Often we focus on having fun over the summer and making it a great time for us and the kids. I want to make this summer great for everyone and encourage the kids to do random acts of kindness through the summer, like we did at Christmas.

We are big fans of bored jars and summer activity lists, they are great for keeping kids occupied during the summer and also help them make choices other than going on electronics with their time. Plus they help me, but reminding me of things that we can do as a family. So I thought I would take it a step further this year and create a kindness jar.

Our kindness mission statement:

Spread the word – encourage other people to join in and become happiness heroes

Have fun and enjoy making other people happy

To be kinder than you need to be

This summer we are going to encompass random acts of kindness into our routine. I have gathered up a list of acts of kindness for kids and families and the fab Purple Pumpkin Blog has helped me pull together a fab free printable of them all in Lollipop (popsicle) shapes! We love Anna from The Imagination Trees Kindness Elves and this would be a great list to use for

110 Summer acts of kindness for kids:

Donate clothes to charity (leaving a happy note in the pocket)
Donate to the local food bank
Leave change in the vending machine
Sort through your toys and donate any that you no longer play with to charity or your local church
Leave chalk messages around where you live
Sharpen all the pencils in the classroom at breaktime
Write a letter to your sibling telling them why you love them
Leave a beautiful homemade bookmark in your library book and give one to the Librarian
Leave the pound in the shopping trolley next time you go to the supermarket
Deliver cookies to your neighbours
Tidy your bedroom without being asked
Sit next to someone you normally don’t at the lunch table
Make a bird feeder
Send a care package to someone in the military
Find three of your toys to give to the local children’s hospital
Pass on some of your books to friends
Give a lottery ticket to a stranger
Donate books to your school library
Leave out water for the birds
Write thank you cards for your teacher, coach, Cubs leader or people that have influenced you in a positive way
Clean up the area where you live by picking up litter. Make sure you wear gloves and do it with an adult.
Help round the house without being asked to
Donate pet food to a local shelter
Put together a shoebox for your local church
Write a thank you note for the bin collectors and post person
Wash your parents car
Give a homeless person a blanket
Take everyone in your class a cookie
Offer to help an elderly friend or neighbour
Make a thank you card for the school crossing staff
Offer to pack the shopping bags of the person in front of you and behind you at the supermarket
Invite a new friend for a play date or out to play
Walk someone else’s dog
Give out a complement
Give out free hugs today
Hold the door open for people all day
Smile all day
Let someone go in front of you in a queue
Introduce yourself to someone new at school and chat with them
Ring an elderly relative and have a nice chat to them
Dontae this weeks pocket money to charity
Do a chore for someone without them knowing
Tell a joke
Leave happy notes around town
Put a small bin in your car to collect recycling
Call your grandparents and ask them about their childhood
Bake dessert for a neighbor
Check in on an elderly neighbor
Set the table for dinner
Leave bubbles on someone’s doorstep
Tell someone why they are special to you
Buy a coffee for a stranger
Pass out stickers to kids waiting in line
Garden for a neighbor
Bring flowers to your teacher
Tape change to a parking meter
Call a friend you haven’t seen in a while to say hello
Tape money for the ice cream van to a friend’s front door
Read a book to someone
Leave heads up pennies on the sidewalk
Donate a book to a doctor’s office waiting room
Tell someone how much you love them
Say hello to everyone you see
Make someone else’s bed
Wave at kids on buses
Invite someone to play on the playground
Tell the principal how great your teacher is
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth
Make a busy bag for a family with young children
Help make dinner
Donate new pajamas for poorly children in hospital
Make a get well card for someone
Bring your neighbors’ wheelie bins or garbage cans up for them
Take care of someone’s pet while they’re away
Share a special toy with a friend
Tape a video message for faraway friends
Leave kindness stones at the park
Buy extra school supplies for a teacher
Teach someone something new
Reuse paper when you are drawing
Give someone a hug coupon
Volunteer at a soup kitchen
Collect money or items for your favorite charity
Donate coloring books and crayons to the children’s hospital
Write a poem for a friend
Ask for donations instead of birthday gifts
Adopt an animal online
Make a homemade gift for someone
Clean up your toys without being asked
Dry the slides at the park with a towel after it rains
Make play dough for a friend
Send a postcard to a friend
Volunteer to help coach younger kids at sports
Empty all the bins at home
Empty the dishwasher without being asked
Handout ice pops/popsicles to friends
Water a neighbours garden if they are away
Write a letter to your mum and dad saying why you think they are special
Try saying yes for the day
Offer your seat
Help your coach with any sports equipment
Visit a sick friend or relative
Buy a cool drink for someone
Don’t interrupt when someone else is speaking
Help someone cross the road
Bring your parents breakfast in bed
Make some kindness hearts
Sort the recycling
Every night before you go to bed, think of three things you’re grateful for
Don’t shout today

We want you to get involved and if you do an act of kindness over the summer then share the image with us either on facebook, twitter, or instagram and use the hashtag #KidsKindness, so we can share it with our followers.