RAOK

As a parent there are all kinds of things you want to teach them about…the Lord, a love of reading, certain games, how to love one another, how to make a s'more, how to build a LEGO creation, etc. One of the chief things I want to instill in my children is kindness. Kindness can go a long way in shining your light for Christ in a dark world!

So to that end, for Lent I decided to do a random act of kindness each day. I've seen several families doing this during Christmas, but Christmas is so always busy. I really wanted to focus on our kindness so I thought the Lenten season, where we are focusing on Jesus' kindness, mercy, grace and love, would be a perfect time for our random acts of kindness.

a little welcome gift for new neighbors

There are several RAOK calendars online. I looked at several, but ultimately made my own since the kids are so little I tried to incorporate pretty simple acts that they could get involved with and understand the meaning.

Daddy and Sawyer shoveling snow for a neighbor

I'll be honest and say we didn't do a RAOK each day for various circumstances (i.e. weather mostly), but sometimes we did multiple RAOK in one day. And that actually was perfect because it demonstrated to the kids that kindness isn't jus something we check off each day. If we have an opportunity to extend kindness we should. Anyway here's the calendar:

Day 1: Make a card for a teacher

Day 2: Hold the door for others

Day 3: Bless someone with a baked treat

Day 4: Compliment a stranger

Day 5: Do something kind for your sibling

Day 6: Text an encouraging verse/note to someone

Day 7: Give someone a hug

Day 8: Make a card for a teacher

Day 9: Bake a treat for a neighbor

Day 10: Give a mother a break/play date

Day 11: Leave $ in a candy/toy machine

Day 12: Shovel snow for a neighbor

Day 13: Hold the door for others

Day 14: Leave a treat for the mail man(woman in our case)

Day 15: Leave mittens for cold fingers (deliver hats and gloves to a homeless shelter)

Day 16: Shovel snow for a neighbor

Day 17: Invite a family over for dessert and games

Day 18: Make a freezer meal for someone

Day 19: Give someone a hug

Day 20: Pass on a book

Day 21: Leave treats for the school janitor

Day 22: Collect clothes/toy for needy children

Day 23: Put change in parking meters

Day 24: Welcome a new neighbor

Day 25: Pay for someone else's meal

Day 26: Let others go 1st

Day 27: Give someone a flower

Sawyer and Nora made hug cards by tracing their hands and I cut a string as long as their reach, so they could hug their long distance grandparents

Day 28: Send a card to the grandparents

Day 29: Do something kind for your siblings

Day 30: Take cookies to the police station

At the police station they were kind to us and let the kids get in a police cruiser and see the flashing lights! They also gave them candy :)

Day 31: Make & take a pillowcase to the children's hospital

Day 32: Give someone a hug

Day 33: Compliment a stranger

I had fun giving another tired/worn out coaches mommy a break one day

Day 34: Give another mother a break/play date

Day 35: Take socks to the homeless shelter

Day 36: Take teachers coffee

Day 37: Hand out stickers in a waiting room

Day 38: Make someone smile! Hang a "Enjoy a Kiss" sign

Day 39: Compliment a stranger

taking brownies to our neighbor in the freezing cold and snow

Day 40: Leave treats for the church janitor

Day 41: Let others go 1st

Day 42: Pick up trash on a walk

Day 43: Send a card to the grandparents

Day 44: Make a bird feeder for neighborhood birds (we can be kind to wildlife too :)

Day 45: Give someone a hug

Day 46: Return a shopping cart and load groceries for someone

We did repeat some of the RAOK, which actually really helped remind the little ones how to practice kindness.

It was a great lesson in kindness for the both me and kids! We'll definitely be doing this again next year!