If you want to feel better about yourself and about the world, the Great Kindness Challenge is for you. It started with a mom who wanted to inspire her four and seven year old children to develop empathy. Empathy can be a somewhat ‘abstract’ notion for youngsters, so she came up with a list of 50 easy things to do to make the world a kinder place and engender empathy.
It’s called the Great Kindness Challenge. You’re encouraged to do as many of the acts as you can, in the space of a week.
Enjoy!
Choose as many of these as you like and fly your kindness flag.
- Smile at 25 people
- Take a treat to your local firefighters
- Do a household chore without being asked
- Pick up trash in your neighborhood
- Take a board game to play at a senior center
- Read a book to a younger child
- Say “Thank you” to a police officer
- Entertain someone with a happy dance
- Help an elder cross the street
- Push someone on a swing
- Pick up trash at the water’s edge
- Make a new friend
- Write a thank you note to your mail carrier
- Walk a dog (or cat!)
- Plant a tree
- Say “Hi” to a homeless person
- Learn to say “Thank you” in a new language
- Help clean up a park
- Say “Thank you” to a lifeguard
- Write a love note to your caretaker
- Paint a picture and give it to someone
- Host a lemonade stand and donate proceeds
- Recycle your trash
- Hug your sibling or friend
- Cut out 10 hearts and leave them on 10 cars
- Donate needed school supplies
- Thank a bus driver
- Leave a flower on someone’s doorstep
- Donate something to an animal shelter
- Call your grandma or grandpa
- Walk or bike instead of driving
- Make a thank you card for your librarians
- Thank an elected official for their service
- Say “Good Morning” to 5 people
- Be kind to yourself and eat a healthy snack
- Deliver a special gift to a child in the hospital
- Draw a heart in the sand or dirt
- Send a card or gift to a military family
- Make a wish for a child in another country
- Donate food to a food bank
- Hold the door open for someone
- Write a happy message with sidewalk chalk
- Leave a painted rock on a friend’s doorstep
- Make sack lunches for the homeless
- Compliment 5 people
- Make and display a “Kindness Matters” sign
- Call a radio station and wish them a nice day
- Sweep the sidewalk on your street
- Help plant a garden
- Create your own kind deed
