A simple gesture of kindness can go a long way in any family. Being kind to your family is a beautiful way of letting the people who matter most in your life know you care. Cultivating a culture of kindness in your family is also a fantastic way to connect, build each other up, and support each other during difficult times.
Furthermore, creating opportunities to practice kindness in your family is one of the best things to make the world a better place. Kind children make kind adults. Moreover, being kind to your family does not take much time or money. Plus, finding kind things to do for your family isn’t altruistic — it can be as rewarding to you as it is to them. Whether it’s spending time with one another or treating them to their favorite meal, spreading kindness brings you a feeling of goodness to both you and your family members.
If you’re having difficulty finding kind things to do for your family, think of what they like and what makes them happy. Then, consider the following list of twelve kind things to do for your family the next time you want to show them how much you care!
Ready to get started? Here we go.
1. Help With Their To-Do Lists
Helping your family with their to-do lists is a great way to show you love them and appreciate all they do. Whether it’s bringing in the garbage can or folding a load of clothes they may have dropped on the bed but haven’t had time to fold, there’s always something kind to do that won’t go unnoticed.
If your family is long-distance, then find something that has been on their to-do list for some time that they’ve yet to find the time to do and do it for them. For example, maybe your mom has had family recipes she wants to scan and keep in digital files, or perhaps she’s wanted to organize her family photos onto a digital scrapbook. Maybe one of your parents has always wanted to manage their recipes and create a cookbook. Thanks to modern technology, the opportunities to help out are endless!
2. Send Care Packages
Everyone loves receiving care packages in the mail from their favorite people, especially if you have a cousin or little sibling at college. College kids, it seems, are always needing more energy-fueled snacks and small reminders of home to keep them from getting too lonesome in a new setting.
However, every age family member would love to receive a box of goodies from you, from spouses or parents to high school-aged teens and younger kids. Send your uncle some of his favorite cookies, or sign up your dad to his favorite coffee subscription club to remind him each month when he opens his new bag of coffee how much you care about him. There are plenty of fun things you can pack into a care package to strengthen your family bond and stay connected.
3. Ask Older Members of Your Family for Stories
The older generation of your family has a lifetime of stories and experiences to share with the younger generation. Take some time to listen and learn from the wisdom, and you won’t regret it! Listen and learn from their life and share it with your children.
You could even record (with their permission) their stories and type up a copy for all of your family members to have a record of your remarkable family history. Of course, they’ll all cherish however you choose to organize their favorite older members of your family’s wealth of knowledge. What a great reminder to everyone how much you love and care for the stories from their past.
4. Write Letters of appreciation
Pull out your favorite stationery; it’s time to write a letter.
Writing letters is a wonderfully kind thing to do for any member of your family. Whether your sibling is gone to college for the semester or you have a relative serving in the military overseas, who doesn’t love getting unexpected letters and cards in the mail?
When thinking of ways to show your family members kindness, you don’t have to do anything extravagant or complicated. Sometimes a simple letter sharing how much you love and appreciate someone is more than enough to demonstrate that you love them.
Another great way to show kindness to your family through the mail is to send fun and exciting postcards from your travels! Whenever you go somewhere fun, drop a postcard in the mail telling them all the fun you’re having. What better way to show kindness than sending little reminders that even though you were having fun on vacation, you still thought of them!
5. Call Your Loved Ones
That’s right, picking up the phone and calling your family is an easy way to make them smile, especially in the age of social distancing. They would all love to hear your voice and get updates on what’s going on in your life — or even just a quick hello. Calling your relatives on the phone is especially important for keeping up with the older members of your family. They may be lonely at times or missing their children and grandchildren, and a short and simple phone call is just what they need to put a smile on their face, and yours too!
Special occasions and celebrations are another great time to call your family members. It’s a truly touching way to say I thought of you on your special day and wanted to let you know how much I care. A great way to celebrate their birthday, especially when they live far away, is to get the whole family involved.
For example, you could put the phone on speaker to sing happy birthday together to bring them abundant joy and happiness! You can even bake a cake and cover it with decorations, then use Facetime or Zoom to show them your handiwork.
When showing your family members kindness, you don’t have to do anything extravagant or complicated. Sometimes a simple letter sharing how much you appreciate someone is more than enough to demonstrate that you love them.
6. Spend Quality Time Together
You may have heard the saying it’s better to give than to receive when it comes to gifts, but did you know the same is true when it comes to spending time with those you love? It’s true! Spending quality time with those you care about is a beautiful way to show them kindness, but it also makes us feel happy!
