This is a sponsored post brought to you by Montessori Unlimited. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Happy Healthy Mama possible. 
It’s the season of kindness and what better time to teach our children about the importance of kindness and compassion than now? One of the best ways to teach our kids about kindness is to demonstrate it. You can talk about it all day, but if your kids are anything like mine, words seem to fly in one ear and out the other. What makes a real difference? Action.
Talk to your kids about the importance of spreading kindness and then back it up by showing them random acts of kindness in action. There are simple things you can do that can make a big impact in other people’s lives. You never know what a simple smile can do to another person’s day. Here are 25 ideas for spreading kindness this holiday season. Some are simple and free. Other take more planning, time, or money. All of them are ways that will make our world a brighter place.
I am planning on printing out this list and highlighting the ones I can accomplish between now and Christmas. Maybe you and your family can do the same? Let’s spread some kindness this holiday season!
25 Ways to Spread Kindness this Holiday Season
1. Leave a one or five dollar bill, with a note, tucked in the pages of a library book for a stranger to find.
2. Ask the director of a nursing home about a resident who does not get frequent visitors. Send or deliver that person flowers with a kind note.
3. Pay for something for a stranger. It could be as small as a cup of coffee, or as generous as a cartful of groceries.
4. Offer to babysit a busy mom’s kids so she can run errands alone.
5. Deliver homemade baked goods to your neighbor(s).
6. Write a handwritten note to a relative or friend you haven’t been in touch with lately to let him/her know you’re thinking of him/her.
7. Write a thank you note to someone who has made a positive impact in your life. It could be your 7th grade English teacher, an old neighbor, or a coach who helped you. Let them know you remember and appreciate their kindness.
8. Make it a point to not complain about something that normally bugs you.
9. Pay someone a genuine compliment everyday.
10. Bring your neighbors’ trash cans from the end of their driveway up to their garage. Our old neighbor did this for us all the time and we thought it was the sweetest thing.
11. Without being asked, do a chore that your spouse/significant other/child/parent is normally expected to do and does not like doing.
12. Clean up the trash in a public place.
13. Leave an inspiring quote on a sticky note and place it on a mirror in a public bathroom.
14. If you have an elderly neighbor or friend, offer to help with yard work like leaf raking or shoveling snow.
15. Offer to return the shopping cart of someone in the grocery store parking lot.
16. Give someone who is down a hug. Never underestimate the power of human touch.
17. Hold a door for someone. This used to be basic manners, but is often forgotten.
18. Drop off dinner to an elderly person who can’t get out much, a new mom, or someone going through a tough time.
19. Give someone a public compliment.
20. Offer to run an errand for a busy friend.
21. Smile and say a strong, “Hello!” to a stranger.
22. Buy a book that you think a friend will like and give it to her.
23. If you’ve not met your neighbors, knock on their door and introduce yourself. Let them know you are there if they need anything.
24. Sit next to someone who is sitting alone at a meeting, kids function, work event, etc.
25. Buy 5 lottery tickets at the gas station and pass them out to the first 5 people you see as you are walking out, wishing them luck.
Montessori Unlimited understands the importance of teaching children about kindness. They have created a campaign to help their students learn about spreading kindness called Kind Kids Warm Wishes. The goal is to teach their children about warmth and love by engaging with the community through selfless acts of giving and sharing.
You can get invovled, too! They are trying to cover the world in a “blanket of hugs” through their “I’ve Been Hugged” initiative. Have you heard of the “I’ve Been Boo’ed” that happens in many neighborhoods around Halloween time? This is similar. Instead of getting “Boo’ed”, you get “Hugged.” There is a sweet poem about spreading kindness and directions for spreading the Hugs.
Want to get it started in your neighborhood? This is an easy and fun way to get kids involved in spreading kindness. You can find the “I’ve Been Hugged” poem and directions here and I’ve Been Hugged Window Sign here.
However you choose to do it, I hope you’ll decide to spread a little extra kindness this holiday season. Share your ideas for spreading kindness in the comments!
This is a sponsored post brought to you by Montessori Unlimited. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Happy Healthy Mama possible.
Great article!
Look into your community and see where you and your family can give, even giving your time can be of value to someone; helping get groceries for an elderly person, walking the dog for someone who is sick, helping with a fundraiser. There are many opportunities within a community to show kindness. You just have to do a little research and find something suitable for you and your family. For example, each year I take my daycare children to the local food bank. Before we head out, we have a discussion about those in need or less fortunate than ourselves. I want them to realize not everyone, even in their own community, has food on the table every night. Expressing to them the importance of sharing what we have certainly evoked kindness.
Wonderful thoughts, Marko, thanks for sharing.
Aw, what a nice post!! I’m going to to implement a few of these this week! We’d all be a little better off if we focused on kindness daily 🙂
This is wonderful, Maryea! I know that you meant for all of these to be selfless actions — but I find that when I have the winter blues really really bad, doing something nice for someone else makes me feel immensely better. Thanks for all the great ideas. Pinning.
I agree! I often think of this blog this way. I blog because I want to help people but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that helping people in turn builds me up and makes me feel good. So it’s a little selfish, too. 😉
I love this! It’s such a good reminder too that the holidays are more than food and gifts.
Thanks, Megan! So true. That’s exactly what I want to teach my kids.
Some of these a really good. I like to notice when people have only a couple items at the grocery store/Costco/etc and offer to let them go before me.
Yes that’s a great one, too! I am always so grateful when other people do that for me.