Random Acts of Holiday Kindness to do with Your Kids (30+ Ideas)

Most of us can agree that we want our kids to be kind, right? We model it & actively parent until (at long last) things like sharing become second nature.

But I want more than that. I want them to seek out ways they can leave someone smiling. So, several years back, we decided to get intentional about random acts of kindness. And the holiday season, with the rushing and pressure and stress so many feel, is a perfect time to practice random acts of kindness.

So, for day 2 of my 12 Days of Homeschool Christmas series, I’m sharing some ideas that are easy to implement and carry out.  {I’m terrible at follow-through, so this was important to me!!} 

To help you plan this month, I have created a FREE PRINTABLE.   The first page is a calendar to plan outwhen you’ll complete your RAOHK. (Don’t forget to plan when you’ll work on the ones that have exra steps.)  The second page is your planning page — anything you may need to buy, where you want to go, anyone, you specifically want to bless. At the end of the month, take a few moments to record the RAOHK you loved so much you want to do again next year.

No/Low-Prep Random Acts of Kindness

• Let someone go in front of you at the checkout line in the store. {Spend the extra few minutes on a checkout magazine…my favorite part of the store!!}
• At the mall, park far away so that other people can have the close spots.  (It’s good exercise too!)
• Did you experience a store employee that was especially pleasant or went a little extra mile for you?  Mention it to the employee and then find a manager.  With the stress of the season on stores, complaints are numerous.  A compliment will go a long way!
  
  

RAOK That are More Involved

• One year, we drove around town and picked a dozen random addresses.  We went home, found names for those addresses on WhitePages and then sent them “Happy Holidays from someone who is thinking of you” postcards.
• Don’t forget the animals!  Extra bags of food, litter, used blankets and towels, etc. are always a hit with local shelters and rescue groups.  Contact them to see what they need the most.  One we donated to in a previous city always needed blankets & towels which we were able to get very inexpensively at thrift shops.
• Head downtown in a big city or wherever homeless congregate in your town.  Hand out bags with a pair of gloves, a scarf or a hat, a bottle of water, a small treat, etc.
• Just before we break for Christmas, I like to take my kids out to a local restaurant for lunch.  We dress up and find someplace that is decorated.  Just before we leave, I send one of the kids to the waitress, cash in hand, to give the (big) tip & say “Happy Holidays.”  The kids get a thrill out of seeing her face leaves a smile on all of our faces and gives the kids .the trhill of making someone’s day.

RAOK When You’re Out & About

• We also keep an eye out for elderly shoppers and offer to help them load their car.
• Take a roll of quarters and a roll of tape & head to Aldi.  Tape a quarter to the top of the quarter box on carts.  My kids look forward to this every year.
• Laundromat expenses add up quickly for those who have to use them.  Leave a bottle of laundry detergent with a “Take me & use me, Merry Christmas” note taped to it.
• Leave candy canes on the windshields of random cars
• During the holidays, anytime we’re at a store, we see how many carts we can return to the corral for other shoppers who are loading their carts.  We make a game out of it and keep a month-long tally.
• Buy dessert for someone eating out alone.
• I keep a stack of small holiday cards in my car, along with a pen.  As I feel led, I sign them and give them to others when we are out.  Sometimes it will be a generic “I hope you have a good holiday.” Other times it’s more specific “Your kids were so kind to me when they held the door open for me.”

RAOK from Home

• I encourage my kids to secretly do siblings’ chores or other nice things for each other.
• Have your kids sort through their books and toys.  Items in good condition, take to a local women & children’s shelter.  (Call first for dropoff directions.) If you don’t have a local shelter, try the children’s wing at the nearest hospital.
• Plan a meal each week that can be easily doubled.  Deliver the second meal to a neighbor, a fellow mom, a shut-in from church, etc.
• Drop by a nursing home, women’s shelter, etc., Christmas cards signed “from Santa” in hand, and ask them to distribute to those who might need an extra pick-me-up.  This would be a great opportunity to buy blank cards and have your kids decorate them.

Be sure to download your free Random Acts of Holiday Kindness calendar!