Random Acts of Kindness Project

As promised here is my full list of ideas for our RAOK project this summer. You can read more about the project here. The idea is for us to get people carrying out a few random acts of kindness (as many as you can/want to) over the summer holidays to bring some happiness and joy into everyone’s lives! You can aim for one a week or a couple a month or how ever many you can fit into your summer fun. 

This list is far from exhaustive. I’ve tried to keep it pretty simple and provide ideas that vary in the amount of effort required, from a few minutes to a whole day. I’ve tried to include ideas that are free, pretty cheap and those that might cost a little more. I’ve also tried not to make it too specific to our location so that everyone can easily join in. Hopefully it will serve as some kind of inspiration for those of you wanting to get involved; Whether you want to just choose one or two activities, whether you want to do as many as you can or whether you want to think up your own random acts of kindness. What’s important here is not spending loads of time and money or ticking them all off the list. It’s about starting a ripple of kindness, making someone’s day a little brighter (as well as your own) and making the world a little better. It’s about teaching our children that being kind can take hardly any effort but the result can be huge, and showing them the joy that can be found in spreading a little happiness. 

I’m so excited to get started on some of these ideas and even more excited to see what people joining in come up with. As we complete the activities I’ll be posting what we did and information to relevant organisations to make it easier for you to get involved too.  

Simple Random Acts of Kindness 

Donate some supplies to your local food bank 

Leave happy notes around town 

Pay for the person behind you in the queue or drive through 

Buy a meal for someone in need 

Donate some pet food to an animal shelter

Pick up 5 pieces of rubbish at your local park 

Give a flower to a stranger 

Donate some old toys 

Bake a treat for your local emergency services

Leave bookmarks or cheerful notes inside library books

Compliment a stranger 

Post a letter to someone who needs reminding that they are loved 

Buy some blankets from a charity shop and pass them on to someone in need

Plant some flowers to attract bees and other wildlife

Smile at everyone you see 

Watch a busker perform and applaud 

Paint kindness stones and put them along the path to make people smile 

Leave a present out for your bin or post people

Send a thank you note to someone who might not feel appreciated 

Build a bird feeder

Visit a lonely relative or neighbour 

Tape some change to a parking or vending machine

Have a wardrobe clear out and donate some old clothes to a charity shop

Put some change in a charity collection pot 

Offer to walk someone’s dog 

Visit a sanctuary or animal shelter 

Take a coffee or cold drink to someone who needs one 

Donate some nappies to your local baby bank

Be kind to yourself – because you deserve it 

Find a pal through Post Pal and send them a letter

Buy a suspended coffee 

Buy a copy of the Big Issue 

Donate some underwear to Smalls for All

Give a box of sanitary products to your nearest shelter #thehomelessperiod

Bake a cake for someone 

Leave an anonymous present on a friend or neighbours doorstep 

Buy something from a local charity shop 

Visit a local shop instead of your usual supermarket 

Share some words of kindness with someone who needs them 

Remember to share what you get up to using #summerofRAOKs so we can all be inspired by each other and we spread those kindness ripples are far as we possibly can.