Want to Do Something Kind, but Just Can't Think of What to Do

Experiments in Anonymous Kindness

Starting in September of 2003, small cards like this one began appearing all around the world. They are markers of a newfangled game of tag, where "you're it" because someone has done something nice for you. Then it’s your turn to do something nice for someone else and, in the process, pass the card along.

This is a game of pay-it-forward: anonymously make someone smile, leave behind a card telling them to keep the ripple going. It's easy and fun. You're the scientist and the world is your laboratory. Is kindness truly contagious? There's only one way to find out ...

Want to do something kind, but just can't think of what to do? You're in luck! We lots of ideas listed below -- ideas that take just little effort, ideas that cost little money, and other ideas for elaborate smile tags.

Ideas that need little effort and a big heart:

Have a kind word and gentle touch for those who you have contact with.
Compliment a stranger sincerely.
Smile and laugh more often.
Return shopping carts to the store.
Write a thank you note to someone.
Paint flowers on the envelopes you mail.
Give a lottery ticket to a stranger.
Include a note or joke in your child's backpack.
Shovel your neighbor's sidewalk or mow their lawn.
Hug your dog, stroke your cat and feed your fish.
Send handmade cards or a letter to someone you care for.
Write something nice about the waiter or waitress on the back of your bill.
Hold the door of the train or bus for someone rushing to catch it.
Give your parking spot to someone weekends when you aren't using it.
Help someone start their car when it has stalled.
Recommend someone whom you may perceive as a competitor.
Write a note of appreciation to your mailman or milkman.
Put little notes in someone's dresser drawers that will brighten up their day
Help someone find something they have lost.
Give up your place in line at the grocery store to the person with just one item.
Donate one hour of your time if you offer a service for a living, or one product, or one seminar, or one class, or just one of whatever it is that you do as a gift to someone else.
Invite someone who is alone over for Easter or Thanksgiving or just Sunday dinner.
Pass on information you receive in the mail for things or events that you think another person might be able to use, instead of throwing them away.
Share a comic strip or something funny with someone else.
Put a chocolate under someone's pillow.
When visiting in a hospital, spend a few minutes with someone who has no visitors.
Write someone who has just received sad news, a note of encouragement.
Adopt a senior citizen or grandparent.
Visit hospitals with smiles, treats and friendly conversation for patients.
Put a quarter in a parking meter that has expired.
Bring your pet to a nursing home for a visit.
Ask your local police department give out "kindness citations" instead of parking tickets.
Leave a muffin or handmade note of thanks for your garbage collection person or newspaper delivery person.
Help people load their groceries into their cars or, if it's raining, hold their umbrella.
Participate in the Kindness Ribbon program.
Tell your boss that he or she does a great job.
Plant some wildflowers along the roadside.
Pick up trash or pull some weeds in your neighborhood.
Tell your wife or husband, mom or dad, how much you appreciate their driving.
Give another driver your parking spot.
Hold a random acts of kindness party, where everyone shares stories.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about random kindness and your own experiences.
Give family and friends "kindness coupons" they can cash-in for special favors.
Write a thank-you note to a person from your past who has made a difference in your life.
Visit a retirement or nursing home and spend the afternoon talking with the residents.
Thank your boss or co-worker for all the wonderful things they do for you
Drop off a plant, flowers or apple pie at the police department or your neighbors house.
Offer to help your neighbor do some yard work.
Give out random acts of kindness buttons, ribbons and books.
Take a minute to think about what random kindness means.
Write notes or bring flowers or goodies to your teachers and to remember the people who don't normally receive any recognition, like the cleaning people in your residence hall or the secretary in your department.
Send someone an animated greeting card on the internet.
Leave a muffin or a handmade note of thanks for your mail delivery person.
Clean graffiti off of neighborhood walls and buildings.
Tell your boss or favorite prof that you think he or she does a great job.
Join a service club.
Have everyone in your club draw a Random Acts of Kindness buddy out of a hat and do a kind thing for him or her that week.
Offer a ride (to people you know) when you see them walking alone through a bad neighborhood.
Spend time with the person on your floor that no one knows very well.
Remind a friend or family member that he or she is very important in your life.
Write a note to the boss of someone who has helped you, praising the employee.
Give another driver your parking spot.
Make your roommate laugh when she or he is stressed out.
Visit a retirement or nursing home and spend the afternoon talking and visiting with residents.
Collect Teddy bears for police to give to traumatized children.
Do the dishes even though it's your roommate's turn.
Thank your boss, secretary, or teacher for the lovely things they do for you.
Take a friend home with you for a weekend just to get away from campus.
Write a thank you note to a person from your past who has made a difference in your life.
Praise the work or attitude of someone you work with.
Talk to a colleague about committing "random acts of kindness".
Put an anonymous supportive note on a colleague's desk.
