A kindness advent calendar, one small good thing a day.

At home

Start close. These take 10 to 30 minutes and need nothing you do not already have.

• Hide kind notes around the house

  Write little notes ("You give the best hugs") and hide them in shoes, pockets and lunchboxes for the family to find.

  15 minFreeAges 4 to 12

  You need: Sticky notes

• Do a surprise chore

  Secretly tidy a room, make someone’s bed or lay the table. Bonus points if nobody notices who did it.

  20 minFreeAges 3 to 12

  You need: Nothing

• Make breakfast in bed for a grown-up

  Kids plan and make (with a little help) a breakfast tray, with a handwritten menu and a paper flower.

  30 minFreeAges 4 to 12

  You need: Whatever is in the fridge

• Sit in a compliment circle

  Go round the dinner table. Everyone says one thing they like about the person on their left. Then switch direction.

  10 minFreeAges 3 to 12

  You need: Nothing

• Play secret buddy

  Everyone draws a name and secretly does something kind for that person today. Guess who your buddy was at dinner.

  20 minFreeAges 4 to 12

  You need: Names in a hat

• Start a gratitude jar

  Decorate a jar. Every evening this month, each person adds a slip of paper with one good thing from their day.

  15 minFreeAges 3 to 12

  You need: A jar, paper slips

• Write letters to each other

  Everyone writes or draws a short letter to each family member about what they love about them. Read them aloud.

  30 minFreeAges 4 to 12

  You need: Paper, envelopes

• Kids plan and cook dinner

  Kids choose the menu, write the shopping list and cook (grown-ups are kitchen assistants only). Rate it with stars.

  About an hourCosts a littleAges 8 to 12

  You need: Ingredients from their list

For family and friends

• Video call someone far away

  Call a relative or friend who lives far away. Show them your decorations and sing them a song.

  20 minFreeUp to 12

  You need: A phone or computer

• Send three thank-you voice messages

  Pick three people who made your year better and record a short voice message telling them why.

  10 minFreeAges 4 to 12

  You need: A phone

• Decorate a photo frame for a grandparent

  Glue buttons, pasta shapes or paper stars onto a cheap frame, then put a favourite family photo inside to give away.

  40 minCosts a littleAges 3 to 12

  You need: A plain frame, glue, decorations, a photo

• Interview a grandparent

  Call or visit and ask: What was December like when you were little? What was your best present? Record it on a phone.

  30 minFreeAges 5 to 12

  You need: Phone, list of questions

• Make a calendar for next year

  Draw one picture for each month and staple them above printed month grids. A perfect present for a grandparent.

  About an hourFreeAges 4 to 12

  You need: Paper, pens, a stapler

• Make friendship bracelets

  Knot or braid bracelets from embroidery thread in winter colours. Make one to keep and one to give away.

  45 minCosts a littleAges 7 to 12

  You need: Embroidery thread, tape

• Layer jars of hot chocolate mix

  Layer cocoa, sugar, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows in clean jars, tie on a label with the recipe, and give them as presents.

  30 minCosts a littleAges 4 to 12

  You need: Jars, cocoa, sugar, marshmallows

• Make handprint cards

  Paint little hands and press them onto card to make reindeer, trees or snowmen. Send them to grandparents.

  30 minFreeUp to 8

  You need: Card, washable paint

• Make fizzing bath bombs

  Mix bicarbonate of soda, citric acid and a little oil, pack into moulds, let them dry and wrap them as presents.

  45 minCosts a littleAges 5 to 12

  You need: Bicarbonate of soda, citric acid, oil, moulds

For neighbours, teachers and helpers

• Surprise a neighbour

  Leave a drawing, a homemade treat or a little note on the doorstep of a neighbour, especially one who lives alone.

  20 minFreeAges 1 to 12

  You need: Something homemade

• Thank the everyday helpers

  Make cards for the postie, the bin crew, the bus driver or the teachers, and leave them where they will be found.

  30 minFreeAges 3 to 12

  You need: Card, pens

• Make a gift for a teacher

  Make a card, a pot plant or a jar of cookies for a teacher or carer. Write one thing you loved learning.

  30 minCosts a littleAges 3 to 12

  You need: Depends on the gift

• Bake for a cookie swap

  Bake a big batch of one type of cookie and swap half with a friend or neighbour, so both families get two kinds.

  About an hourCosts a littleAges 4 to 12

  You need: Ingredients for your favourite cookie

• Sing carols to the neighbours

  Practise two songs, then sing them at a neighbour’s door (or for grandparents on a video call).

  30 minFreeAges 3 to 12

  You need: Song words, warm clothes

• Run a card factory

  Set up an assembly line: one person folds, one draws, one writes. Make cards for friends, teachers and neighbours.

  45 minFreeAges 3 to 12

  You need: Card, pens, stickers

For the wider world

• Choose toys to give away

  Each person picks toys or clothes in good condition to give to a charity shop or a family who needs them.

  30 minFreeAges 3 to 12

  You need: A box

• Shop for the food bank

  Let the kids pick a few things from your local food bank’s wish list and drop them off together.

  45 minSome moneyAges 3 to 12

  You need: A small food budget

• Make cards for a care home

  Make a stack of bright cards and drop them at a local care home for residents who may not get many visitors.

  45 minFreeAges 3 to 12

  You need: Card, pens

• Do a litter pick

  Take gloves and a bag on a walk and leave the park nicer than you found it. Count the pieces.

  30 minFreeAges 4 to 12

  You need: Gloves, a bag

• Make a bird feeder

  Roll a pine cone in peanut butter or lard and then in birdseed, hang it outside and watch who comes to visit.

  40 minCosts a littleAges 3 to 12

  You need: Pine cone, lard or peanut butter, birdseed

• Help the animal shelter

  Collect old towels and blankets or make simple dog toys from knotted T-shirts and drop them at a local animal shelter.

  About an hourCosts a littleAges 4 to 12

  You need: Old towels, T-shirts

• Paint kindness rocks

  Paint smooth stones with bright pictures and kind words, then hide them on a walk for others to find.

  45 minCosts a littleAges 3 to 12

  You need: Stones, acrylic paint

Making it stick

• Talk about it afterwards. Ask: how do you think they felt?
• Let children choose some of the acts. They care more about their own ideas.
• Do not make it a performance. Secret kindness counts double.
• Phone a care home or food bank first. Many have rules about what they can accept.
• Mix kindness days with fun days. A calendar of only good deeds can start to feel like homework.

Questions