FREE Act of Kindness Printables, Plus 51 Simple Ways to Spread Joy

Sept. 28 through Oct. 5 is Macaroni Kid’s Act of Kindness Week! Macaroni Kid publishers all over the United States and Canada will be giving back to their communities during this special week, and we want you to get in on the action!  

We’ve put together some awesome FREE printables so that you can grab your kids and head out to spread kindness in your community. 

But what kinds of things can you do to as an act of kindness? You can do something big, or something small! You can do something that costs money, or something that doesn't cost a dime! Acts of kindness come in all shapes and sizes -- but all have the same goal: To spread joy.

Here are 52 ideas on how you can participate in Macaroni Kid Act of Kindness Week:

1. Smile at everyone. Smiles spread!
2. Tape $2 to a Redbox machine.
3. Help someone with bags at the grocery store.
4. Leave a note in a library book.
5. Pick up trash.
6. Buy bubbles at the dollar store and leave them at a playground for other children.
7. Wash someone’s car.
8. Visit an elderly neighbor.
9. Let someone jump ahead in line.
10. Compliment a friend.
11. Hold the door for someone.
12. Leave happy notes on cars at the mall.
13. Write a thank-you note for your mail carrier.
14. Give popsicles or frozen water to your garbage collectors.
15. Bake cookies for neighbors and leave on their doorsteps.
16. Pay for a stranger’s coffee at the drive-thru.
17. Donate toys.
18. Write chalk messages on the sidewalk.
19. Paint kindness rocks and hide them.
20. Donate food to a food pantry.
21. Bring flowers to your teacher. 
22. Compliment a stranger.
23. Donate supplies to a homeless shelter. 
24. Take treats to the police or fire station.
25. Tell someone how much you love them.
26. Make someone else’s bed.
27. Visit a nursing home.
28. Invite someone new to play on the playground. 
29. Tell the principal how great your teacher is. 
30. Fill a jar with candy for another family.
31. Bring a treat to the custodian.
32. Make dinner for your parents.
33. Make a get well card for local hospital patients.
34. Bring your neighbors’ trash cans up for them. 
35. Donate toys to a local shelter.
36. Do a chore without being asked.
37. Give a treat to the bus driver. 
38. Collect canned goods for a food pantry.
39. Buy extra school supplies for a teacher. 
40. Teach someone to play your favorite game.
41. Give friends a hug coupon. 
42. Ask someone new to play at recess. 
43. Write a poem for a neighbor. 
44. Make candy grams for the fire department. 
45. Make a homemade gift for someone.
46. Deliver water bottles or other packaged items to a homeless shelter.
47. Give high fives to friends. 
48. Make a card for your librarian.
49. Smile at a friend.
50. Send a postcard to a friend. 
51. Hug your mom or dad. 

You ready? Click the FREE printables below and start planning your Macaroni Kid Act of Kindness Day!  

Share your MK-AOK fun on social media using #MKAOKWeek! Follow along on our National Event Page for more event info. 

Katy Agro Myers is the publisher of Pasadena-Severna Park, Md. Special thanks to Mary Campbell, publisher of Macaroni Kid Lodi, Calif., for creating our printables!

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