52 Random Acts of Kindness

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all focused a little more on being kind to one another? Random acts of kindness don’t have to be saved for a special day each year, they can happen all year long. A random act of kindness can be for a stranger, a spouse or a neighbour. It can be a simple act, or an elaborate effort. It can be anonymous or shared. The purpose is spreading good cheer, so here is a list of 52 different (not necessarily random) acts of kindness that could be done throughout the year.

1. Shovel someone else’s driveway
2. Cut the neighbour’s grass
3. Donate toys/clothes to a charity
4. Volunteer for a local non-profit
5. Make freezer meals for a local senior
6. Invite a single person for dinner
7. Offer to babysit for a friend/relative
8. Pay for someone’s gas at the gas station
9. Pay for the coffee of the next person in line
10. Walk a dog at a local shelter
11. Give your children’s hand-me-downs to a friend for family member
12. Donate to a local charity
13. Donate books to your local schools or library
14. Smile at a stranger
15. Invite someone you don’t know well to go for coffee
16. Sponsor a child from another country
17. Send a love note in your spouse/children’s lunch
18. Take coffee/snacks to the nurses at your local ER
19. Bring baked goods to your local police department/fire department
20. Drop off cold bottles of waters at a construction site
21. Hold the door for someone
22. Put away your neighbour’s trash can
23. Become a Big Brother/Big Sister
24. Give to toy drives
25. Donate to food banks
26. Give your spouse a massage (no strings attached)
27. Take part in a fundraiser for the charity of your choice
28. Donate to a stranger’s GoFundMe account
29. Buy lunch for a homeless person
30. Share great customer service on social media
31. Give an extravagant tip
32. Buy everything for an Easter/Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner and leave it at someone’s doorstep
33. Coach a children’s team or be a leader for a children’s club
34. Become a friendly visitor or telephone check-in person for a local senior citizen
35. Drive someone to the airport or to an appointment
36. Bake a birthday cake for someone who doesn’t expect it
37. Send flowers to your mother/grandmother/aunt/wife
38. Send a “thank you” card or a “thinking of you” note in the mail
39. Provide a positive reference for a job-hunting friend
40. Help someone with their cleaning/purging/painting
41. Be someone’s support person for a life change ie. Weight loss, exercise
42. Join the neighbourhood watch
43. Hold the elevator door
44. Let someone move ahead of you in line
45. Help a friend move
46. Weed/water a neighbour’s garden
47. Share a beloved novel with a friend
48. Host a transfer student in your home
49. Put quarters in expired parking meters
50. Donate game systems/ board games to the child life specialists at the local children’s hospital
51. Drop off coffee, baked goods to the Ronald McDonald House
52. Clean up garbage in public areas

Have another idea? Share it in the comments!