60 Best Kindness Activities for Kids To Spread Joy in 2024

When you see a child struggling with a specific situation, it indicates a skill they need to learn. Practice with role-play!

2. Celebrate World Kindness Day All Month

World Kindness Day can be celebrated more than on November 13th. Write one small act of kindness to do each day in November.

*Choose small kindness activities that your preschooler can complete in 5 minutes or less.

• Give a hug.
• Smile and say something nice to a sibling or friend.
• Say thank you after a meal.
• Take your teacher a small snack.
• Take your dishes to the sink.
• Make your bed.
• Pick up your toys.
• Wipe the counter.
• Share a story with your pet.
• Hold the door open.
• Help carry in groceries.
• Wave and say “hi” to a neighbor.
• Make a card for a grandparent.
• Play a game with a friend or sibling.

Combine it with daily gratitude activities in the month of November.

3. Kindness Jar

When you catch a child being kind to another, put a marble into the kindness jar. When the jar is full, the students earn a reward.

This reward could be geared toward helping others. For example: singing a song to another class, making a special craft to give away, sharing a special snack, etc…

4. Learn and Sing a Kindness Song

Preschoolers enjoy listening, dancing, and singing along with I Am Kind by Lindsay Munroe.

Lyrics:

I am kind/ I’ll be your friend will you be mine/ I can share a smile/ I am kind

I am brave/ I do it though I feel afraid/ I can do the hard things/ I am brave

I am love/ I wrap my arms around myself/ In a great big hug/ I am love, I am love

I am wise/ Solving problems that arise/ Finding new solutions/ I am wise

I am strong/ I’m OK when things go wrong/ I know I can do it/ I am strong

I am love/ I wrap my arms around myself/ In a great big hug/ I am love, I am love

5. Play a Kindness Game

Kids pick a token out of the bag and decide which friend they can help!

Kindness games are a great way to teach new skills. Use this Friends and Neighbors Helping Cooperative Game to cultivate emotional development, problem-solving, and cooperative learning.

6. Compliment Circle

Have the group sit in a circle and take turns saying something kind about the person to their right. Model this first. Then, practice giving and receiving compliments.

7. Make Cards for Community Helpers

Preschoolers love to learn and discuss community helpers. Make and mail (or hand deliver) cards to police officers, firefighters, nurses, mail delivery drivers, etc…

8. Read a Kindness Book

Reading is a wonderful way to teach children. Find a kindness picture book for your child’s age and interest.

Encourage your child to share thoughts and emotions about the story. Then, brainstorm ways to practice kindness in real life.

Listen to this kindness read aloud!

9. Find Kindness Pictures Activity

Lay out a variety of picture books. Then, have students look through the pictures to find examples of kindness.

Or spread out kid-friendly magazines and let kids cut out ideas.

10. Nature Kindness Activities

Preschool kids love being outdoors. It’s a great opportunity to learn about how to take care of nature.

• Plant flowers or a tree
• Pick up litter
• Discuss how to keep the Earth clean and healthy

Use this nature scavenger hunt for preschool kids to explore their surroundings.

Related: Great Habits For Kids and Kids Chore List

Easy Kindness Crafts and Art Projects (for Preschoolers & Elementary Students)

Use these kindness crafts and art project ideas in the classroom or at home. These kindness activities for kids are fun and creative!

11. Kindness bracelets

Use elastic cord and beads to create bracelets to give away to others.

12. Make a bird feeder

Take a pinecone or toilet paper roll and cover it in peanut butter. Roll it in bird seed, and hang it from a tree branch.

13. Kindness rainbow

Create a rainbow with construction paper or markers. Then, write kindness phrases on each color of the rainbow.

14. Kindness Bookmarks

Print out and color these free printable kindness bookmarks. Give them away to others or stick them in library books for a pleasant surprise!

15. Make and Deliver Cards to a Nursing Home

Students write kind messages to encourage residents in nursing homes. Mail or hand deliver when possible.

In preschool, my son attended a Christmas event at a local nursing home. They made simple Christmas decorations, sang songs, and had fun interacting with the residents.

16. Make Kindness Rocks

Grab a few rocks. Then, use paint markers to decorate and write messages on the rocks. Leave them in spots on the playground, school, or out on a neighborhood trail for others to find.

Give these rocks to loved ones to use as desk paper holders. Or make a classroom rock garden to display all of your kindness.

17. Make A Kindness Tree

Create a simple tree display out of construction paper. Students add leaves to the tree every time they complete an act of kindness.

When using this idea in the fall, colorful leaves make for a neat display.

Kindness Day Activities for Elementary School Students

Next, use kindness activities for kids in the elementary classroom or at home.

18. Read Have you Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud

“All day long, everyone in the whole wide world walks around carrying an invisible bucket. You can’t see it, but it’s there.”

This book has inspired both of my children to become “bucket fillers”.

19. Organize a Food, Clothing, or Toy Drive

Help students organize a donations drive. Support a local charity or families in need near you.

