In February of 2014, my family and I decided to challenge ourselves to put in a little extra effort each day throughout the month of February to do an act of kindness. (At the time, my daughters were ages 11, 9, and 6). We found the experience to be so rewarding that we have continued the tradition each year since.
I invite you to join us and many others in putting in a little extra effort to spread your love and kindness all month long (if you wish, you may decide to carry the challenge on throughout the year.) Feel free to make up your own rules, or follow our guidelines below. I have listed many resources below.
Act of Kindness Challenge Guidelines:
- Prepare. Print out this February 2024 Acts of Kindness Log for each member of your family. Use it to record your acts of kindness throughout the month. Also keep track of the acts of kindness performed toward you each day. You might be surprised to actually see how many nice things people do for each other each day. 🙂 We put ours on the refrigerator so it stays in view and is easy to remember, and it helps us to keep each other motivated.
- Identify a Reward to keep You Motivated. If you are taking the challenge with others, take a vote to see how you want to reward yourselves once you have completed the challenge! In the past, we have rewarded ourselves by going out to dinner together as a family (something we usually only reserve for birthdays or special occasions.) Come up with something that works for you and your family and that will motivate you to complete the challenge. Don’t skip this step. This is the step that keeps my kids motivated to keep going throughout the challenge.
- Spread your love! Each day in February, perform at least one act of kindness and write it down on the log. Try to come up with something different each day. My definition of an Act of Kindness is: any action you take to brighten someone’s day without expecting anything in return. Also, write down any acts of kindness others performed toward you.
- Encourage each other and keep each other accountable. Each day, share your ideas with your family members or loved ones who are also participating in the challenge. Talk about the acts of kindness you performed.
- When the month is over, share what you learned from the experience.
- REWARD YOURSELF!! Don’t skip this step, either. For many of us, the real reward is the experience in itself, but make sure to recognize your accomplishment and follow through on the reward you set in step 2.
I invite you to join us in this challenge and spread your love. It only takes a small act to make a big impact. Let’s make a difference together! “Like” the Facebook page February Acts of Kindness Challenge for inspirational stories, quotes, and resources.
Feel free to do more than one Act of Kindness a day. Don’t be afraid to write them all down. You may already do several acts of kindness each day without even realizing it. The point here is to become aware of all the good things you already do and realize the impact it has on others. You may also want to try to take it a step further and do some things you normally wouldn’t do. When we make a small effort to brighten someone’s day out of love (not obligation), we are rewarded with happiness. Anything done out of obligation is not an act of love and will only cause you to feel resentment. It doesn’t matter whether your acts of kindness are random or intentional, but to honor your own self-care, please make sure they are performed out of love.
As you perform more acts of kindness, you may also notice yourself becoming the recipient of more acts of kindness. Learn to accept these gifts with gratitude. Many times it is more challenging for us to receive than it is to give. We may resist acts of kindness toward us because we may feel like we will owe the other person, but when you let people do nice things for you, you are actually giving them a gift. Learning how to let others help you might be just what you need to learn from this challenge…I know from previous years it was exactly what I needed to learn.
RESOURCES
If you run out of ideas at any point during the challenge, this Random Acts of Kindness generator is fantastic!
Check out this link for some great Random Acts of Kindness ideas!
“Like” the Facebook Page The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.
Random Acts of Kindness Week is celebrated from February 14- February 20 each year, and World Kindness Day is celebrated on November 13 each year.
Check out this inspiring 5 minute video to see how one small act of kindness can make a big impact.
Books, Movies, and Songs About Kindness
How to Be an EVERYDAY Philanthropist by Nicole Bouchard Boles
The Five Side Effects of Kindness by David Hamilton
Books for Kids
Have You Filled A Bucket Today by Carol McCloud
Wonder by RJ Palacio. This is one of my all-time favorite books! Check out my review here.
Wonder was also made into a movie. Check out the trailer here.
The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving by Ellen Sabin
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
Movies
The Letter Writer is an inspiring movie about kindness. It is a great reminder of the impact our actions have on others, and the difference one act of kindness can make. Check out the trailer here.
Patch Adams – The true story of a heroic man, Hunter “Patch” Adams, determined to become a medical doctor because he enjoys helping people. He ventured where no doctor had ventured before, using humour and pathos. View the trailer here.
Songs
Chain of Love by Clay Walker
Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw
If you have some suggestions for more inspiring books, movies, or songs about kindness, please let me know about them in the comments below.
Do YOU have any kindness ideas, quotes, videos, or inspiration you would like to share? Feel free to leave them in a comment below or share them on the February Acts of Kindness Challenge Facebook support group. Thank you! 🙂
