As kids, the obvious go-to focus at the holidays is “gimme, gimme, gimme”. For one, WE give to our children and often talk to them about about the presents they might be brought. I do this, and don’t think it’s completely wrong. We want to make our children excited and happy. We want to make them feel loved and provided for. For two, society completely breeds the “all for me” attitude everywhere we look.
Although there will be a lot of receiving in my household, I want to make sure that we have a great balance of giving, as well.
That’s where this idea came from!
In high school, my friend Kelly and I LOVED to do Random Acts of Kindness. We called them “RAKs”… clever, right?! 😉
We brought a cake to someone who was healing from surgery, baby clothes to someone who just gave birth, and we made lots and lots of cookies for friends. The idea was to deliver them without the person knowing it was us who did it. That way, they received the benefit without feeling as if they had to pay gratitude to us.
This project brings that tradition back into my household, but this time it will also be a teaching moment for my kiddos.
SUPPLIES:
A vase
Branches
Ornaments
Small clothes pins
Pieces of paper with your Random Acts of Kindness written on them
Paint (optional)
Paint brushes (optional)
Glitter (optional)
I found a cute glass container and went outside and cut off some branches from our hibernating bushes that need to be trimmed anyway. You can even bring your kids with and let them pick branches to include. It will make them feel like they were more a part of the process. I then added the branches to the container to see if I liked the length and amount. After I had enough branches, I saw the evergreen tree in my yard, and thought some sprigs would be a good addition to the vase, so I cut a few.
I went inside, picked out three paint colors from my stash (white, gold, and bronze), and I painted select branches. It was not a science, but I ended up doing two-to-three branches each color, leaving a few natural and leaving the evergreen sprigs natural, as well. I laid the wet branches on this fancy drying sheet (a torn open paper bag), and let them dry for about 30 mins.
When dry, I arranged them in my vase again! I went outside and cut off another sprig of evergreen to put in the bottom of the vase, which filled it up a bit.
After it was complete, I sat down with my kids and asked them what random acts of kindness they’d like to do. With a child who isn’t even 3-1/2 yet and one who is 21-months, I had to lead the witness a little, but we worked together to create a small and simple list. The idea was to show them that you don’t have to do something incredibly lofty to make it special.
Here’s what we came up with:
-Bring daddy a small “Sick Kit”, because he isn’t feeling well.
-Pick out 10 toys each child to donate
-Make clean-eating cookies for my Body Back fitness class
-Give one another a hug (this is a simple and cute one, especially if you have two or more kids)
-Smile at three random people while out shopping
-Pick up the small rocks along that drift into the sidewalk around our neighborhood and put them back where they belong (in people’s yards).
-Donate 5 books to the library.
-Send “Merry Christmas” notes to three people (of their choice)
-Make someone who is crying feel better
-Have friends over to make mini Gingerbread Houses!
Some of these are opportunistic ones, so make sure everyone knows what you put on your Random Acts of Kindness tree. That way, if you do it while out, you will remember to pull it off and replace it with an ornament when you get home.
Our tree already has a few of our Random Acts of Kindness pulled off and replaced by ornaments.
Your ideas can be as simple as you’d like. Remember – the point is to show your kids the spirit of giving. Through these acts, I’m hoping they will learn to see generosity in something as small as a smile or a nice word.
Share your experience in the comments below!
Great idea!