25 Acts Of Kindness To Teach Your Kids + Printable Bingo Activity
We all know how important it is to have a kind and gentle spirit, but how do we help our kids show kindness to others as well?
Here are 25 different acts of kindness you can do WITH your kids plus a fun printable Bingo activity to enjoy together. 🙂
Acts Of Kindness To Teach Your Kids + Printable Bingo Activity
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As parents, we want our kids to be treated right, right?
We want people to be nice to them, for them to make good, godly friends, and have people show them kindness.
But what about teaching OUR kids to be kind to OTHERS?
I’ve gotta admit, when my daughter was little, my worry as a parent was always wanting her to be treated kindly.
And yes, that bubble has already burst because I realize that that won’t always happen (even though it breaks my Momma heart).
God said in His Word that we would have trouble in this world, and especially as Christians, we won’t always be treated fairly – I mean, look at Jesus, right!
But then I saw my 2-year-old (at the time) hit another child. NOOOOO!
Immediately I thought to myself, wow, I need to make sure I am more concerned about teaching my child to be kind to others, no matter how she is treated.
We can’t control how other people treat us, but we CAN control how we treat other people, the way God wants us to.
That is something we want to make sure we are teaching our kids every day, and one GREAT way for doing so is visually showing them through fun, random acts of kindness!
Not only that, but I have included a free BINGO game for a more visual approach and lots of fun, while still encouraging and teaching our kids to be kind.
25 Acts Of Kindness To Teach Your Kids
These are labeled as “Thanksgiving acts of kindness” but it is important to teach our kids about gratitude and being kind all year long, so feel free to use any time!
Here are 25 different acts of kindness you can teach your kids and practice doing as a family starting today!
This activity would pair FANTASTIC and right along with the Thanksgiving acts of kindness (finger paint) tree craft for kids!
**These are all included on your BINGO sheet!
1. Pray For a friend
One of the kindest and sincere things we can teach our kids to do (and ourselves) is to pray for others.
Maybe they have a friend at school who is going through a tough time or a family member that needs some prayer for healing… guide your kids in prayer and encourage them to do so!
2. Do a chore for a family member without being asked
This is a great one! Maybe you have a shore chart or something up that says what everyone’s responsibilities are. Your child can pick a different chore that they usually don’t do and do that for someone else.
For example, taking out the trash, raking the yard, emptying the dishwasher.
You could even do one of your kid’s chores to show them it applies to everyone, no matter your age! 🙂
3. Do something nice for a volunteer at your church
Do you have people at church who you see volunteering everywhere?
Think your door greeters, kids check-in workers, Sunday school teachers, nursery workers, your pastor/youth pastor/children’s pastor’s wife.
Just to name a few haha! I am sure if you look you will see familiar faces throughout your church doing these things.
Your child could help volunteer with them or have them make a thank you card saying how much you appreciate what they do. It’ll make their day!
4. Do something nice for an elderly friend or grandparent
This could be as simple as visiting your local nursing home and visiting with someone, or your kids could make cards for them!
For grandparents, kids can call them, make and mail them a card, send a video saying hi, anything to brighten their day. 🙂
5. Sing your favorite worship song to a family member over the phone
If you know me and are reading this, then you know we LOVE making videos of G (my daughter) singing and sending them to family and friends.
Not only will you have some sweet memories captured on video, but your relatives (especially grandparents or those you don’t see a lot) will absolutely love seeing your kids praising and worshiping Jesus!
Here are some great kids’ worship songs you could choose from. 🙂
6. Make a new friend
Encourage your kids to meet new people whether at school or church or at the playground.
Maybe there is a kid who sits by themself a lot or even someone who might get picked on. A smile or conversation could make their day!
7. Do something nice for your neighbors who live to the LEFT of your house
For this one and the next, I included those who live to the right AND left, because it may vary!
For example, our neighbors to the left have a young daughter… so if your neighbor has little kids you could have your kids draw a picture for them, give them an old toy as a gift, or set up a playdate.