20. Toothpaste Kindness Activity

Give each child a travel-size tube of toothpaste, a paper plate, and a spoon. Let them squeeze their toothpaste onto their plates. Then, have them try to spoon the toothpaste back into the tube.

Unkind words are like toothpaste. Words cannot be put back or unheard after they come out of your mouth. Think before you speak.

21. Kindness Ball Game

Stand in a circle and take turns tossing a ball to one another. With each toss, say something kind about the person catching the ball.

22. Kindness Journal

Have your child keep a kindness journal to reflect on kindness. You can supply your own prompts or use a kindness journal with prompts included.

Or try out this free kindness journal printable for kids!

23. Kindness Cards for Kids

This deck of kindness cards helps kids practice being kind to themselves, others, their communities, and the earth.

24. Write Thank You Notes

Encourage your child to write thank you notes to teachers, friends, and family members. Make it a habit to do this throughout the year, but also as a thank you after a birthday and other holidays.

25. Help At A Local Animal Shelter

If you have a child-loving animal, they can help feed, clean, and play at a local shelter.

26. Help A Younger Sibling With Homework

Kindness with siblings is hard! Promote positivity and cooperation by having your older child help with homework or read to the younger one.

*Model and discuss what this should look like before they begin!

27. Teach T.H.I.N.K.

I used to have this poster hanging in my classroom. It would also work well to hang at home as a reminder for everyone.

Discuss the different questions on the T.H.I.N.K. to make sure your kids have a good understanding of each one.

28. Compliment Cards Box

Have kids leave a compliment in a box. Read these or hand them out to the recipients.

29. Kindness Chain

Give students a chain link and have them write something kind about someone else. Then add each link to a paper chain that can be hung up in the classroom. Keep adding to the chain throughout the month or the entire year.

30. Chalk Kindness

Have kids use sidewalk chalk to share kindness with everyone who passes by. Write simple notes of encouragement, draw sweet pictures, or write out short kindness quotes.

31. Wrinkled Heart Activity

Have you heard of the Wrinkled Heart activity? It’s an anti-bullying and pro-kindness activity.

1. Give a paper heart to every student in the class. Have them crumple up their hearts.
2. Discuss that this is what happens when someone says something unkind.
3. Then, have students try to straighten and smooth out their hearts.
4. They will see that they can’t make the heart completely smooth again. This is what happens when they say or do unkind things. They can smooth it out some, but the wrinkles will stay.

32. Classroom High Fives

Designate a student to stand outside the classroom door and give out high fives as students enter. Rotate so all students get the opportunity to have this kindness role!

33. Buddy Bench

At our school, the kids invested school funds into a buddy bench. They painted a basic bench with bright colors. Now, anyone needing a recess friend can sit here to signal their need for kindness.

34. Kindness Worksheet

Use a printable kindness worksheet to reflect on and further discuss kindness.

35. Make a Kindness Wall or Board

Use a whiteboard, bulletin board, or sticky notes to post messages of kindness for everyone to read.

If doing this at home, make it extra fun by using a mirror and a dry-erase marker.

Related:

• Breathing Activities for Kids
• Daily Gratitude Kids Journal Prompts

Kindness Activities for Middle School

Many of the kindness kids activities above work for middle school students. But here are additional ideas geared for this age group too.

36. Volunteer

What matters most to your teenager? Who or what would they be most interested in helping?

Once they’ve decided, research where you can volunteer together.

37. Spider Web

1. Start with a ball of yarn and students stand in a circle.
2. The first student will hold on to the end of the yarn and toss the ball of yarn to another student in the circle (not directly beside them).
3. They say something kind about that person.

Then, that student holds onto the string and passes the ball of yarn to another student while saying something kind. Play continues until there is a spider web of yarn. No one can let go of their piece or the web will be destroyed.

Check out team building activities for kids & teens.

38. Plan A Community Service Project

• Clean up a neighborhood area or park.
• Host a carnival to fundraise for a charity.
• Plan a charity run.
• Organize and gather donation items.
• Plan a school service project.
• Host a food or clothing drive.

39. Kindness Cups

*Great for the winter

Have students write or draw positive messages and pictures on white paper cups. Then, serve hot cocoa in them. (Or coffee for the teachers.)

40. Bathroom Kindness Posters

Have students design messages of encouragement and put them inside the bathroom stalls and above sinks.

41. Kindness Bingo

Have students create a kindness bingo board with small acts of kindness ideas. Then, challenge others to participate and fill up the boards!

42. Kindness Quote Wall

Fill up a wall with sticky notes of different kindness quotes. Encourage students to take a quote anytime they need one.

Keep refilling the board with quotes as needed.

Related: Gratitude Quotes and Best Thought of the Day Quotes

43. Library Book Notes

Pass out pieces of paper and have students write positive messages on them. Take them to the library and slip them into random books.

44. Social Media Kindness Challenge

Encourage teens to boost their friends’ morale by posting genuine compliments on social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok.

45. Mentoring

Encourage middle school students and teenagers to become mentors for younger children. This can be done through tutoring, coaching, or hanging out with a child.