By spending quality time with your family, you give them your complete and undivided attention. And in today’s world, that is one of the best ways to practice kindness to those you care about because you are putting the world on pause on putting someone else first. In addition, listening to your family shows you genuinely care for them and want to spend time together.
If you’re not sure how to add more family time to your week, try planning a family activity day! This idea lets you block out time each week for games, movie nights, backyard football games, and more. It’s the perfect time for gathering in the living room for a board game, a round of Uno, or some Netflix and bowls of popcorn.
You can also use your family activity day to spend time in the great outdoors! Build an obstacle course, head to a local park, set up tents and camp in the backyard, or set up a sprinkler on the lawn and run around in it. Family activity day is also the perfect time for crafts, from making a custom t-shirt for each family member to decorating the driveway with sidewalk chalk. The possibilities are endless.
Other ideas for your family activity day include:
- Playing tic-tac-toe
- Charades
- Classic board games like Monopoly or a kid-friendly card game
- Showing off your creativity with markers, colored pencils, and other art supplies
- Making a time capsule
- Going out for ice cream
- Building a blanket fort
- Playing dress-up
7. Surprise Them With a Visit
Your family would love a surprise visit from you. Whether they live close by or far away, surprising them with a holiday is one of the most exciting, unexpected moments you could give your relatives. Your grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles are sure to know how much they mean to you when you plan a surprise visit.
A surprise party is a fun way to get involved in each other’s lives, such as birthdays, graduations, or career advancements. However, you don’t have to make a surprise visit just during special occasions to do something kind for your family. It could be a random weekend you have off or a time when they sounded incredibly lonely on the phone. Whenever you choose to visit, your family will love to see you.
8. Take Them for Coffee or Lunch
Getting coffee or lunch together is a great way to be kind to your family. Plus, it’s fun for you too. If your family lives close by, find a random day you could take them to get coffee at their favorite coffee shop or get lunch on their break from work. If they work close to where you are, you could even bring lunch to their office and spend their lunch break with them. Check first to see what works best for them, and then grab their favorite takeout or coffee. You’ll be glad you took the time to hang out with them.
9. Get Creative With Communication
As much as your long-distance family would love a handwritten letter or a phone call from you, a truly memorable way of communicating would be through our Lovebox Original Color & Photo! It is an especially great choice for multiple family members in several locations because you can include as many people as you’d like in one message. In addition, the Lovebox Original Color & Photo is a connected messaging device that goes beyond regular communication to show your family how much you love them.
It’s a unique way of communicating with simple technology and our easy-to-use design is perfect for all ages, from grandparents to children. You can get as creative as you’d like with your messages with everything from customizable stickers to photos to postcards. Scheduling your messages in advance and setting reminders is easy. Plus, it is fully customizable so that everyone can choose their own Lovebox Spinny!
10. Make a Family Scrapbook
Are there family pictures of relatives and family events that other members of your family may not have? Make a digital family scrapbook of your family’s time together for everyone to enjoy. Taking the time to make a family scrapbook is a kind and personalized way of showing your family how much they mean to you and how unique your memories together are for you.
Thanks to modern technology, you can make a digital scrapbook so as many members as you’d like can join in the fun! Plus, you can quickly and easily scan in older photos and add your new digital images to the scrapbook without any problems. A fun way to get everyone involved is to ask your family members to share entertaining stories or memories from different events or occasions. Your family will love it!
11. Map Your Family Tree
It’s always fun finding out about your heritage. And thanks to the popularity of online programs to help you understand your lineage, it’s easier than ever. Your family will appreciate the time it took for you to map out your heritage. Plus, it’s a great way to show kindness to the future generations of your family so they will have a copy of their family’s unique history.
Be creative with it. Get your relatives to share their photos, memorabilia, or knowledge and use an online family tree program to put everything together. Reach out to new family members you may have found along the way and include them in the project. The more, the merrier! Showing your family kindness can be just as much for you as it is for them.
12. Practice Gratitude
An excellent way to show your family kindness is to cultivate an environment of gratefulness and thankfulness. Leave any negativity or complaining at the door and stay positive with your family. Practicing daily gratitude can improve our moods, make us happier, and encourage those around us to do the same. Your family will take notice and learn to practice gratefulness in their own lives.
Love Your Family
Overall, finding kind things to do for your family can be as rewarding for you as for them. The list of kind things to do for your family is endless, but hopefully, our suggestions will help you get started on practicing kindness with your family members. Remember being kind doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money.
There are many ways you can spread kindness to your family by incorporating acts of kindness into your daily routine. Then, whatever you choose to show kindness to your loved ones, they will know you care by your actions!
Sources:
Kindness with Family and Friends | Healthy Relationships Initiative
