When your child was born, did you picture them as an astronaut? A ballerina? A firefighter saving the day? Most of us don’t picture “kind,” but for me it matters more than anything. I don’t care if my kids grow up to be doctors or grocery clerks, as long as they grow up kind.
That’s why I made this random acts of kindness journal, so kids can plan their own ways to make a difference.
How to Use the Kindness Journal
Random Acts of Kindness Journal
Get the printablePrinter and paper
Crayons or colored pencils
Folder or binder
Print the journal
Print the pages and keep them together in a folder or binder.
Pick a kind act
Kids choose an idea from the 50-act checklist or come up with their own.
Plan it out
Use the planning page to think about the problem, come up with an idea and draw it.
Do it and check it off
Do the kind act together, then check it off and talk about how it felt.
Why Random Acts of Kindness Matter for Kids
A random act of kindness is exactly what it sounds like: doing something kind for someone else, just because. It can be as small as letting your little brother pick the movie, or as big as raising money for kids across the world.
I truly believe we aren’t meant to “toughen up” our kids for the world. We’re supposed to raise them to be kind, so maybe kids won’t have to be toughened up at all.
How Livia made a difference
My daughter’s class was raising money to bring drinking water to kids in Jamaica. Livia came home and asked me, “Do you think they have books to read?” Reading is one of her favorite things, and the idea of kids without books broke her heart.
So she counted the money in her own wallet, and we went to the bookstore (not always easy with her sensory struggles, but she was on a mission). She picked out every book she could and couldn’t wait to bring them to school. All kids can make that kind of difference.
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Keep the feelings conversation going with these emotions play dough mats.
The kindness journal includes
- 50 random acts of kindness checklist
- Planning pages to think through a problem and an idea
- Space to draw
- Instant PDF download, nothing is shipped
Perfect for
- Kindness Week
- Classrooms
- Homeschool
- Families
- Ages 5 to 12
Kindness Journal FAQ
Doing something kind for someone else just because, like holding a door, sharing or helping a neighbor.
A 50-act kindness checklist and planning pages where kids work out an idea and draw it.
About ages 5 to 12. Younger kids can use it with a grown-up.
Model it, talk about how others feel, and give kids chances to plan and do kind acts themselves.
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From families like yours
Did you try it? Tell us how it went!
We love seeing these activities out in the wild: the lumpy letters, the snack breaks, the proud “I made a B!” moments. Leave a star rating, tell other parents what worked (and what totally didn’t), and add a photo of your setup if you’d like.
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