Random Acts of Kindness

• Help people carry groceries or packages to their car.
• Clean out your closet and donate clothing you no longer wear to goodwill.
• Buy refreshments or snacks for the people sitting near you at a ball game.
• Carry spare change with you and add quarters to a parking meter that is running low or has run out of money altogether.
• Hold the elevator for anyone you see approaching.
• Pick up litter and trash you see on the ground throughout the day and throw it in the garbage can.
• Get an organ donor sticker for your driver's license.
• Always say "please", "thank you" and "hello" to others.
• Send a card and care package to military overseas.
• Let someone go ahead of you at the bank.
• Leave items to be used where they are needed such as umbrellas when it is raining or bottles of water at parks where runners frequent.
• Offer to pay for a meal, beverage or dessert for someone you see eating out alone.
• Cut out interesting articles from the newspaper (or email a link) and give them to people who would enjoy them.
• Write a note to the parents of a child who is going a great job in class.
• Pay for the bridge toll for the car behind you.
• Donate blood to the local blood bank.
• Lend a hand to a single parent by offering to watch their children free of charge.
• Leave anonymous notes of kindness on your neighbor's doorsteps.
• Create a handmade gift such as a craft or painting and give it to someone.
• When you buy food for your pet, purchase an extra bag of food and bring it to an animal shelter.
• Let a friend know when a song, TV show or movie reminded you of them.
• Visit a senior center in your community and donate your time to helping out.
• Pay for the groceries of the person in front of you in line.
• Give away balloons or flowers to your neighbors for free.
• Send thank you notes to employees and staff at your doctor's office or dentist office.
• Offer to let the person behind you go first at the store or supermarket.
• Place a flower from your garden on your neighbor's porch or patio.
• Volunteer to work at a soup kitchen.
• Compliment your cashier or sales clerk to their superior.
• Send kind gifts, cards and phone calls to bereaved people.
• Volunteer your time and services for local non-profit organizations.
• Visit a person who is homebound, bring a gift or meal and spend time with them.
• Be patient with others when you would normally not be so.
• Sing a song to someone else who enjoys music.
• Send an old memorable photo to a friend.
• Offer to run errands for a neighbor who keeps a busy life.
• Offer free car washes to friends and neighbors.
• Volunteer your time at a youth center and mentor the kids in need.
• Buy extra movie tickets for the people behind you in line.
• Plan a special day trip with your children as a surprise.
• Offer extra physical contact to friends and family.
• Bring a hot, homecooked meal to a friend without being asked.
• Have a drawing at your school or work to bring small gifts to classmates or co-workers.
• Create "kindness coupons" for friends and loved ones.
• Offer to take pictures of couples and families who are visiting your area.
• Help a neighbor bring their bags into their home.
• Leave spare change in public pay phones for the next person who needs it.
• Ask your friends to make a list of random acts of kindness and exchange the lists with others.
• Buy flowers at the grocery store and give them to your cashier.
• Volunteer your time at a local hospice.
• Make bookmarks with kind, inspirational quotes and deliver them to strangers you meet.
• Invite your neighbor over on occasion for coffee and conversation.
• Contact your local garden club to make flower arrangements for senior communities and shelters.
• Surprise your family during a random night to cook their favorite meal.
• Wave back to everyone who waves at you.
• Purchase a magazine subscription for local medical offices and hospitals.
• Get involved in your youth community by mentoring children and teens.
• Organize a clean-up party at your local park so the community can help keep your parks clean.
• Listen to the problems of someone who is suffering and offer a helping hand.
• Leave a box of treats on your doorstep for the next delivery person to receive.
• Offer your help to someone in a financial bind.
• Offer to walk and play with your neighbor's animals.
• Donate money or items to your local charities.
• Help an elderly neighbor with household chores.
• Pick up a neighbor's newspapers when they are out of town.
• Contact community programs in your area for a list of charities you can provide help to.
• Write kind notes on sticky notes and put them around your neighborhood for people to find.
• Buy lottery tickets and offer them to passersby.
• Offer your time at your school such as helping the office staff or putting away books in the library.
• Offer to do the doorman's job for a specific amount of time.
• Invite a friend out to eat or to go to a movie and pay for them.
• Share a list of what and who you are grateful for with your friends and family.
• Offer to drive others who are unable to drive or do not own vehicles.
• Start doing chores around the house you wouldn't normally do and without being asked.
• Get involved in a carpool to reduce air pollution.
• Leave a copy of an interesting and inspiring book on a bus or train.
• Bring together a group of people to pump gas for each customer at a local gas station.
• Send e-cards often to let people know how much you care about them.
• Send lottery tickets anonymously to someone you know.
• Write down a list of random acts of kindness and place it on bulletin boards in your community.
• Bring together a group of children to sing a concert at a senior center.
• Act on your thoughts of generosity as they come such as complimenting someone when you think of it.
• Look through the "wanted" ads in the newspaper and provide these people with the items they request.
• Tell jokes often to your friends, co-workers and family members.
• Mail a love letter to your partner.
• Send gifts or cards to your siblings anonymously.
• Buy a food item, beverage or dessert and give it to a stranger.
• Purchase extra coffee at the convenient store and offer it to people who come in the store.
• The next time you purchase stamps at the post office, leave some of your stamps near the stamp machine for the next person to use.
• Stop what you're doing to provide others assistance.
• Listen intently when others speak to you and acknowledge you care about what they have to say.
• Acknowledge a person's greetings to you with one that is equally as kind.
• Drop off teddy bears and other stuffed animals to the fire department for them to give out to children.
• Save leftovers after you finish dinner and bring them to a homeless person.
• Bake cookies or other goodies and bring them to your neighbors as a kind gesture.
• Hold the door open for the person coming behind you.
• Buy new or used books and donate them to a local school or daycare facility.
• Smile and say "thank you" to cashiers and sales clerks.
• Put money on a random gas pump for the next person.
• Acknowledge your previous teachers, letting them know how much of a difference they made in your life.
• Give up your seat on the bus to someone else who needs it more than you.
• Buy an extra umbrella on a rainy day and give it to someone who does not have one.
• Offer to give a friend or family member a massage.
• Hand out bottles of water and hydration beverages to cyclists.
• Hand out reusable shopping bags to other customers at the grocery store.
• Make a mix CD for a friend with songs that remind you of him or her.
• Keep your neighborhood clean by picking up any trash you see.
• Visit a friend, neighbor or family member who you know lives alone and would appreciate the company.
• Send small bouquets of flowers in vases to random people in the phone book.
• Give a gift certificate to a friend or family member when it is not a holiday or special occasion.
• Leave anonymous notes of kindness for your teachers.
• Have a kind coversation with a homeless person.
• Bring a newly purchased toy or game to a children's hospital.
• Show your mail carrier your appreciation with a handwritten thank-you note left in the mailbox.
• Offer to cut your neighbor's bushes and hedges for free.
• Ask people what they are thankful for, write down the responses and hand them to other people to read.
• Bring a positive point into every conversation.
• Drop off baked goods at random businesses in your area.
• Befriend new students or co-workers at school or work to lend a helping hand and make them feel more comfortable.
• Write notes of appreciation to members of the community who are helping others.
• Put extra change in the washer and dryer at your laundromat.
• Purchase extra tickets at a sports game or concert and offer them to the people behind you in line.
• Ask neighbor's kids if they want to go along with your kids to a movie or ball game.
• Donate your time to others for special occasions such as babysitting, doing housecleaning or running errands.
• Volunteer your time at a local animal shelter.
• Show your appreciation for your teacher by giving him or her a plant, flower or small gift.
• Email your friends and thank them when they help you go through hardships in your life.
• Host programs at your local library such as having people read to children.
• Organize an eye surgery sponsorship for someone in another country who cannot afford it.
• Drop loose change in areas where children play to allow them to find them.
• Give positive praise and compliments to everyone you meet during any given day.
• Give up your place in line to someone else who needs it, such as a mother with children or someone in a hurry.
• Always drive courteously, being aware of others around you. Let other drivers pass the lane in front of you or pull over to let a faster driver go ahead of you.
• Offer to take over carpool every day for a week or month.
• Purchase bouquets of flowers and ask a meal delivery service to deliver them with the meals.
• Help your elderly neighbor with cooking, errands and cleaning.
• Offer your parking spot to another driver.
• Volunteer to help out at your child's school.
• Open the phone book to a random page and send a gift to the first address you find.
• Smile and say hello to passersby.
• Offer to help your neighbors with special projects such as gardening or painting their house.
• Greet your doorman every day with a smile and tell him to have a good day.