Offer to switch a shift with a colleague when they need time off.
Say "good morning" to everyone you work with today.
Pass on to someone else an article or a book that really touched you.
Extend a friendly invite to an introverted or shy colleague
Drive a colleague home from work.
Observe "Custodian and Teacher Appreciation Day" at your school.
Create posters with inspirational sayings and kindness quotes and donate to elementary or High schools.
You can also create quotation cards with similar inspirational sayings and post them on lockers of High School kids.
Another idea is to create bookmarks with few inspirational and kind ideas. Randomly insert few in the books at a local library or give them to a school library.
You can also create monthly kindness calendar for a classroom or your home with one kind idea for each day.
Share in the 'not so' pleasant tasks at work.
Help a Preschool or an Elementary teacher with guest reading in her class.
Give a teacher a half hour off and take over their class to give them some extra time that day.
Send letters to Veterans to let them know how much they are appreciated.
Give a compliment to random people or people you meet.
Create and celebrate annually a "colleagues day".
Tell your boss how much you appreciate how he/she supports you.
Pay attention to positive news and pass it on.
Put copies of inspirational poems or stories on your counter for everyone to enjoy.
Put a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work in the lunchroom or other inspirational easy reading books.
Seek out a new employee and volunteer to be their 'buddy' for their first month on the job.
Practice etiquette and good manners in the workplace.
When traveling on public transport, offer your seat to someone.
Leave a kind note on the water cooler or on your counter with suggestions like: "Take a deep breath and move gently through your day"
Walk a colleague to their car or bus at nighttime for safety purposes.
Give employees the option to take a half-paid day to go volunteer at a local charity of their choice. Help them research a charity that most interests them.
Try to schedule a colleague's birthday off.
Raise money for a colleague's favorite charity or volunteer to assist with your time
When mowing the nature strip, mow the neighbor.s strip as well.
Mentor someone and share your skills, knowledge and abilities with them.
Drop a few coins in an area where children play, where they can easily find them.
Spend a few minutes going through your old photos, and send whatever you can part with to the people in the photos.
Donate blood, and encourage others to do so.
When you ring any establishment and the person who picks up the phone sounds happy, or has a nice voice, speaks clearly, and so on, compliment them about it. If they have been helpful in any way, tell them how much you appreciate their help. If they have gone out of their way to be helpful, ask their name and write a letter to the company, advising them what an asset that person is.
Encourage kind behavior, and praise anyone you encounter being kind.
If you have any surplus books in good condition, consider offering them to your local library or a senior citizen's center.
Write letters of appreciation to groups who are helping the community, the environment, etc.
Tell someone you love and appreciate them - and do it often.
Give surplus clothing, toys, etc. to charities.
Send a card to a friend or relative you haven't seen for some time. Include a photo of yourself and/or your family.
Take your neighbor.s washing off the line if it's raining and they are not home, or put out/take in the rubbish bin/recycling box.
Step aside to allow a frail or elderly person to go ahead of you in a queue.
When a child talks to you, given them your full attention.
If there is a new neighbor in the street or unit block, knock on their door and introduce yourself.
You might also like to make up a list of such things as what night the garbage bin goes out, the phone number of a good electrician and plumber, the service station with the lowest petrol prices, the local volunteer organizations, your name and telephone number, and so on. This will give your new neighbor a pleasant 'welcome' message.
Wave and smile at children in school busses, and at children or dogs in the car next to you at the traffic lights, or if they are looking out the back window of the car in front of you. However, remember to keep your attention on the road while doing so!
Go to the assistance of anyone who appears to be in trouble.
Play with your children.
Buy local goods from local merchants.
Send an anonymous scratch card, lottery or theatre ticket to someone you know - or a gift voucher, a funny card, a chocolate bar, or whatever you feel they would enjoy.
If you know someone who is having a hard time financially, pop a $5, $10 or $20 note in an envelope, disguise your writing or type the envelope, and post it to them. They will talk about it for weeks, remember it forever, and wonder who it was that sent it.
Help an out of work person find a job.
When talking on the phone, smile. The smile will come through in your voice.
Give a friend or business associate a kind word, a small gift, or make them a cup of coffee, when they are on a downer.
If the person behind you in the shopping queue only has a few items, consider asking them if they would like to go ahead of you.
Volunteer for some community work. They are listed in the White Pages under "Volunteer" followed by the name of your state. They will help to place you with a suitable organization.
If you have the choice to be right or to be kind, choose kind.
Plant trees to help offset the destruction of our forests.
Take an active interest in the young people from your area, and if the area lacks facilities for them, organize a group to do something about it, or approach a group who could do something about it, or write a letter to your council or local paper.
