By Jaimi Erickson
Guest Blogger
There’s a saying we military spouses often follow: “Bloom where planted.” One way we can bloom where we are planted is by letting others know they are seen and loved. Showing love to others, by doing acts of kindness, is a great activity for building community.
Doing random acts of kindness is not limited to a specific time of the year. We put up an acts of kindness countdown calendar every winter. I repurposed my family’s Christmas acts of kindness calendar for February and Valentine’s Day.
The linked printable pages below will help you keep this activity simple and flexible. It can be adapted to your schedule.
Valentine’s Themed Acts of Kindness Calendar
The first step is to make some hearts. If you have kids, they can use stencils to trace hearts onto red and pink construction paper. If you do not have stencils, just freehand them. Then, cut out the hearts.
Number the hearts to correspond to the days of the month. Next, you need to choose your acts of kindness.
These printable acts of kindness cards are a flexible list of options. We print out the acts of kindness cards and cut them apart. After, we stick one card to the back of each heart. We stick the hearts up on our wall and they become part of our Valentine’s décor.
Each day of the month, you can read what act of kindness to complete as a family. I read the act of kindness listed on the heart for that day. The kids and I make a plan for completing the act of kindness together. If the day is going to be busy, we plan to complete the task within the week.
No Act of Kindness Is Too Small
These are not complicated, time-consuming tasks. Some of the acts of kindness we do are:
- Draw a thank you note on posterboard for the garbage collectors
- Set bubbles on a neighbor’s porch
- Draw pictures and send them to friends
- Write notes to friends who live far away
These ideas are all on the printable kindness cards for you. Just print them out and you are ready to go.
If your weeks are always busy, plan to do a few acts of kindness on the weekends. It is not necessary to complete one act a day. Although, we make that our goal. Flexibility is important so this activity remains fun and does not feel like a chore. After all, the goal is to spread kindness and feel happy for doing it.
The Whole Point Is Building Community
If committing to a month of extra acts of kindness is intimidating, keep this in mind:
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
The point of an activity like this is to focus on giving to others. That teaches our children a way to be proactive in building community. Showing kindness, even in simple ways, is an act of love and community-building.
When I feel homesick, doing one focused act of kindness a day makes me feel better. Giving is really a win-win activity. Military families can build our community where we are planted. With simple acts of kindness, we can help others feel appreciated.
About Jaimi Erickson
Jaimi is a mom of 4, military wife, and writer. She blogs about motherhood, kids activities and homemaking tips at The Stay-at-Home Mom Survival Guide. Connect with her on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.