• Give your child the benefit of the doubt when he or she misbehaves.
• Send handwritten cards and notes to friends and loved ones without needing a reason.
• Always clean up after leaving any given place and try to leave it better than you found it by tidying up before you leave.
• Knit or crochet hats and blankets for shelters and hospitals.
• Include a handwritten note in your child's lunch box every day.
• Bring prepaid phone cards to a local homeless shelter so they can call their families or friends.
• Set up a community garden where neighbors can plant flowers and crops.
• Choose to adopt a pet from your local homeless shelter to give the pet a good home.
• Make extra food when you prepare your dinner and bring the leftovers to a neighbor.
• Purchase a roll of stickers and hand them out to children you see during any given day.
• Avoid being the first person to pull away from a hug or a handshake.
• Choose one of your favorite possessions and donate it to a shelter.
• Donate new and used clothing items to a local shelter.
• Cut out positive news stories and leave them in the break room for everyone to read.
• Bring flowers to the hospital and ask the staff to give them to anyone who has not had visitors.
• Send homebaked goods to schools and daycares.
• Show your parents you care by holding their hands, even if you're an adult.
• Use your server's name when addressing him or her and be kind throughout your stay.
• Offer a parking spot you were saving to someone else and park in a further spot.
• Bring a newly purchased toy or game to a local children's shelter.
• Have a pleasant conversation with other people in line.
• Offer your leftovers to the homeless.
• Give a very generous tip to a waiter that has been especially helpful.
• Leave a stack of positive stickers on the desk of a local business.
• If you manage a business, offer to donate a percentage of your sales to a local charity organization.
• Wave a poster at a street intersection with a positive message on it.
• Send a thank-you card that is handwritten to someone who has helped you out in the past to show your genuine appreciation.
• Clean the graffiti from your school or buildings around your neighborhood.
• Invite someone you know lives alone to your home for dinner and a movie.
• Send flowers to the staff of a hospital who took good care of you during your visit.
• Make hot meals and baked goods to be delivered to a local homeless shelter or food bank.
• Leave kind notes in unexpected places throughout town.
• Acknowledge youth in your neighborhood by asking them for their opinion on any given subject, and listen to what they have to say.
• Give one of your favorite books to a friend or family member.
• Give new or used toys to a children's shelter.
• Be kind to the environment by volunteering for park and beach clean-up days.
• Show your appreciation for life's gifts openly and publicly to allow others soak in this positivity and appreciate life themselves.
• Offer to run errands for other people.
• Ask your students to help clean the classroom so the custodian doesn't have to.
• Be generous with your smile and laughter.
• Remember people by name when you are introduced to them.
• Set up a lemonade or iced tea stand for your neighbors on a hot day.
• Cheer up a friend who has been feeling down by taking him or her out to eat and spending quality time.
• Introduce yourself to a new student at your school and offer your friendship.
• Cook a meal for another family as a surprise.
• Spend quality time with each of your children individually on a regular basis.
• Purchase a roll of "Have a Nice Day" stickers and hand them out to strangers.
• Offer to buy the tickets for the people in line behind you at the movie theater.
• Purchase a computer for someone who is homebound and teach them how to use it.
• Compliment every person you meet for an entire day.
• Leave books you have read in public places where someone else can find it and read it.
• Give flower seeds and other gardening items to shelters.
• Bring a vase of flowers or potted plant to the workplace to be shared by your co-workers.
• Help an elderly person with his or her pets.
• Invite neighborhood kids over to teach them how to do crafts or cook.
• Help your neighbor take out the trash.
• Donate flowers, plants or baked goodies to a public service organization.
• Offer to babysit for a friend, family member or neighbor to give them a chance to go out.
• Show children the importance of kind acts by incorporating them into your school's curriculum.
• Pay for the drinks of the table next to you at a restaurant.
• Plant flowers in your neighbor's empty flower box.
• Push other children on the swing the next time you're at the park.
• Purchase a copy of your favorite book and donate it to a local library, shelter or hospital.
• Write a note that says "Pass it On" and hand it to a stranger with a smile.
• Donate items to your local animal shelter such as food, toys and accessories the animals need.
• Bring gifts to a nursing home they can use such as a gift basket with writing materials to write to their families.
• Send employees notes or recognition and encouragement.
• Share your lunch with someone who forgot to bring theirs.
