This week is National Random Acts of Kindness Week and my family has decided to celebrate it by doing at least one major act each day this week.  Generally speaking, our family usually does random acts of kindness on a regular basis – like holding the door open for people, smiling at strangers, etc. So this week we chose to crank it up notch and do some heftier acts that require a little more effort.  Here’s the breakdown we came up with:

Monday – Play on the site Free Rice.  It’s a United Nations Food Program that donates rice to those in need every time you answer a question correctly on the site.  It’s something simple but it can make a big impact.  Be sure to check out the “Subjects” tab at the top to change up the subject of the questions!  (We were going to put up a poster in the front yard wishing everyone a good day as they were driving into work, but it’s raining here.  Our sign would have disintegrated.)

Tuesday – Donate to help a teacher get supplies they need for their classroom.  DonorsChoose.org lets you support schools and teachers in your community.  We are donating to help a teacher at Ryland’s school.

Wednesday – Write a letter to stranger who needs it. More Love Letters has a list of people who could benefit from letters of encouragement.

Thursday – Support Love for the Elderly by donating to help fund their Sunshine Box program. Love for the Elderly also distributes letters you write to seniors through their Letters of Love program.

Friday – Make a small contribution to One Simple Wish, an organization that grants wishes for youth is foster care.

Saturday – Loan money to a person through Kiva.  Kiva provides loans to people all over the world, in 81 different countries, who wish to better themselves or their community.

Sunday – Surprise someone by buying a small item on an Amazon wish list.  We’re putting in a random name and purchasing a small item on a public list we find.  May seem a little creepy, but this happened to Eric once and it was pretty awesome.

Need some more ideas to get you going?  Try some of these…

Things to do that are free!

1. Smile at everyone – especially strangers.
2. Do a chore for a family member.
3. Hold the door open for people.
4. Appreciate good service – look in the eye, smile and say thank you to everyone who serves you.
5. Text, tweet, email or give in person a compliment to at least 3 people.
6. Pick up litter in your neighborhood.
7. Donate books to the library.
8. Cheer someone up – call a relative to chat.
9. Tell jokes to make someone smile.
10. Give someone your full attention – put down your phone/game.
11. Be positive all day long, say only nice things to yourself and to others.
12. Leave a happy note or kindness stone for someone to find.
13. Do yard work for a neighbor.
14. Leave chalk messages around where you live.
15. Let someone go in front of you in a checkout line.
16. Share positive posts on your social media pages.
17. Forgive someone you’ve been holding a grudge against.
18. Write a positive message on a post-it and put it in a public place.
19. Let someone go in front of you in traffic.
20. Give someone a hug.
21. Volunteer to read books to children at a local school or library.
22. Help someone who is stranded on the side of the road.
23. Give a compliment.
24. Donate blood.
25. Donate clothes to Goodwill or Salvation Army.
26. Help someone pick up items they dropped.
27. Return shopping carts to the store.
28. Leave a letter in a library book.
29. Check in on an elderly neighbor.
30. Tell a manager how good your service was.
31. Say hello to everyone you see.
32. Say “thank you” to someone who made a difference.
33. Bring your neighbors’ garbage cans up for them.
34. Dry the slides at the park with a towel after it rains.
35. Really listen.
36. Give someone the benefit of the doubt.
37. Leave extra coupons at the store for other customers to use.
38. Allow someone to help you.
39. Do Someone a favor.
40. Be someone’s cheerleader.
41. Leave nice comments on blogs, Twitter, and Facebook.
42. Do the task no one else wants to do.
43. Share your gum.
44. Offer to run an errand for someone who needs help.

Things that take some time and/or a little bit of cash…

45. Tape $1 bills to vending machines.
46. Hide dollars with added tax in baggies with a “surprise” tag throughout a dollar store – (our local tax is $0.07 so we would put $1.07).
47. Get together some cookies/goodies for trash and recycle guys to say “Thank You!”
48. Leave a popcorn surprise at DVD machines.
49. Donate pet supplies (food, old towels or blankets, etc.) to the animal shelter.
50. Donate cash to a charity of your choice.
51. Deliver cookies or a dessert to your neighbors.
52. Tape quarters to bubble gum machines. (They are still around.)
53. Surprise a cashier, janitor or someone else you see all the time with a small “thank you” gift.
54. Pass out candy to people you meet. Who doesn’t like chocolate?!
55. Donate food to a local food pantry.
56. Give a lottery ticket to a stranger.
57. Take flowers to your nearest nursing home.
58. Put your loose change in a charity box.
59. Pay for someone else’s coffee, groceries, toll booth charge, etc.
60. Donate a pair of new pajamas for foster kids.
61. Donate toys to a children’s hospital.
62. Invite someone who may be alone over for dinner.
63. Donate socks and supplies to the homeless shelter.
64. Take treats to the fire station or police station.
65. Buy dessert for another family at a restaurant.
66. Buy extra school supplies for a teacher.
67. Donate coloring books and crayons to the children’s hospital.
68. Leave bubbles on someone’s doorstep.
69. Buy a small gift for someone. Just because.
70. Carry around a care package of food or toiletries that you can give to a homeless person.
71. Carry around a $5 gift card so you can give it to someone who does something awesome. Or, create and carry “thanks for making my day” cards that you can give to people.
72. Donate toys to a homeless shelter.
73. Buy something from a local small business.
74. Leave quarters at the laundromat.
75. Make extra copies of photos and send them to the people who are in the images.

Being kind doesn’t have to cost a thing and it is so good for your soul.  You shouldn’t need a special week to show kindness, but we all need a reminder sometimes that we could be doing more.  I hope this post has inspired you to show kindness in new ways.  I’d love to hear if you have any more ideas other than what I have listed here!  Share your ideas in the comments below. And thank you for being here!  I truly appreciate your love and support!