Summertime is a wonderful time of year to have your family focus on kindness. Many families already have a summer activity bucket list or a premade, ready-to-go list of activities to do when kids complained of boredom, so we encourage you to add another checklist to your summer – a kindness checklist.
Here are our summer kindness checklists so get started! We’ve divided them out by age group – preschool, kids, teens, and adults – so the entire family can participate. Be intentional and plan your random acts of kindness this summer!
Preschooler's List of Nice Things to Do
- Say something nice to someone.
- Hold the door for someone.
- Make a new friend.
- Say you’re sorry.
- Donate clothes, toys, or books.
- Give a flower to someone.
- Paint a rock with a kind message.
- Share with someone.
- Let someone else go first.
- Write a thank-you note.
- Give someone a hug.
- Make a get well card for someone.
- Fill neighborhood sidewalks with chalk messages.
- Feed the birds.
- Smile!
Summer Kind Acts for Kids
- Hold the door for someone.
- Make someone else’s bed.
- Help make dinner.
- Donate clothes, toys, or books.
- Clean your room (without being asked).
- Paint a rock with a kind message.
- Fill neighborhood sidewalks with encouraging chalk messages.
- Return someone’s cart at the store.
- Say thank you to someone that helps you.
- Call a relative you haven’t spoken to lately.
- Introduce yourself to someone new.
- Clean up a mess that isn’t yours.
- Send a video message to a friend.
- Give a compliment.
- Smile!
Summer Kindness for Teens
- Walk a neighbor’s dog.
- Cook dinner for your family.
- Collect litter – be sure to wear gloves.
- Clean your room (without being asked).
- Create thank you care packages for community helpers.
- Return someone’s cart at the store.
- Call a relative you haven’t spoken to lately.
- Introduce yourself to someone new.
- Offer to help an elderly neighbor with yard work.
- Donate clothes or books.
- Leave positive notes on friends’ cards.
- Ask someone about their day.
- Give a compliment.
- Visit a nursing home.
- Smile!
Acts of Kindness for Adults
- Plant a tree.
- Collect litter – be sure to wear gloves.
- Create thank you care packages for community helpers.
- Pay for ice cream for the family behind you.
- Call a relative you haven’t spoken to lately.
- Introduce yourself to someone new.
- Offer to help an elderly neighbor with yard work.
- Donate clothes or books.
- Hang bird feeders. Try making your own!
- Take food to someone who is going through a hard time.
- Ask someone about their day.
- Give a compliment.
- Visit a nursing home.
- Donate to a charity.
- Smile!
Reflection Questions for Families:
If you are keeping kindness in your summer, be sure to talk about and celebrate your good deeds. Here are some family questions to ask around the dinner table:
1. How do you think you made someone feel when you did the kind act?
2. How did it make you feel?
3. Does anyone else come to mind to which we should practice this act of kindness?
4. What other acts of kindness come to mind that we could do?
Acts of kindness are sure to make your summer even more special. Watch to see how much joy your family brings to others. We’re betting you experience even more joy through spreading kindness. Thanks for helping to Inspire Kindness!