• Leave funny jokes on pieces of paper for your co-workers to find.
• Pay for someone else's coffee when you pay for yours.
• Pull out someone's chair at the dinner table.
• Distribute positivity and hope to everyone you meet today.
• Renew old friendships with cards and gifts sent to them.
• Go the extra mile to help someone in need.
• Wheel out your neighbor's trash and recycle bins on trash day if they have forgotten.
• Read to your children often.
• Make handmade items like scrapbooks or other crafts for friends and loved ones.
• Donate your used books to the local library.
• Anonymously leave a plant or bouquet of flowers on someone's doorstep.
• Tell a potential client about your competitors who provide good service.
• If you offer professional services to the community, do so for free on occasion.
• Help strangers with purchasing or loading their groceries.
• Open the car door for your passengers.
• Pick up the lunch or dinner tab for another table at the restaurant anonymously.
• Leave a kind and anonymous note for a friend or loved one where they will find it.
• Send anonymous gifts to friends and loved ones.
• Distribute lollipops and other goodies to children as a special treat.
• Make breakfast in bed for a loved one.
• Organize a food and clothing drive to a local shelter.
• Hand out balloons to everyone who walks by.
• Give a generous tip to the next person who provides you a service.
• Give a hug to a good friend the next time you see them.
• Treat a friend to dinner and a movie for no reason.
• Spend a day cleaning up all of the trash and litter in your neighborhood.
• Scrape ice off someone else's car in the morning before they leave for work.
• Recycle all of your paper, plastic, glass and aluminum products.
• Leave bowls of cat or dog food in parking lots where strays frequent.
• Surprise your friends and neighbors with a bouquet of flowers.
• Buy a bag of non-perishable groceries and give it to a family in need.
• Leave a flowers and a positive note for a co-worker who you have not befriended in the past.
• Leave extra coupons you did not use at the grocery store register for others.
• Take pictures of family members at parties and print the pictures for them.
• Leave chocolate or other treats on co-workers desks anonymously.
• Surprise your employees by allowing them to leave work early.
• Buy candy or magazines from children who solicit you.
• Wipe rainwater off other shopping carts at the grocery store.
• Surprise neighbors by delivering gifts to their doorstep early in the morning.
• Offer to cook dinner for your family when your parents are having a hectic day.
• Bring books to the park and read to the other children.
• Acknowledge the cashier who has assisted you with a genuine compliment on his or her work performance.
• Offer to watch your neighbor's children so they can go out and enjoy themselves.
• Leave sticky notes with kind words on bus windows.
• Ask the nursing home staff is anyone does not get visitors, and spend time with them.
• Spend more time with your pet and give it a special treat.
• Do yardwork for a neighbor without being asked.
• Offer to return someone else's shopping cart for them to save them the trip.
• Give a small gift to your mail carrier to show your appreciation.
• Inform the manager or supervisor of your waiter of what a great job they did.
• Introduce yourself to someone you see often but have never met.
• Bring treats to school or work to share with your classmates or co-workers.
• Collect items from your neighborhood to donate to a food bank or shelter such as food, clothing and toys.
• Go through your day with a positive outlook, as if the glass is half-full to spread your positivity around to others.
• Always speak kindly and gently to others.
• Avoid passing along gossip you happen to hear as often as possible.
• Call your grandparents and let them know how much they mean to you and have affected your life.
• Donate a box of groceries to your local food bank.
• Give a compliment to someone else at least once a day.
• Pump someone else's gas and offer to pay for it.
• Pay another guest's tab at a bar or restaurant.
• Give a mixed CD with positive music to the next person who needs to be cheered up.
• Call your parents to tell them you love and appreciate them.
• Give away items in good condition on Craigslist for free.
• Offer to let the other driver go first at a stop sign.
• Surprise a co-worker with a handwritten note and treat left on their desk.
• Join other people's sports games in the park.
• Pull over to the side of the road and help someone change their tire.
• Provide members of your community with goods to show your appreciation such as the police department, fire fighters, cashiers and waiters.
• Buy a coffee for people selling newspapers or magazines on the street early in the morning.
• Always maintain eye contact with speaking with someone.
• Offer your services to Habitat for Humanity and help build a home for the less fortunate.
• Send anonymous flowers to your office staff.
• Place pieces of paper on cars that state "Random Acts of Kindness, Pass it On."
