Random acts of kindness for kids

Have you heard about the Great Kindness Challenge for Kids?

What a simple, yet powerful event that the Kids for Peace organization has invited us all to participate in. Their goal is to encourage over one million children worldwide to participate. Like us, they know that starting these random acts of kindness young, can lead to a lifelong commitment to community service.

So, on Saturday August 8, children in communities around the world will be reaching out to others to accomplish one simple act of kindness. Kids for Peach has even put together a list of 50 acts of kindness to help you and your children get started. And there’s something for even the youngest ones like smiling at a stranger or giving a sibling a hug.

Here’s some other blog posts that might give you a few more ideas:

Finding Time to Help Others

It’s the Little Things. And They’re Easier Than we Think.

Building a Hunger Garden

Change Can Start with a Smile and a Hello

Life Without Shoes

Helping with Nuts and Berries

Good Lessons in Sharing (and reusing)

We sat down to look through the list of ideas today. Even though Patrick got really excited about the idea of doing ALL 50 ideas, the ones I know we can do this weekend are:

• Cut out 10 hearts and leave them on 10 cars

• Say “hi” to a homeless person

• Feed the birds

• Call our grandparents

• Read a book to a younger child (although he already reads daily to Marcelena)

• Donate food to our food bank

• Smile at 25 people (and trust me, he’ll count them!)

• Hold the door open for someone

Hopefully we’ll be able to incorporate a few more into our day. It made Patrick feel good to see that he already does many kinds things just in a normal day. For him, it really helps his self-esteem to know that he's helping someone, even if it just means putting a smile on their face. I'll admit that we go out of our way to help others because it helps him too. How can you go wrong with that?

So, which ones can you fit into your schedule this Saturday?