Published on October 1st, 2020. Updated November, 28 2025.

100 Simple Ways to Be Kind

It feels like our planet is in constant turmoil. We are surrounded by negative words, bad news, and intense conflicts. Every person we encounter in our daily routine is likely struggling with something. We are all fighting quiet battles. Some of us handle them more than others but no one is exempt from the worry, heartache, and uncertainty.

Showing kindness is a small way to make a big difference. If we can all be more mindful of how our actions and reactions impact the rest of the human race, we will build a kinder society. There are so many ways to be kind. This list has 100 ideas to get you started.

Extra Motivation to Practice Kindness

Did you know that being kind to others is good for you too? If you are having a bad day, the best thing you can do to turn the day around is show kindness to someone else. Even a small act of kindness can have a positive effect on your stress levels and emotional well-being.

As human beings, our emotional well-being impacts our mental health, our actions, and our self-esteem. When we are hurting, we are more likely to hurt people. If we feel happier, we are able to show up as a better person in our own lives.

Just like Nick learned in Hope in the Nick of Time, hope and kindness are all around us. Sometimes we just have to shift our perspective to be able to see it. A kind word or an unexpectedly kind stranger can be all it takes to shift our thoughts from all that is wrong to all that is right. A positive outlook can make a world of difference.

When hope and kindness feel hard to find, that could mean it is our turn to create moments of kindness for others. There are so many small, simple ways to be kind. From helping with yard work to taking the time to talk with a friend who is feeling lonely, even small gestures have a positive effect on how you feel while making someone else feel good too.

I challenge you to bring one act of kindness to friends or family members each day. Your loved ones will appreciate it, your self-esteem will soar, and you will be making a big difference with small gestures.

100 Simple Ways to Nurture KindnessBuy books about kindness and peace and gift them to others. This is the Earth is a beautiful choice!Talk in a warm tone.Paint rocks with cool messages and leave them around your neighborhood.Thank others for sharing their feelings with you.Listen with the sole purpose of listening, not to respond.Read more books about the lives of others to develop your own level of empathy.Read books with stories about the lives of others to children.Tell someone, “I wish there were more people like you in this world”.Bring a cup of coffee or hot cocoa along for someone else.Make sure to acknowledge someone’s kindness to you.Let someone sleep in.Listen and pay attention to what people are passionate about.Bring drinks to a party.Call someone and listen to them. No advice. No judgment. Just listen.Tell someone you “hear” them (even when you don’t agree).Pass out big hugs (with permission).Write a letter or a postcard and drop it in the mail just to say thanks.Offer to babysit.Visit a friend who has been ill.Call and visit people during the six months to three years after they’ve lost a loved one.Tell little kids they look “smart”.Smile and make eye contact with others.Pass out little pieces of wrapped chocolate.Pay for the order behind you in the drive-through line.Ask someone how they are doing and then stop to listen to their reply.Help an elderly neighbor.Bake a cake, muffins, cookies, or brownies and give them away.Offer a bottle of water to someone, especially if they are working outside on a hot day.Say I love you because… (and give a genuine unique reason).Tell people how wonderful they are and that you are happy they are in your life.Say that you are sorry when it is warranted.Help out with a chore or errand.Say that you are going to the grocery store and ask someone if they need anything.Ask someone who is struggling, “How can I help?”Show up.Go to the Farmer’s Market and support local farmers.Invite someone to the Farmer’s Market who you know does not get out much.Say, “I’m glad I got to spend this time with you.”Hold the door open.Send a greeting card.Pick up trash, even when it is not yours and throw it away.Give compliments freely.Say please and thank you.Put your phone away for long periods of time while with others.Sit with someone on their porch.Invite someone to play Uno.Hold someone’s hand.Sit with someone while they cry.Say, “I don’t know what to say, but I will sit here with you.”Offer to go to therapy with someone who is struggling.Answer the phone when someone calls.Put an encouraging note in someone’s lunch box.Tell people you are happy to hear from them.Give someone your recipe.Cheer for others.Speak up for others to validate their experiences.Send a care package to a stranger serving in the military.Keep your word.Wave thanks to fellow drivers when they are kind.Pray for someone.Give a new mom her own gift.Invite someone over for ice cream.Take someone to lunch and pay.Make a conscious decision to use a kind voice.Make a conscious decision not to argue.Only make positive comments on social media posts.Do not argue on social media. Not many minds are changed there.Create positive social media posts that encourage those who see them.Plan to have and exercise more patience.Let people through while in traffic.Do not be offended or react when someone else is not kind in traffic. We do not know what they are going through.Clean out your closet and cabinets and donate things you no longer use or need.Model ways to be kind in front of your children. Actions speak louder than words.Write an encouraging note full of kind words.Offer someone your seat.Laugh at someone’s joke.Show self-kindness. Give yourself a break when you need it.Respect someone’s wishes.Write compliments on sticky notes and leave them around the house or the office.Frame a photo memory and give it to the people in the picture.Grow and give away tomatoes.Volunteer to help out at a party or event.Tell people their idea sounds really cool.Give someone in need a couple of dollars to grab a burger. Don’t worry about what they will do with it. Not your problem.Don’t judge or assume. Acknowledge that you really don’t know.Work extra hard on being less judgmental. Acknowledge that you do not have it all figured out.Participate in neighborhood activities.Teach your children how to meet people and make new friends.Say, “I appreciate you!” often.Leave a bigger tip than what is recommended.Talk with someone else about the physical beauty of this world, our home.Give someone a candle that smells really good.Ask someone if they want to go for a short walk and then just listen as they walk and talk.Thank others for their time.Spend time in the warm quiet sunshine. Acts of kindness to yourself matter too!Make dinner for your neighbor.Bring doughnuts.Forgive someone.Just do YOU. Embedding yourself in other people’s business is an unkind gesture-especially if your help or advice is unsolicited.Support, don’t judge.Small Gestures Lead to Big Changes

As parents and educators, it is our duty to bring kindness into our homes and classrooms. When the world around us often shows the opposite, we have to bring more kindness into our daily lives. What better way to set an example than through our own actions and choices. We need to come together as a nation of beautifully diverse people and showing kindness is one of the many ways we can get there.

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