25 Random Acts of Kindness to Incorporate into Your Daily Life

If you ever feel like you want to be more charitable but you feel that you just don’t know how, what to do, or you feel like you don’t have the time or money to do so, try incorporating a random act of kindness into your daily life.  There are countless ways for you to give back and to make even the smallest difference in somebody’s life.  Doing a random act of kindness doesn’t only help others but, it will also help yourself in return, especially on days that you just feel a bit down and out about any situation in your life.  I have found that doing a random act of kindness as often as I can puts a smile on others’ faces and on my own as well.  You never know who you will be helping and in what way.  These are also great ideas to influence your children and friends to try to do as well.  There’s no better feeling than knowing that you are making a positive impact on somebody’s life or in this big world in some way.  Below are just 25 random acts of kindness ideas to try to incorporate into your everyday life.  Give them a try or be creative and come up with a list of your own!

1. Walk ahead to open and hold a door for a stranger

2. Give somebody a complement

3. Listen to somebody who needs a shoulder to cry on or an ear to vent to

4. Mow your neighbor’s lawn or do some yard work for free

5. Buy some groceries for a family in need or an elderly in your neighborhood

6. Pay for the person’s coffee behind you at the coffee shop

7. Stop and buy hot cocoa for a homeless person in the winter time

8. Create “Life Packs” and distribute them to the homeless in a nearby area (“Life Packs” are bags or backpacks filled with items such as: soap, toilet paper, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, chap stick, bottled water, granola bars or other snacks, heat packs if it’s wintertime, hair comb, small shampoo, body wash, feminine napkins for women, hand lotion, cough drops, or anything else that you see fit)

9. Stop at a local animal shelter and spend an hour of your day playing with the animals

Instead of asking for birthday gifts or money, ask your friends and family to donate to a charity of your choice (or theirs) or donate what money or gifts you do get to a local shelter, hospital, or person in need.

10. Pay for somebody’s bus/train fare or gas

11. Pay for groceries for somebody in line

12. Help somebody who is struggling to carry their groceries to their car or door

13. Spend an hour of your time mentoring at a youth home

14. Go through your closet and donate some clothing and shoes to a shelter or a family in need

15. Adopt a pet and give them a forever home

16. Help a person in need get a job interview by helping with a resume and the application process

17. Volunteer an hour or so of your day helping out at a non-profit event or establishment in your area.  Check out Volunteer Match to help find opportunities in your are.

18. Cook dinner and take it to a single parent in your neighborhood who works all day and struggles to get time to cook for his/her children

19. Get a trash bag and rubber gloves and walk around a nearby park, beach, or any other area and pick up trash

20. Choose a cause that you support and donate anything that you can to them online

21. Collect coats and/or blankets and take to a local homeless shelter in the winter (animal shelters may also accept blankets too)

22. Give your restaurant server a really generous tip!

23. Collect children’s gently used books, coloring book, crayons, art supplies, learning materials, toys, and anything else to donate to your local Children’s Hospital or the children’s play area of any nearby hospital.

24. Hold a rummage sale or bake sale and donate all proceeds to your favorite charity!  

25.Instead of asking for birthday gifts or money, ask your friends and family to donate to a charity of your choice (or theirs) or donate what money or gifts you do get to a local shelter, hospital, or person in need.

Remember that you don’t need to spend a lot of time of money to make a big difference!  When it comes to purchasing items, whatever it may be, it’s really helpful (and often beneficial to many second-hand stores that are affiliated with an organization that gives back to the community or hospitals) to shop at thrift or second-hand stores, the dollar store, and rummage sales from your neighbors!  Most of these items are as good a new, especially for people and children who don’t have much to begin with.  Anything is appreciated!  Doing a spring cleaning or a winter clean-out of your closet, home, and garage are great ways to find items to donate as well.  You can also get your friends, family members, and co-workers involved and see what they can contribute to the donation process.  Create a tradition or an on-going act.  No matter how you choose to go about it or what random act of kindness that you decide to do, be sure to feel good about doing it.  Help to inspire others, especially your children, to do the same.  Make a game out of it and challenge yourself and those around you to come up with creative ideas.  Choose a month where you do one random act of kindness each day and create a blog or social media post about it and help encourage others to do the same.  You never know whose day you will be making, what kind of impact it will be making, and just how inspired you and others will become to want to do more.  Give it a try and be sure to tell me all about it!