25 Random Acts of Kindness You Can Easily Do for Another

Random acts of kindness day is February 17 this year. It would only be appropriate to look at recent Great American Pure Flix movies and shows that focus on a variety of acts of kindness.

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In “Saved by Grace,” angels Grace and Jeremiah pose as different people in the community, either a homeless person or a townie in need of neighborly help, to see if the citizens of Bentonville will perform acts of kindness in their favor. Their acts of kindness make us think of Hebrews 13:2 (NIV):

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

In "Divine Influencer," Olivia Golden gets a wake up call when her Christian parents cut her off financially. It's the first time she's on her own, and it isn't until she starts working at the local rescue mission that she understands what showing kindness and serving others is all about. Her transformation makes us think of the Bible verse Matthew 5:16 (NIV):

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 

It’s not only another person’s day that we can make a difference when we make acts of kindness, but it’s our own happiness and mood that gets a boost as well. Let’s take a look at some acts of kindness and ways we can pay it forward to our daily lives to help someone else:

1. Give a compliment to someone: Whether in line at your daily coffee shop or in the break room at work, a compliment is a free way to make someone feel good.
2. Share a smile or laugh: When you think of a good joke, or have a happy thought, don’t be afraid to share it with someone. This small gesture can make someone else feel seen during their day.
3. Holding the door open for someone: Sometimes, people just want another person to acknowledge them. This small act of kindness can help brighten someone’s day.
4. Write a thank you note: Who doesn’t love snail mail? Write a thank you note to someone you feel blessed to have in your life, for their love, their care, or their mentorship is a great way to make someone feel special.
5. Clean out your closet and donate your clothes to charity: We all have those clothes that sit in the back of our closet, saying we’ll wear it again one day when we all know that probably won’t be the case.
6. Volunteer your time: We know it’s hard in our busy schedules to find time to volunteer on a regular basis, but make it a goal to find a time that works with your schedule at some regular time interval – whether that be once a quarter or once a month. It’s an act of kindness that helps the very community in which we live. Need some ideas? Check out our Movies That Inspire Giving and Serving Others.
7. Check-in on a friend: There can be times when we fall out of communication with someone who we genuinely care about. Send a text or give a phone call to a friend you haven’t heard from in a while. It might just be the conversation both you and they needed that day!
8. Let someone cut in in traffic: During rush hour, we all know that horrible feeling of just wanting to get to our destination. But so does the car next to us! This act of kindness may just come back to us in a moment we’re running behind too!
9. Pay for the person’s order behind you in the drive-through: Acts of kindness are selfless gestures. Denying yourself a chance to save the money for a coffee at a later date and paying it forward is a simple selfless act of kindness that can go a long way.
10. Plant a tree or a plant: Acts of kindness don’t have to be beneficial for other people, but for the earth too! As the earth is also God’s creation, we can look for acts of kindness that help the environment as well.
11. Don’t gossip for an entire day: Biting back our tongues may be a chore, but our words can be used to either tear down or build up the body of Christ. Make sure your words are only building the Kingdom for an entire day.
12. Buy a snack, water or coffee for the homeless: We all know those areas of town where you’ll find someone in need. Bring them a snack, water or coffee (especially heading into the colder months!) as a genuine act of kindness for their health.
13. Pick up trash: Whether you’re walking your dog, leaving the office for lunch, or picking your kids up from the bus stop, we’re bound to see litter unfortunately somewhere in our daily lives. Acts of kindness like picking up trash help keep our community clean.
14. Say thanks to your mailman or garbage collector: Recognizing someone’s hard work is a simple act of kindness that shows we appreciate their work and effort. 
15. Donate blood: If you’re not afraid of needles and are feeling healthy and well, this is a painless way to help save a life – what a great act of kindness that can be!
16. Write a positive review for a business: How come we usually only think to write a review when we’ve had a negative experience? That great family-owned Italian restaurant or that doctor you always love to go to usually doesn’t get the praise they deserve! Let others know just how much you enjoy their service.
17. Become a mentor: Both young professionals and young children need good role models to look up to. Scout out your local Boys & Girls Club or see if there’s a mentorship program at your workplace to begin helping the next generation.
18. Bake a treat or cook a meal for a neighbor: Know a neighbor who is going through a rough patch or just had a baby? A homemade meal is always appreciated! Neighborly acts of kindness are usually not forgotten when the tables are turned.
19. Offer to watch a friend’s dog or babysit: We all know that set of parents dying for a night out without children, or a friend who’d love an afternoon without needing to tire out an energetic puppy. Acts of kindness like this also give you a chance to see how parent life can be!
20. Buy flowers for a stranger: Flowers can make anyone smile! Buy a bouquet at your grocery store and hand them to someone who looks in need of a smile that day, or leave them on random cars in the parking lot for their owner to find!
21. Snap a photo for a stranger: Whether you have a big tourist attraction in your area, are at a beautiful restaurant or your neighborhood has a magnificent mural, we often see people trying to take a photo themselves in our day to day. Give them a photographic memory they can look back on and take a quick second to snap a photo for them! (Bonus points if you also do the first act of kindness we listed while doing this one!)
22. Do something for a family member without being asked: If you see a family member needs something, don’t hesitate to act! Acts of kindness can be something done for someone without being asked to do it – anticipating their needs shows you’re paying attention and that you care about them.
23. Donate your latte money to a good cause: Acts of kindness sometimes require self-sacrifice. Giving up $5 that would go to your normal daily latte to help the less fortunate won’t break the bank and won’t be too much of a loss of our daily routine.
24. Keep an extra umbrella in your car to lend someone in the event of rain: We’ve all been that one person who gets stuck in the rain without the proper gear. Be that helping hand for someone else in a rather unfortunate situation.
25. Be kind to yourself all day: How many times are we too hard on ourselves for simple things we wouldn’t think twice about if someone else did the same thing? Avoid trash-talking yourself for the entire day and only give yourself grace and compliments. Acts of kindness are also needed for ourselves as well!

That’s our list of acts of kindness to get you started for Random Acts of Kindness Day. These are just a list of suggestions – we encourage you to look for your own ways to incorporate acts of kindness into your daily life.

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