supermarket where I spent 15 minutes trying to get a bag of frozen vegetables from the very back of a refrigerator for the older lady. She said I could have easily told the lady it was too far and to get a staff person to do it, but instead i made her go get me a ladle from the previous aisle as i practically climbed into the refrigerator. My teen also remembered how happy the lady was and how proud she was of me.
Our kids definitely learn by example girl. My tip is help someone no matter how smelly or time consuming the project seems. 
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Betsy Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 6:01 pm
Vanita,
What a story! That was great that your daughter was able to verbalize what she saw and tell you. So many of us/or our children don’t know why they do what they do. They may not have remembered even observing it’s so deep in the subconscious.
And I love your tip for helping out. Just do it!!
Thanks for the comment!
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The “Attacks on Friendship” caught my attention during the Superbowl last night and was my favorite commercial. It’s good to know that the notion of kindness was presented to millions!
Alex
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Betsy Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 7:16 am
Alex,
This is such a coincidence! I even watched the Superbowl but I missed that this was on it as a Coke ad! I had already published. Life is sure amazing!! I’ll be sending my “letting go” experience to you soon.
Thanks for the comment!
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Wow…so much to love in this one article!
Yes! to random acts of kindness! My children and I share frequently, because it’s fun to put a smile on someone’s face, in their heart (even if you are not there to see it, or do it anonymously). One of my favorites is to buy a gift card at Starbucks and leave it at the register to cover and let the cashiers choose whom to share the free drinks with (they know the “regulars”). But, sometimes we don’t have “extra” money, so we share a smile, full presence, abundance of energy in ways that we *do have*…and it comes back around, so the other part is to be a wonderful receiver of random acts of kindness!
I love the FB page and website page..your quotes and your tips…this article warms my heart in all ways…thank you!
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Betsy Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Joy,
Your sentence made me so happy! I did feel in the end that I just keeping adding quotes and link and just wanted to write about kindness in many forms. Thank you for your kindness in posting your comment today. It made me feel inspired to keep writing!!
xoxo
Betsy
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Nicely done Betsy. I really like this idea of teaching children the value of performing anonymous acts of kindness. While it’s encouraged in schools, the teachers don’t have time to spend on these ideas like they could or would like to. I love the post. Nice job!
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Betsy Reply:
February 10th, 2013 at 10:12 pm
Thanks Victor!
Yes, parents are the ones who need to spend the time teaching kindness! We teachers do our best though!! So glad you enjoyed!
Thanks for the comment!
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The day before my Dad died on March 30 2010, I read a blog post about someone whose child was murdered and they did a random act of kindness for each year of his life to celebrate him.
I was so moved by the post that I celebrated my Dad’s life with 89 random acts of kindness. I thought it was a fitting tribute for a simple man who was most remembered for his kindness.
Thank you for your post. It was a timely reminder. A dear friend just lost her beloved Dad, and this is the most fitting tribute I can think of.
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Betsy Reply:
February 10th, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Anne,
How wonderful that family was able to do something so wonderful after experiencing a horrible tragedy. And that you’re doing it for your own father. I’m just getting started with the Random Acts of Kindness. It’s amazing how great you feel afterwards. So glad you enjoyed the post.
Thank you for the comment!
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Very nice list, Betsy! And some that I’m definitely going to try with my girls!
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I used to play the Kindness Game with my daughter. We would “compete” during the day to see who could do the most kind things for people. We got one point for every nice thing and double points for doing something nice for a family member. Lots of fun! You go through your day differently when you are actively seeking opportunities to be kind. Great post full of great ideas!!
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Betsy Reply:
February 10th, 2013 at 10:16 pm
Galen,
I love your game! I’ll have to remember it.
Thanks for your kind comment!
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Yep I love that video. Coke is onto something here, though unfortunately drinking coke wasn’t the cause of all those acts of kindness
I love your ideas. Just seeing the happy look on peoples faces would be worth it!
-Ben
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Betsy Reply:
February 10th, 2013 at 10:17 pm
Ben,
The funny thing is that I didn’t know it would be on the Super Bowl as a Coke ad. What a coincidence!
So glad you enjoyed the post!
Thanks for the comment!
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