25 Random Acts of Kindness that take only a moment to do
Most of us are familiar with the concept of an RAoK, right? Well my twins and I did a random act of kindness project that only cost the price of some candy canes (about $3) and some ink from my printer. It was easy, it was fun, and they enjoyed it immensely. I made a card to print on 4×6 photo paper (we seem to get 50 free ones every time we buy paper, so I had tons of them) and we taped a candy cane to each one.
The text reads:
My 5 year old twins and I are spreading joy by performing random acts of kindness (RAoK) for others.
We want you to know that YOU ARE IMPORTANT.
We wish you joy and a light heart, sunny days and peaceful nights.
May you find the path that fits your step and may you never walk alone.In the end we all want the same thing:
To matter to those who matter to us.
We wish you this and more.Love, A & R and their mommy
Did this Random Act of Kindness make you smile?
Consider paying it forward!
We’ve been carrying them around with us, randomly dropping them on people’s windshields, putting them on shelves in the grocery store, and even handing them to people we see going by. I have to say that the handing-them-out thing is not always initially received well. People assume we’re trying to sell something or proselytize. I always quickly say, “My boys and I are just practicing random acts of kindness. Enjoy the candy cane!”
But doing an RAoK doesn’t have to be that involved! These 25 random act of kindness ideas are either free or inexpensive and none take more than a few moments to do. I’ve seen lots and lots of lists that include an awful lot of acts of kindness that either cost a lot of money or are geared toward treating yourself kindly. Treating yourself well is great! But that, to me, is not at all the point of a random act of kindness. Doing something for someone else and expecting nothing in return is the point, right?
Here are 25 random acts of kindness ideas that you can do today!
- Give a genuine compliment to a stranger.
- Pay for the order of the person behind you in the Starbucks drive through (and hope they weren’t ordering for the entire office).
- Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while.
- Tape some quarters (or a dollar bill) on a vending machine at the hospital.
- Say thank you to the security guard, the janitor – the folks who make our world run more smoothly but who rarely get acknowledged for it.
- Let someone merge in traffic. And smile at them.
- Let your partner listen to a song on the radio they love (and that you hate) without sneering.
- Compliment a parent whose child is behaving well in the store.
- Encourage the mama whose child is lying on the floor in the store, screaming. She needs it even more.
- Let someone go ahead of you in line.
- Clean the coffee pot at work.
- Double your tip at a restaurant.
- Don’t tailgate the person in front of you going 30mph in a 45mph zone. There is probably a reason they are going that slowly.
- Leave sticky notes that say “YOU are important!” on the mirror in a public restroom.
- Introduce yourself to the new guy/gal at work, in your playgroup, at school drop-off, at a party – you get the idea.
- Ask for the manager and compliment an employee.
- Move the shopping carts out of the handicapped space.
- Send an email to your child’s teacher to say how much you appreciate him or her.
- Take your neighbor’s trash can back up to the house.
- Leave a comment on a blog post (you’d be surprised at how much it means to the author).
- Help a mama get her groceries in the car (but don’t be creepy and scare the bujeezus out of her!).
- Buy a $10 gift card at your local grocery store and hand it to the cashier to use for the person in line behind you. Make sure you’re gone before the person knows you left it.
- Sign up to be a bone marrow donor.
- Show compassion for someone you think doesn’t deserve it.
- Leave some coloring books and crayons in the hospital emergency room. It’s really tough to be a little kid waiting for a loved one there!
Do you make a regular practice of showing a random act of kindness? Let me know in the comments what your favorite RAoK is!