Appendix 3: Acts of Kindness and Caring
To do anywhere (school, home, neighborhood, restaurant, sports field, etc.):
Help someone (e.g., your sibling, friend, classmate) with their homework or any task
Say “hi” to five more people, or people you wouldn’t normally say “hi” to
Ask people how to pronounce their name correctly if you are unsure, and then continue to say their name correctly
Compliment someone on something (other than their clothing or appearance)
Make a positive observation about someone, and then share it with them (e.g. a good comment someone makes in class)
Say “thank you” with authenticity
Ask someone about their day, and truly listen and respond without talking about yourself
Write a handwritten letter expressing gratitude or asking for forgiveness
Bake someone a cake or treat
Surprise someone with a souvenir or something they’ve been wanting
Cheer on a teammate
Comfort or stand up for someone who’s having a hard time or getting bullied
Tell an adult (e.g., at school) about someone who’s having a hard time or getting bullied
Send someone a funny/encouraging text or message
Write a positive comment on someone’s social media account
Acknowledge and thank a stranger, especially someone in a service role (e.g., a waiter or the bus driver)
Organize a cleanup party (e.g., clean your classroom, neighborhood, park, etc.)
Be nice to the environment (e.g., use less plastic, recycle, take shorter showers, etc.)
Start a food drive and donate the food at your local grocery store
Go through your closet and pick items to donate
Be creative – and humble! You can be caring without others necessarily knowing it’s you.
To do at school:
Donate used books to the library
Tell a teacher or a staff person if someone is having a hard time or getting bullied
Ask your teacher if they need any help
Offer up help to someone, even if they don’t ask for it
Share kind words with members of the school staff
Say thank you to janitors, cafeteria workers, front office personnel, etc.
Write a kind letter to your principal, or write a letter that respectfully expresses your concerns and ideas about your school
Help out a classmate struggling with homework or a group activity, etc.
Notice if people seem lonely or left out, and check in with them. For example, if someone is sitting alone in the cafeteria, ask them if they want company, if they do, join their table.
Clean up trash that you find
To do for yourself:
Give yourself a break, no one’s perfect!
Listen more, interrupt others less
Try to see others’ perspectives, don’t jump to conclusions
Show more gratitude, complain less
Making a habit of writing down or sharing five things you are grateful for in life (e.g., before bed, at dinner, etc.)
Clean up after yourself
Set goals for yourself, and ask for help if you’re stuck achieving them
Set aside time for self-care (e.g., stretching when you wake up, deep breathing before bed)
Content developed by Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
