100 Random Acts of Kindness Ideas

Small gestures can really brighten a person's day. These "random acts of kindness" even have a whole week devoted to the concept in mid-February. Browse this list for 100 surefire ways to spread smiles and kindness wherever you go.

For Strangers

1. Give an unexpected compliment.
2. Plant a tree.
3. Let someone cut in front of you in line.
4. Pay the toll for the car behind you.
5. Slow down so someone can merge in front of you in traffic.
6. Let someone else take that primo parking spot.
7. Give someone your seat on a crowded bus or subway.
8. Put coins in an expired parking meter.
9. Give up your seat on a plane so other travelers can sit together.
10. Buy a warm meal for someone in need.
11. Help someone struggling to carry their grocery bags.
12. Stop to assist someone who looks lost.
13. Say something encouraging to a parent who's struggling with rambunctious kids in a restaurant or grocery store.
14. Offer to return a stranger's grocery cart to the front of the store.
15. Keep plastic bags filled with snacks and sample-size toiletries in your car to give to the homeless. Genius Tip: Organize homeless shelter volunteers with an online sign up.
16. Donate flowers to a nursing home.
17. Hand out disposable water bottles to people working outside on a hot day.
18. Buy a gift card to hand to someone on your way out of the coffee shop.
19. Leave a great coupon next to that item in the grocery store.
20. Pick up a piece of litter on the street and throw it out.
21. Pass along a compliment to a service worker's boss.
22. Take the time to write a great online review for a restaurant you love.
23. Pay for the meal of the people at the next table. (Leave before they realize what you've done.)
24. Leave a positive comment on a news article or blog post.
25. Learn CPR.
26. Give an extra tip and write an encouraging note along with it.
27. Keep an extra umbrella in your car to give to someone stuck in the rain.
28. Buy lemonade from a child's lemonade stand.
29. Visit a nursing home — read books to or play board games with residents.
30. Send a care package to a service member.
31. Bring treats to your local fire station.
32. Write a thank you note to your mail carrier.
33. Talk to a stranger at a party who looks like they don't know anyone.
34. Smile at someone who looks sad.

Organize an Acts of Kindness Week for your club. SAMPLE

For Nonprofits

35. Participate in a charity walk or run.
36. Give blood. Genius Tip: Organize a blood drive with a sign up.
37. Donate your old cell phone or other electronics to charity.
38. Sign up for a bone marrow registry.
39. Become an organ donor.
40. Donate gently used clothes to a charitable thrift shop.
41. Give old blankets, sheets and towels to an animal shelter.
42. Donate your unused frequent flyer miles to a charity partner of your airline.
43. Sign up for a shift at your local soup kitchen.
44. Play with animals at a local shelter. Genius Tip: See how this Virginia animal shelter organizes volunteers with SignUpGenius.
45. Donate your old glasses.
46. Contribute used books to the library or school media center.
47. Organize a donation drive for coloring books, toys and art supplies for a hospital pediatric ward.

For Co-Workers

48. Donate a vacation or sick day to a colleague who's struggling with an illness or caring for a sick loved one.
49. Tell your boss one thing you love about him/her.
50. Bring in a favorite treat and leave it in the break room. (It's extra fun if you do it anonymously.)
51. Compliment a colleague to your boss.
52. Deliver coffee to an office assistant.
53. Post sticky notes with uplifting messages on the bathroom mirrors. Genius Tip: Try out these 20 tips to create a positive corporate culture at your office.
54. Stay late for a co-worker who needs to get home.
55. Invite a co-worker who is alone over the holidays to your home to celebrate.
56. Share your knowledge freely.
57. Mentor someone.
58. Write a thank you note to someone who has helped your career.
59. Make friends with someone new to the company.
60. Add a positive comment to the conversation if office chatter becomes negative.
61. Tell a joke to lighten the mood when a co-worker is handling a tough assignment.

Plan a packing party to send care packages to troops overseas. SAMPLE

For Neighbors

62. Introduce yourself, even if — especially if — you've lived near each other for a while but haven't met.
63. Compliment a neighbor on a feature of their home.
64. Scrape the ice off a neighbor's windshield after you've finished doing yours.
65. Mow their lawn, rake their leaves or sweep their sidewalk as a surprise.
66. Make a double batch of the cookies you're baking and bring some next door.
67. Plan a neighborhood block party so everyone can get to know each other better. Genius Tip: Organize food for a block party with an online sign up.
68. Walk your neighbor's dog when he has to stay late at the office.
69. Offer to babysit a neighbor's child for free.
70. Build a "little free library" box in your yard. Put books in it for your neighbors to borrow, and invite them to donate their books.
71. Make dinner for a neighbor who has just had a baby or surgery. Genius Tip: Create a sign up to organize a group of people to make several dinners for your neighbor. 

Organize a volunteer schedule to help others. SAMPLE

For Teachers

72. Write a thank you note to a teacher who made a difference in your life.
73. Tell the principal how much you love your child's teacher.
74. Offer to read to your child's class during story time. Genius Tip: Organize story time volunteers with an online sign up.
75. Offer to make copies or do other chores for your child's teacher.
76. Create a new bulletin board for a teacher. Genius Tip: Check out these 100 bulletin board ideas.
77. Send in glue sticks, pencils, sticky notes and paper towels for your child's classroom in the middle of the school year as supplies dwindle.
78. Plan a surprise gift or lunch for a teacher during Teacher Appreciation Week. Genius Tip: Organize an entire week of activities on a Teacher Appreciation sign up.
79. Raise money for a project on your teacher's classroom wish list.
80. Send in hand sanitizer and tissues during flu season. Genius Tip: Try out these 20 tips to stay healthy during flu season.
81. Send in tissues for spring allergy season.

For Friends and Loved Ones

82. Be on time. Genius Tip: Use SignUpGenius' Calendar Sync to automatically add your commitments to your digital calendar.
83. Call your mom or dad just to say I love you.
84. Research your family tree and share what you learned with other family members.
85. Tell a friend what you love about their children.
86. Attend an event, such as a dance recital or sporting event, of a friend's child.
87. Send a message to a friend, letting them know you appreciate them.
88. Reconnect with an old friend you've lost touch with over the years. Share a memory you carry with you.
89. Forgive someone who has wronged you.
90. Make amends with someone you have wronged.
91. Do chores for a family member who could use some extra free time.
92. Let your spouse sleep in when it's his/her turn to get up early with the kids.
93. Donate to a friend's favorite charity in their name.
94. Give a friend a book you think they would like.
95. Send a print of a photo you took of a friend or their child.
96. Write a letter of encouragement to a child you know is having a hard time.
97. Send a friend a helpful or inspiring article that made you think of them.
98. Figure out a friend or family member's half birthday (six months from their full birthday) and surprise them with a little treat on that day.
99. Write a sweet, encouraging note and put it in your child's lunch box or under their pillow.
100. Don't forget yourself! Schedule a pedicure or massage, spend a few hours reading a great book or make time for another activity you love. Being kind to yourself will give you the energy and strength to be kind to others!

Kindness is a gift that keeps on giving. Sprinkle a few of these ideas into your weekly routine, and you'll be spreading positive energy with a chain of love. 

Jen Pilla Taylor is a former journalist and mother of two school-age children. 

SaveSave