In honor of World Kindness Day on November 13th, we are sharing several ideas that you can safely try with your family – many can be done from home or within your neighborhood!

1. It’s important to have compassion for yourself, too! Make time for one act of self-care each day, like going on a walk or eating a healthy, homemade meal.
2. Help a loved one with something they’ve been struggling to complete, like homework or a big work project.
3. Give a hug to someone in your immediate family or in your household.
4. Write a note to someone you care about containing the top 10 reasons you love them.
5. Check-in with a friend or family member you haven’t heard from in a while to make sure they’re doing well.
6. Write an encouraging note with sidewalk chalk outside to brighten the day of people who see it.
7. Compliment a loved one in the morning to make their day bright as it starts.
8. Smile or give a friendly nod at a stranger you see while on a walk or doing errands.
9. Send a card in the mail to someone you miss.
10. Leave a note in your mailbox to thank your mail carrier for their hard work.
11. Thank your child’s teacher for their advice and support.
12. Call a loved one for no reason in particular—just to say hi.
13. Tell a joke to someone and make them laugh.
14. Hold the door open for someone while running errands.
15. Mow the lawn, rake leaves, or shovel snow for a neighbor.
16. Leave some treats or a small gift on a neighbor’s doorstep.
17. If you have old clothes or toys you can do without, donate them to charity.
18. Gather up any recyclable items like plastic or paper you have sitting around and take them to a recycling plant to treat the earth kindly.
19. Make a simple bird feeder and hang it outdoors for local wildlife to enjoy.
20. If you can afford it and are comfortable doing so, pay for someone’s order at a drive through or grocery store.
21. If you’re in line at the grocery store and have some extra time, let someone else go in front of you.
22. Ask a loved one how their day went, and if they’re struggling, find ways to help.
23. Place sticky notes with encouraging words in places for strangers or loved ones to find them.
24. While making dinner, double your recipe (if you can) and send a meal to someone in need.
25. Forgive someone who you’ve been struggling with for a while—if not to be kind to them, then to be kind to yourself.
26. Send a care package to someone you miss.
27. Send someone flowers from a store or (even better) freshly picked from your backyard.
28. Donate any extra canned food to a food bank.
29. If you have a favorite restaurant or small business, leave a positive review online to help them during the quarantine.
30. Take your pet (or your neighbor’s pet) for a walk around their favorite park.
31. Pick up trash around your neighborhood or a nearby park.
32. Leave some spare change in a vending machine with a note so the next person who uses it can get a treat on the house.
33. Donate, volunteer, or raise awareness for a charity that helps a cause you’re passionate about.
34. Buy some pre-wrapped treats and deliver them to local healthcare workers (Note: call ahead first to make sure this is allowed).

For more information on helping your child develop kindness visit: https://email.nationalgeographic.com/H/2/v60000017b6f258ff2c16c0e6e966a3578/bd571973-56ad-49b6-81a6-557663a2f97e/HTML