1. Run a hot cocoa stand for charity. Donate profits to a local cause of your kid’s choice.
2. Compliment strangers boldly. Take a moment to say something uplifting to someone you encounter today.
3. Make pinecone feeders. Roll pinecones in peanut butter and bird seed, then hang on branches with yarn.
4. Write a thank-you. Surprise a custodian, postman or garbage man with a special card of gratitude.
5. Share your extra. Drop off new boxes of diapers or wipes at Two Lines Pregnancy Clinic for young families who are starting out.
6. Clean up a frozen trail. Pick up litter along a winter path.
7. Adopt a grandfriend. Visit an assisted living home to do puzzles or play games with residents.
8. Return a grocery cart. Older kids can offer to return carts for fellow shoppers; younger kids can tidy corrals.
9. Make origami flowers for teachers to perk up their desks.
10. Cheer on runners. Volunteer as a family to hand out water at a race or hold up handmade, encouraging signs.
11. Rescue breakfast! Donate boxes or bags of cereal to Hillcrest Transitional Housing for children facing homelessness.
12. Shovel a neighbor’s driveway. Team up to clear snow from a neighbor’s walk.
13. Craft valentines for seniors. Deliver heart-shaped cards to a nursing home.
14. Leave a positive review. Take dictation from your kiddos ot leave a 5-star Google review of their favorite KC park or local attraction.
15. Put kind words into practice. RSVP to KindCraft’s service project on Feb. 23 from 6:00-7:15.
16. Mail artwork to a homebound friend or family member. Instead of having masterpieces going “MIA,” drop them in the mailbox with a thinking-of-you note.
17. Tip generously. Visit The Golden Scoop with a special tip that your kiddo can hand over. It’s better to give than receive (even when it comes to ice cream).
18. Assemble Happy Kits for Children’s Mercy patients. Find Happy Kits guidelines on ChildrensMercy.org and brighten the day of patients and their families.
19. Give up your spot. Let someone go ahead of you in line or give up the window seat in the car.
20. Consider hosting a foreign exchange student, as they are rarely invited into American homes.
21. Treat a delivery worker. Let your child stock a “please-help-yourself” station on your porch with hand warmers and pre-packaged snacks.
22. Donate gently used books. Hands to Hearts KC collects books to stock homes and local libraries.
23. Open doors. Encourage your children to open or hold shop doors for others.
24. Thank a veteran. Have your child approach a veteran and say, “Thank you for your service tot his country.” If you see a veteran when you’re out to eat, pay for his or her meal anonymously.
25. Praise a waiter or barista by name. “Thank you, [name], for bringing our food. You’re so kind!”
26. Double up on dinner to bless someone else with a meal. Include the whole family in the meal prep, cleanup and delivery.
27. Enrich zoo animals’ world. Visit KansasCityZoo.org and shop the KC Zoo’s Animal Enrichment Wish List (which includes items like durable toys and safe treats) to help keep animals engaged in winter.
28. Complete an extra chore. Surprise a family member by finishing a task for him or her.

Please let us know how it goes as you engage in acts of kindness as a family! Share your story with us on Facebook, Instagram (@kcparentmagazine) or through our Contact Us page on KCParent.com. Beyond these 28 ideas, you can stay in the know about good news and good-deed opportunities by reading our Local Goodness column every month.