8. Do something nice for your neighbors who live to the RIGHT of your house
Our neighbors to the right however are the opposite…
They are an older couple, so if you have older neighbors you could maybe mow their grass for them, send them a baked treat, etc.!
9. Spend one evening praying for those you know who are sick
Prayer is powerful and prayer is important!
Especially when it comes to prayers of healing. This is a great opportunity to help teach your kids the power of prayer and encourage them to pray for those who are sick.
Make a prayer list and go through them together!
10. Do something nice for a community worker
An example of this could be your postal worker, police officer, fireman, garbage worker, etc.
Maybe you could bake cookies for your mailman/women, wave to an officer, anything that would bring a smile to their face, and brighten their day.
11. Do something nice for a homeless person
My husband has such a heart and passion for the homeless, and he has really helped to open my eyes to ministering to them!
It can be so easy to just ignore someone who is homeless or even scoff at them! We want to teach our kids that Jesus’s love and kindness is for ALL.
Your kids can do this too! Some ideas you could do with your kids are to serve food at a homeless shelter, collect canned goods for shelters, or give someone who is homeless a meal.
12. Do something nice for a church leader or teacher
This kind of goes back to church volunteers, but you can expand this to your Pastors, Sunday school teachers, etc.
Make them a card saying how thankful you are for them, you could buy them a small Christmas gift, gift card, something to make their day!
Here are some great pastor appreciation gifts you could take a look at for inspiration!
13. Tell someone about Jesus and how much He loves them
What better way to be kind to someone than to share the love of God with them! In fact, this may be the MOST kind thing you can do.
This is a great way to not only share your faith, but encourage your kids to do so as well!
I’ll share a quick story… my 4-year-old, my sweet, sensitive, and passionate little girl, told me something a few weeks ago that really stuck with me.
She said, “Mommy, when I was 3 I was a little nervous to share about Jesus with my friends. But now that I am 4 I can just ask God and He helps me! I love sharing about Jesus!”
Cue the tears, right???
But sometimes we can use a little boldness from our kids to encourage us, and it goes to show that teaching them about God’s Word, even at a young age, can go a long way.
14. Do something nice for a family going through a difficult time
Do you know a neighbor, friend, family member, or even a family at church that is going through a tough time?
Maybe it’s a financial struggle, dealing with loss, or job loss, you can find ways to brighten their day! Write them a card, make them dinner one night and deliver, give them a gift card, or say a prayer for them.
Do something that you think would speak to their family during a difficult time!
15. Surprise a neighbor or friend with a baked treat
This is such a fun and sweet gesture!
Not only can you create some fun memories as a family baking treats together, but giving it away to a neighbor or friend as a surprise will definitely go a long way in showing them kindness!
Don’t like to bake? That’s okay! Take your kids to the store and pick out something premade together. It’s all about the thought behind it!
16. Do something nice for a healthcare worker
This would be a great opportunity to make a little care basket for either nurses, doctors, your pediatrician, etc.
You could fill it with thank you notes, candy, baked goods, a ballon, anything to show them an appreciation for what they do!
17. Deliver a meal to a family with a newborn baby
When G was born, I honestly don’t think we had to cook for about 2-3 weeks when we got home. Some lovely friends of ours made a meal train for us and people brought food to our house.
It was honestly the BEST thing because we didn’t have to worry about cooking dinner and cleaning up afterward while trying to adjust to life with a newborn.
Do you know of anyone that has just had a baby? Maybe a friend, family member, church member, etc. Deliver to them a nice meal, or, start a meal train for them!
I promise, from experience, this is one of the kindest things you can do for new parents!
18. Write a sweet thank you note to a neighbor or friend
Such a simple, yet thoughtful thing to do!
Have your kids write a nice note or thank you note to a neighbor, or even all the neighbors on your street, and deliver it to them!
19. Write out your favorite Bible verse and share why it’s your favorite
This would be a great idea to include in your daily family devotion!
Have each family member write out their favorite verse and then read aloud, and share why it’s your favorite.
It will definitely help each of you connect on a deeper level and you may learn something new!
20. Make a care package for someone in the hospital
Do you have a family member, friend, or know of someone in the hospital?
Fill up a little basket with some things to cheer them up, such as a get-well card, snacks, cozy socks, etc.
21. Paint “kindness” rocks and leave them around your neighborhood
This would be a super fun kids activity and one you can even get your young toddlers in on too!
Grab some washable paint markers, find some rocks in your yard and write kind words on them to leave around the neighborhood for people to find.
You can even bring them to the park and hide them around for people to find and have their day made!
22. Buy/bake a batch of cookies for your local police or fire station
Bake up some yummy treats (or buy some store-bought ones) and deliver them to your local fire station or police station.
They work SO hard to keep you safe, so this would be a super kind and thoughtful gift for them! They may even give your kiddos a tour at the fire station, some local ones do that. 🙂
23. Surprise a friend with a pie
Who doesn’t love pie right??
Bake or buy a pie and deliver it to a friend! It will definitely make their day, and you could even bring an extra to join in with them and spend some quality time together. 🙂
24. FaceTime or Zoom with a family member or friend you haven’t seen in a while
As much as social media can seem to be filled with chaos and tough news, it can definitely be a blessing!!
For example, FaceTime and Zoom are great for connecting with distant friends and relatives!
Have your kids facetime their grandparents, or set up a family zoom meeting to say hey and connect with one another.
25. BONUS ACTIVITY!
Here is where you can get a little creative! Personalize this one to speak to YOUR family!
For example, my daughter LOVES to dance and do ballet. I would love to make a video of her doing a ballet dance and send it to her grandparents and great-grandparents.
You could even ask your kid what is something kind that THEY would like to do… let them come up with something and further encourage the kindness in them. 🙂
YOU MAY LIKE: Beautiful Acts Of Kindness (Finger Paint) Tree Craft For Kids!
Free Printable Thanksgiving Acts Of Kindness Bingo
You can download your free printable acts of kindness BINGO game below PLUS as check out some fun ways to play!
Also, if you are looking to add a fun craft to this BINGO game and show your kids acts of kindness in a hands-on and visual way… I’ve got something for you too!
Check out the acts of kindness tree craft here and download the FREE printable for that as well!! They pair perfectly together and will encourage more acts of kindness in your kids.
Download your FREE Thanksgiving Acts of Kindness BINGO game sheet here.
Do you want access to MORE awesome, biblical, FREE printables like this one? Get exclusive access to my free printables resource library here!!!
Funs Ways To Use This Thanksgiving Bingo With Family:
This BINGO game doesn’t just have to be used at Thanksgiving! It’s always great to practice acts of kindness, especially with your kids.
Here are a couple of fun and unique ways you can play this acts of kindness BINGO game!!
1. Have a friendly competition with family!
There are two ways you can approach this!
Each person can print and laminate their BINGO card, and work on filling them in individually.
But we still want to make sure we are working together right?
So each time someone gets a row filled in, do something fun to celebrate! Go get ice cream, a trip to the zoo, anything to keep encouraging them to fill them out.
The point is to encourage kindness, not “win” necessarily, but it will also help motivate your kids to do so!
You could also have one family BINGO card and work on filling them all out together, and then celebrate with something big as a family when the card is 100% filled. 🙂
2. Give As Gifts To Family & Friends
This would be a super thoughtful, and budget-friendly gift to give to your friends and family!
Encourage everyone to get into the spirit of being kind – you can print as many copies as you need and share them with your friends and family. 🙂
25 Acts Of Kindness To Teach Your Kids + Printable Bingo Activity
I hope these 25 acts of kindness encourage you to not only teach your kids about showing kindness to others, but to one another as well!
Enjoy your free printable BINGO activity and have fun showing the love and kindness of our God to others this season. 🙂
Which act of kindness was your favorite from the list? Let me know in the comments!