46. Games To Teach Kindness Challenge

This unique initiative encourages teenagers to develop video games that promote kindness and empathy, while also teaching programming skills.

47. Kindness Awareness Campaign

Give teens an opportunity to create awareness campaigns that promote kindness and empathy. This could include anti-bullying initiatives or mental health campaigns.

48. Channel Kindness

Channel Kindness is a digital platform that allows young people to share inspiring stories of kindness and empathy. It further promotes a culture of compassion and understanding.

49. Start A Kindness Club

First, find a staff member willing to be the club sponsor. Then, determine regular meeting times and locations. After, establish club responsibilities and goals.

This could include initiating school-wide kindness challenges and projects.

Related:

• Trivia for Teens
• Debate Topics for Kids & Teens

Kindness Challenge Ideas

Kindness counts! Try out these kindness challenge ideas with your family, students, or friends.

50. 30-day Kindness Challenge

This is the perfect family activity to get everyone involved. PLUS, parents can model kindness for their kids. (Making them much more likely to do it!)

Come up with one kindness activity your family can complete each day for 30 days. Here are starter ideas!

• give a compliment
• leave a treat for the delivery worker
• buy for the car behind you in the drive-thru
• send a thank-you note
• smile!
• leave change in the vending machine
• let someone go before you in line
• donate money, time, or items to a charity
• bring your teacher a small thank-you gift
• help an elderly neighbor
• make a meal for a family
• have a free lemonade or hot chocolate stand
• leave out dog treats for passing dogs
• do the dishes after dinner (without being asked)
• complete an extra chorse to help your parents

Related: 30-day gratitude challenge

51. Text Kindness Challenge

Challenge your family to text a kind thought or compliment to one new person each day for 30 days.

52. Declutter and Donate Challenge

Spend time decluttering your living space. Then, donate your gently used items.

53. Family Dinner Challenge

Use family dinner each night to give a compliment to another person. This will set the tone for a peaceful and kind dinner.

Also, check out these easy family dinner activities to make dinner more fun.

54. Family Chore Challenge

Promote kindness while helping one another. Make family chores a competition! See how much you can get done within a certain time by helping one another.

See more fun Family Challenges to promote connection and kindness.

55. The Great Kindness Challenge: Family Edition

The goal of this free family challenge is to get kids and adults to perform as many good deeds as they can in one day. Is your family up to the challenge?

More Activities for Kids to Spread Kindness

Use these great kindness activities for kids to help others!

56. Random Acts of Kindness Ideas for Families

My family enjoys doing random acts of kindness during the holiday season. We aim to reach outside of our family during this challenge.

Here are things we have done in the past:

• leave candy canes on car windshields
• leave a small gift for the mail person
• bake, decorate, and pass out cookies to neighbors
• invite a friend to a holiday event
• bring coffee/hot chocolate to someone special
• give a fresh wreath or poinsettia plant to a grandparent
• tip generously when eating out

This idea works anytime throughout the year. We usually come up with a list and try to stick with it until it’s completed.

57. Random Acts of Kindness for School Students

Random acts of kindness ideas for school include:

58. Support Local Businesses

Spread the joy of art by supporting local artists. Shop at small businesses and farmers’ markets. Teach your kids the importance of supporting their community when possible.

59. Kindness Affirmations

Repeating affirmations aloud can help kids build a positive self-identity and use more positive thoughts throughout life. Use kindness affirmations to help your kids be kind!

School psychologist, Dr. Jamie Donnelly, recommends starting the day by writing a positive affirmation on a sticky note and putting it on the wall. When someone is having a bad day, they can take one of the short affirmations off the wall.

• I am a kind kid.
• I include others because I am kind.
• I treat others how I want to be treated.
• It feels good to do kind things for others.
• I am happy when I am kind.

See more positive affirmations for kids and teens. >>

60. Growth Mindset Activities

Being kind can be hard. Failure is going to happen. Remind your kids of this and practice having a growth mindset. Use mistakes as an opportunity to learn and move forward.

• Read growth mindset books with your kids
• Use a fun growth mindset activity
• Read positive growth mindset quotes

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Positive Impacts of Kindness Activities for Kids

Kids kindness activities develop empathy, compassion, and understanding. This leads to:

• Closer relationships: Kids build interpersonal skills. This helps form healthy relationships with peers.

• Academic success: A positive, kind learning environment leads to better academic performance.

• Increased emotional intelligence: Kids regulate their emotions better because they understand how others feel.

• Community awareness: Kids and teens learn to be more considerate and civic-minded.

• Increased overall well-being: Acts of kindness lead to higher self-esteem and happiness.

What’s Next?

Remember to model and practice kindness in front of your kids. You are their best example. And they will emulate your actions. Use this list of kindness activities for kids to help!

Next, try these Icebreaker Games for Kids to connect and build confidence.

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• Meditation Books for Mindfulness for Kids

World Kindness Day Activities & Project Ideas For Kids