• Be kind to the environment by turning off lights and unplugging appliances not currently in use.
• Buy a cup of coffee and give to a homeless person.
• Bake a variety of cookies and brownies and deliver them to city workers.
• Plant flowers in the yard of an elderly neighbor.
• Get rid of old things you no longer have a use for a donate them to charities and organizations in need.
• Give a loved one your undivided attention.
• Compliment a co-worker on his or her outstanding work performance.
• Keep umbrellas and blankets in your car and pass them out to homeless on cold and rainy days.
• Offer to do a task for someone else in school or at work.
• Invite an acquaintaince over for dinner with your family.
• Donate flowers, potted plants or baked goodies to your local police and fire department.
• Send money to a friend in need anonymously so the friend appreciates the gesture without feeling the need to pay you back.
• Send friends, neighbors and loved ones gifts anonymously.
• Help a friend who is struggling by giving him or her an inspirational and hopeful book.
• Offer your assistance to elderly people at the store with choosing groceries, reaching high shelves and loading their car.
• Buy an inspirational book and give it to a friend who can benefit from it.
• Call a distant relative who you have not spoken with in a long time and promise to keep in touch.
• Provide your mail delivery person with a care package.
• Give fruit or goodies to the next person who delivers something to your door.
• Mow the neighbor's lawn without being asked.
• Write a letter to someone you admire and let them know of the impact the had in your life.
• Hold the train door open for the next passengers.
• Organize a charity driver at your school or workplace.
• Call a friend you have not spoken to in a while and let them know you are thinking of them.
• Stop your car and wait for a pedestrian to walk across the street.
• Offer to help someone else who is trying to carry something heavy.
• Volunteer at a nursing home to spend time with the patients.
• Post positive comments on other people's blogs.
• Do nice things for your family without having to be asked.
• Teach a child how to do fun and easy craft projects.
• Organize a group of people to help out at a mall or grocery store with packages.
• Invite a friend who lives out-of-town to your home for dinner.
• Offer free hugs to friends and strangers.
• Introduce one of your friends to your other friends.
• Donate money, supplies and your time to local causes and charity organizations.
• Acknowledge a good job of someone else at school or work.
• Fill a vending machine with change so the next person can get a treat.
• If you own a business, waive all late fees for an entire week.
• Buy an extra meal when you are at a restaurant and offer it to the homeless or someone in need.
• Mail baked goods to friends and loved ones that live far away.
• Play music for a local senior community if you know how to play an instrument.
• Deliver freshly-baked goodies like brownies, cookies or cupcakes to your local fire station to show your appreciation.
• Make a fruit basket and give it to a neighbor.
• Post inspirational notes and signs around town.
• Shovel the snow off your neighbor's driveways after a snowstorm.
• Show your students how to be kind to others by making a list of kind acts with them.
• Tell a sincere compliment to a stranger to brighten his or her day.
• Say "thank you" to bus and taxi drivers.
• Throw a pizza party for all of the kids in the neighborhood.
• Get an item off a high shelf for someone else.
• Offer to help neighborhood children with homework and school projects.
• Greet everyone you pass by with a smile.
• Give your child the option to do chores for neighbors such as washing cars or mowing lawns, and pay them an allowance once they are finished.
• Pay for the car's meal behind you at the drive-thru.
• Keep non-perishable food items in your car and offer them to people in need.
• Cuddle with your children longer and more often.
• Visit a friend or loved one who is ill to bring them soup, magazines and offer your time.
• If someone in the line in front of you is struggling to find cash, offer to help them out with their purchase.
• Surprise your parents by treating them to a nice dinner.
• Write down your favorite recipe and distribute it to family and friends.
• Tell your family you love them every day.
• Send money anonymously to someone in financial need.
• Show your children the importance of kind acts by involving them in helping others.
• Send flowers to teachers who have made a difference in their student's lives.
• Ask a friend, neighbor or co-worker how they have been and mean it. Listen to them when they answer with avid interest.
• Forgive people who have asked for it and you feel can benefit from your forgiveness.
• Tell your children why you love them every day.
• Put all of your spare change in charity change trays at grocery stores.
• Plant trees and flowers in your front yard.
• Visit a senior center and read to the seniors.
• Remove debris blocking a road or path.
• Leave a handwritten note of thanks with your tip.
• Offer to tutor children for free.