When sending a letter or card to someone, include a leaf from a tree or shrub, or a flower that can easily be enclosed inside the card or between the pages of your letter. You may even choose to just send the leaf or flower in an envelope, and make it an anonymous gesture. Another variation would be to enclose a copy of our leaflet.
If you see a mother with a pram about to ascend or descend stairs, offer to help carry the pram.
If ever you are stumped for a birthday, Christmas or other gift, consider giving the person a gift membership to one or another Kindness Movement.
Give small tokens of your love to family, friends, children and the elderly for no particular reason - for example: flowers or a flower, a card (particularly home made cards), a fruit basket, a poem, a handkerchief, a hug.
Visit local aged care facilities and become a voluntary companion for a lonely patient. Ask the facility if you can use a skill you have. For example, it might be manicure and beauty care, reading books or papers, playing an instrument for entertainment, offering to write and/or post mail, taking them on shopping trips or short walks, playing cards. Also bear in mind that bringing children, as well as pets, into this kind of environment is a highlight for the frail and aged.
Offer to baby sit so parents/guardians can have time alone or away.
Donate magazines/literature to medical services, aged care facilities, schools or kindergartens.
Wash someone's car as a surprise.
If you are well off, consider putting some of it to use in helping others while you are still alive. That is wealth's greatest satisfaction. And do it without fanfare - let the action be from your heart, rather than from your ego.
Give people the benefit of the doubt.
Donate to the needy - money, clothes, food.
At the onset of colder weather, donate warm clothing, blankets, etc. for the homeless.
Offer to clean someone's home for free.
Make a list of all the things that bring you enjoyment. Try not to let a day go by without doing at least one of them.
Donate home made goods to charity market stalls.
If someone is home bound through sickness or injury, ask them if they would like you to buy some groceries for them when you go shopping, or post a letter for them, or buy some stamps.
Tell people you are there for them, to love and support them.
Say "Thank you" when you leave the check out, the bus, or when someone holds open a door for you, at the theatre when you are given the ticket, and so on.
Acknowledge every person you encounter.
Advertise locally to help with odd jobs on a volunteer basis, for aged or handicapped people.
Offer to baby sit for a few days during your holidays.
Stop to give a lift home to an elderly person laden with shopping at a bus stop.
Visit a facility for the underprivileged/disabled, and volunteer to do an activity that staff may not have time to do.
Enter someone in a competition - they may win a prize!
If someone has a dog, and the person is temporarily incapacitated due to an illness or injury, offer to take the dog for a walk.
Stop to take a lost animal to its owner or to an animal shelter.
Offer to be a wheel chair pusher if you know of a disabled group going on an outing.
Volunteer for 'Meals on Wheels'.
At the Movies and Other Performances, keep quiet when the film or performance is on. Save your comments till it is over.
Be considerate to the person sitting in front of you. Do not put your feet/legs up against the seat in front.
While traveling in public transport, move to the rear of the bus/train. Leave space for other passengers who board after you. Get your travel fare ready. You may be holding up a queue, or obstructing the traffic flow.
Tutor your classmates in a subject that you are good at.
Send kindness notes to your classmates/teachers/parents etc.
Share your cookies with your classmates during recess.
Help your teachers carry books to the office.
Pass on old textbooks to others who need them.
Turn down the volume of your television and radio sets at night.
Conserve energy. Switch off the lights when you do not need them.
When someone drops an item, pick it up for them.
Observe silence in libraries and return books to their respective shelves after you have read them.
Return your books on time - others will want to read them too.
Give up your seat on the bus/train to someone who needs it more.
Share your table with others at food centres.
If you bring food, drinks and brochures into the theatre, remember to bring the litter out with you after the show.
Use public property such as public toilets with care. Do not litter and always keep the place clean.
Share your umbrella with someone when it rains. Buy some inexpensive umbrellas or Ponchos and pass them on to people when it is raining.
Wash graffiti off walls.
Help an aged or disabled person cross the road.
Pick up litter in the park.
Put your shopping trolley back in its appointed place after using it.
Make sure that you do not block the aisles with your shopping trolley.
Place the item back in its original place if you no longer wish to buy it.
Clear your own trays at the fast-foods restaurants and return the trays to their designated places.
When asking for drinking straws, packets of sauces, serviettes or silverware from food stalls or counters, take only the amount that you need. Do not take more than you can use.
Share your tables with others if you have extra seats.
Send cards of kindness to friends in distress.
Collect canned and perishable food items for the local food pantry. Involve your friends and neighbors to contribute.
Do "drive by-flowering" in your neighborhood. You can pick bunch of wild flowers. During the night, tuck them under people's car wipers or leave it on their front door.
You may also put some fresh flowers or wild flowers in people.s morning newspaper bag.
Make copies of this page and give to all your friends

Ideas that cost between $1- $15: