Clean Up Your Neighborhood

kids picking up trach and litter in neighborhood

Take pride in your community.

Picking up litter is a fun, simple, and free activity that can have instant results for your child and your community.

Possible recipients

Anyone who enjoys a pristine neighborhood, park, beach, or public walkway.

What you’ll need

Instructions

  1. Assign gloves and a trash collection gear to each family member.

  2. Clear out litter from a section of park, beach, vacant lot, or your own neighborhood. Take all necessary precautions, including wearing sturdy gloves, being careful on river banks or near roads, having adults handle dangerous items, and supervising children closely. You can pick your favorite walk and do a one-time sweep, or make clean-up a regular family event.

  3. Properly dispose of all litter.

Reflections

  • Did you find a lot of litter? What kind of litter did you see most often? What could be done to help with that problem?

  • Why is it important to pick up litter?

  • How do you feel when you see litter?

  • How can you inspire others to help keep the neighborhood clean?

  • What other ways can we take care of the spaces where we live?

Resources

  • Colonel Trash Truck by Kathleen Crawley
    The colonel is on a mission to protect the beauty of the earth by cleaning up litter — and convincing others to do the same.

  • Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter
    This hilarious story is sure to inspire your whole family to be mindful of your environmental impact.

Take it further

  • Take a few digital photos of what you’ve picked up. Then have your family send an essay about your experience along with your favorite photo, your names, age(s), and address to mail@wildernessproject.org. Your essay will be published on the Nicodemus Wilderness Project website, your children’s names will appear in the Registry of Apprentice Ecologists, and you’ll get an official certificate. For tips on conducting the clean-up and writing the story, as well as essays and photos from other apprentice ecologists, visit the website.

  • Have each family member pick up five pieces of trash each time you visit the park before you start playing.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Try a Nature Scavenger Hunt

Explore the outdoors with our printable checklist!

When children learn to appreciate and enjoy nature, they are more likely to grow into adults who value and protect our environment.

That’s why we've gathered great clues for a scavenger hunt to liven up your next walk in the woods. Pack a picnic, lace up your hiking boots, and head outside to explore.

Possible recipients

Click here to print your scavenger hunt.

Enjoy exploring nature as a family, invite friends along, or bring this activity to your scout’s meeting, classroom, or community gathering.

What you’ll need

Optional — and fun! — additions to take it further

Instructions

  • Modify our list to fit your scene (park, nature center, woods, seashore, backyard, etc.)

  • Color in items as you go or draw/write about your discoveries in the blank boxes.

  • For very young kids, consider filling in the blank boxes with items you think they will enjoy finding.

  • For older kids, consider downloading the iNaturalist app and encourage them to use the app to help identify the plants, trees, tracks, and creatures they discover.

Reflections

  • Talk about your hunt:

    • Which item was your favorite?

    • Which was most difficult to find?

    • Which did you find first?

    • What senses did you use on your hunt? What did you smell in nature? Feel? Hear?

  • Albert Einstein, famed theoretical physicist, once said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” What do you think he meant?

  • How does your body feel when you are spending time in nature? How does your mind feel?

Resources

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Greet Deliveries with Gratitude

Create a display to share sweet treats and thanks.

The growing popularity of online shopping requires a fleet of bustling delivery professionals. Take a moment to say thanks!

Possible recipients

Use this new DGT™ printable, or create your own message of gratitude. Consider offering individually-packaged water bottles, sports drinks, granola bars, candy, or even a gift card as well.

The myriad of folks delivering cards and gifts through UPS, USPS, FedEx, Amazon, and around the world

What you’ll need

  • Card stock, white

  • Card stock, decorative

  • Markers

  • Scissors

  • Tape

  • Heavy-duty straw or dowel

  • Decorative container

  • Candy, candy canes, or other simple takeaway treats. Northerners may want to hand out mitten and boot warmers!

Instructions

Tape a heavy duty straw or dowel to the back of your card stock.

  • Write your greeting on a piece of white card stock. Create your own message or use this from one of Doing Good Together's compassionate families:

    UPS, USPS, FedEx, Amazon, etc.
    Happy Holidays!
    Thank you for working so hard to deliver gifts and cards.
    Please take one!
    (Our visitors are welcome to enjoy one as well, of course.)

  • Glue or tape your sign to a piece of decorative card stock.

  • Tape the straws to the back of your assembled sign.

  • Display your sign in your decorative container filled with treats.

  • Place your display near the door where you receive deliveries. Be sure to keep it well-stocked!

Reflections

  • How would your holiday be different if you had to pick up every package and greeting card at the post office or store instead?

  • How would you feel if you discovered an unexpected treat with a thank you note?

  • Brainstorm creative ways to share kindness and appreciation with service providers in your life.

Resources

  • The Giant Hug by Sandra Horning Follow a hug on its heart-warming adventure through the postal system all the way to Granny’s house. This story offers many opportunities to empathize with the emotions of mail carriers.

  • Good People Everywhere by Lynea Gillen
    This sweet book helps children recognize and appreciate all of the kind things people do to make our communities great.

Take it Further

  • Leave a handcrafted note and a gift card in your mailbox or taped to your garbage and recycling receptacles.

  • Keep cheerful thank you notes on hand to leave for servers in restaurants or cashiers in busy stores.

  • Call store managers to "report" especially kind or gracious service.

  • Share this project beyond the winter holidays. Share Valentine's Day candy, May Day flowers, or Halloween treats. Adapt this project for any of your favorite holidays and spread cheer when you feel it most.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Design a Giving Plate

Share baked goods and the gift of giving

This little bake-and-share activity is sure to become a family favorite. Create a plate designed to be re-gifted, load it with goodies, and start a ripple of kindness.

Possible recipients

Share your gift with new or isolated neighbors, sick or stressed friends, or even service providers you meet on a regular basis, like the mail carrier or bus driver.

What you’ll need

  • Plain white ceramic plate (available at any dollar store)

  • Black, fine-tipped permanent marker, such as a Sharpie

  • Permanent markers, assorted colors

  • Your choice of treats to share

Instructions

To create a plate that inspires recipients to pay it forward, write something like:

Enjoy this treat,
We think you’re GREAT!
When you’re through,
Please pass the plate.

Or, if you don’t want your recipient to feel compelled to pass it on, write:

Enjoy these sweets,
And this gift of art.
Our world is brighter
Thanks to your big heart.

  • Have your children choose one of the poems on the right, or write their own.

  • Write the words with a thin, black Sharpie around the outside edge of the plate.

  • Invite your kids to decorate the plate with a simple design. Remind them not to draw over their poem.

  • Then bake the plate in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Cool completely. Your creation will then be permanent, if washed by hand.

  • Package your treats on the newly-decorated plate. Consider adding a card full of well-wishes and cheer.

  • Deliver your giving plate to a neighbor or friend.

Reflections

  • Why might it feel good to receive a handmade holiday card?

  • What gestures of kindness have others done for you over the holidays?

  • Why is it nice to bring family and friends together to do this type of project?

  • What other holiday surprises can you come up with to show someone you care?

Resources

  • The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell. A wonderful story for inspiring a discussion about the power of friendship, appreciation for what we have, and the true meaning of gift-giving.

  • Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson. Introduce the idea that kindness is contagious, and watch kindness circle the globe in just a few days. Mary, as ordinary as any other kid, starts it all with a special delivery. The rhythm and rhyme of this book make it a fun read-aloud experience, too.

Take it Further

  • If you are giving your gift to another family with children, don't bake your plate. Instead, print these project instructions and let them know they can wash the plate clean for their own designs before they pass it on.

  • Each time you bake together, make some extra to give to a neighbor or friend.

  • Gather a group of friends and make several types of treats and several giving plates to share with lots of people.

  • Decorate coffee mugs in the same way and deliver them with hot chocolate mix or apple cider mix.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Host a Card-Making Party

Add creative kindness to every holiday!

Think of all the people who would be cheered by your handiwork! Whether your cards feature ghostly knock-knock jokes for Halloween, over-the-top puns for Valentine’s Day, or festive cheer for the winter holidays, your work is sure to make someone smile.

Possible recipients

Reach out to a local nursing home or hospital to find out how many cheerful holiday cards they need and when you might be able to deliver them.

Or connect with one of these great, national organizations:

What you’ll need

  • Plain paper or blank card

  • Envelopes (optional, depending on how/where you distribute your cards)

  • Markers, crayons, and other decorating supplies

Instructions

  • Decide on your recipients. If you choose a local institution (hospital, care facility, veteran’s home), call first to be sure they can take your donation.

  • Invite friends and family over for festive card making.

  • Decorate! You may want to write happy holiday messages, but make sure to keep them non-denominational unless the institution serves only one religious group.

  • Mail your cards or take them to a local facility. If the latter, ask if you can go from room to room delivering the cards personally. If not, ask a staff member to deliver them to residents who most need cheering up.

Reflections

  • Why might it feel good to receive a handmade holiday card?

  • What gestures of kindness have others done for you over the holidays?

  • Why is it nice to bring family and friends together to do this type of project?

  • What other holiday surprises can you come up with to show someone you care?

Resources

Take it Further

  • If you deliver your cards to a local organization, think about including baked goods or flowers. Be sure to check with the organization first.

  • Make bookmarks or other flat, handmade items to include in the cards.

  • If you had fun making cards, make it a monthly tradition!

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Create and Deliver May Day Baskets

Deliver goodies on May 1st!

May Day offers the perfect opportunity to bring good cheer to people you often rush past. Join in this fun tradition, and celebrate your neighbors and friends!

Possible recipients

Anyone in your child’s circle who’d get a kick out of a little surprise kindness — neighbors, friends, or family.

What you’ll need

Instructions

  • Instructions

    • Create your May Day Basket. Discover tips for creating baskets from recycled newspaper, simple paper plates, recycled cans, and more.

    • Fill with flowers and/or sweets. Discover a template for flowers here. Add a packet of garden seeds, homemade cookies, or special chocolate.

    • Write uplifting, cheerful notes. Use one of the three templates

    • Deliver to recipients. Kids enjoy the excitement of trying to make their deliveries anonymously.

Reflections

  • How would it (or does it) feel to receive a May Day basket from someone?

  • How does it feel to offer a small gesture of kindness?

  • Why is it important to do small things for those in our community?

  • What other ways can we show your appreciation and love for our friends and neighbors throughout the year?

Resources

Take it Further

  • Deliver your baskets to a local nursing home, hospital or veteran’s home.

  • Create other May Day crafts to give away.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

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Cultivate a Gratitude Garden

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Turn gratitude into a beautiful display!

By taking the time to notice and appreciate good things in your life, you'll teach children to cultivate gratitude all year round. Use our gratitude garden printable below, create your own gratitude tree, or dream up your own display!

What you’ll need

  • Our printable template for a Gratitude Garden sign, and for our flower petals.

  • A variety of beautiful paper. Magazines, reused wrapping paper, or newspaper print work, as well as construction and scrapbook paper.

  • Recycled container for your garden – a tin can is perfect, a cracker box with the top half cut off works well too.

  • Markers

  • Glue or tape

  • Buttons, fabric, pipe cleaners, or other embellishments

Instructions

  • Print our templates.

  • Decorate the gratitude fence and glue or tape it to your base.

  • Cut simple petal shapes out of your favorite decorative paper.

  • Cut stems in various lengths (6” to 12”) out of repurposed cereal or pasta boxes.

  • Reflect: what are you grateful for? Write one thing on each petal.

  • Place your garden somewhere nearby, along with any leftover petals and stems. Remember to add to it from time to time, perhaps after family dinner or during a weekend morning over coffee and cocoa.

Reflection

  •  As quickly as you can, list 20 things you are grateful for.

  • List one thing you are grateful for that indulges each of your senses.

  • List something you are grateful for in every season (or month).

  • Why is it so easy to forget the many things we are grateful for when we discover something new that we desperately want?

  • How can we remind ourselves to be satisfied with the good things already in our lives?

  • What if we woke up tomorrow and only had the things we expressed gratitude for today? What should we be sure to add to our gratitude garden?

Resources

Browse the books in Doing Good Together’s picture books to inspire gratitude for your next family favorite!

  • Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera
    After getting into the spirit of writing thank you notes for her birthday gifts, Grace decided to keep going. Watch what happens as she shares her thank you notes all over town. For anyone who wonders what thankfulness in action looks like, this sweet story will be an inspiration.

  • Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora
    This story is a bit like Stone Soup in reverse. Omu (pronounced Ah-moo) creates a stew so tasty, that her neighbors can’t help but ask for a bowl. Her gracious giving leaves Omu with an empty pot at dinner time. But don’t worry, her generosity hasn’t gone unnoticed! This beautiful story is full of opportunities to talk about giving, gratitude, and how we can show appreciation for those around us.Take it further

Take it further

Browse the projects in our Big-Hearted Families Tookit!

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

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Create & Share Car Window Poetry

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Spread poetry and smiles!

Tap into your family’s creativity and share simple messages of inspiration, hope, and joy.

Potential Recipients

Tuck your poetry under the car window wipers wherever you happen to be.

What you’ll need

  • Art supplies: Crayons or colored pencils, scissors, clear packing, and tape or laminating paper

Instructions

  • Create short, heart-warming poems, jokes, or artwork. You may want to use the free Car Window Poetry cards available here.

  • Place your poems on car windows outside your school, playground, library, a busy grocery store, or wherever you happen to be. Note: if it's raining or remarkably windy, postpone this step a bit.

  • Post your poems on Instagram with the #CarWindowPoetry. While you're at it, kindly add #DoingGoodTogether as well!

Reflection

  • What kind of words, pictures, and ideas make us smile? Feel hopeful? Feel brave?

  • What can we share that might cheer up other people if they’re having a hard day?

  • How would you feel if you found a note like this in our car?

  • Can we target this project? Who in our community could use some extra encouragement? Can we think of any organizations we might want to support (nurses at a local clinic, teachers at a local school)?

Resources

Browse the lists in Doing Good Together’s picturebook poetry collection for your next family favorite!

Take it further

Browse the projects in our Big-Hearted Families Tookit!

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Practica la Amabilidad

Una Guía para Iniciar para las Familia Hispanohablantes

La amabilidad es un músculo. Mientras más lo practica, más crece la compasión de su hijo/a. Al practicar la amabilidad, su familia hará un buen impacto en su comunidad ahora y en los años siguientes mientras su hijo/a se convierte en un adulto/a cariñoso y generoso.

Además, la concentración de su familia en la amabilidad tendrá un impacto oderoso en la salud de su hijo/a. Los investigadores nos dicen que inspirar a nuestros hijos a que ayuden a los demás puede tener beneficios significativos para su salud física y mental.

¿Por qué animar la amabilidad?

Los niños que son enseñados a cuidar a los demás ganan la alegría de ayudar, junto con muchos otros beneficios de salud, incluyendo:

  • Autoestima más alta

  • Menos estrés

  • Más optimismo

  • Más probabilidad de evitar la actividad criminal

  • Más probabilidad de permanecer en la escuela

  • Mejor salud mental

Imprimibles Gratis para Apoyar la Practica de la Amabilidad de su Familia

¡Elija su proyecto favorito para empezar!

¡Manténgase en Contacto!

Deje que get Doing Good Together (Haciendo el Bien Juntos) inspire el próximo acto de amabilidad de su familia. Los siguientes recursos solo están dispuestos en inglés por el momento.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Paint Comfort Stones

Offer support and hope in times of grief.

Decorate smooth stones with comforting messages and images. Then share them with people (or organizations supporting people) who are grieving.

Possible recipients

Share your creations with a local organization that supports grieving families, for example, Brighter Days Family Grief Center in Minneapolis, or with people in your life who are coping with loss.

What you’ll need

Instructions

  • Using paint markers, decorate a rock with a simple message or image of support.

  • Some examples include:

    • Words: Love, Peace, Strength, Hope

    • Images: Heart, Sun, Peace Sign, Get Creative!

  • Let your stones dry completely.

  • Deliver them in as a family.

Reflection questions

These questions are intended for families and children supporting others who are grieving. If you are supporting a child who has lost a loved one, the Dougy Center: The National Center for Grieving Children and Families, is incredibly helpful.

  • How do you think people feel about talking about death and grief? How do you feel about talking about grief? Do you have any questions about it?

  • Have you experienced grief or loss? Do you feel comfortable telling your story?

  • Death is a natural and inevitable part of life. How do you think our culture talks about death and dying? Can you recall books or movies that show examples of death or grief?

  • How does our family celebrate the lives of our loved ones when they die?

Resources

  • Cry Heart, But Never Break by Glenn Ringtved
    This simple, beautifully-told story from award-winning Danish author Glenn Ringtved, features death as a gentle houseguest. He then tells four children a story to help them understand grief, loss, and the importance of saying goodbye.

  • The Five Lives of My Cat Zook by Joanne Rocklin
    This deceptively light-hearted book features Oona, her brother Fred, and their ailing cat Zook. Oona and Fred are grieving for their father, who passed away a year before the action opens in the story. Laugh and cry with them on their journey to come to terms with the tumultuous cycles of life and death.

Take it further

  • If you’re creating stones for a grief support center, ask what other volunteer needs they may have.

  • Craft supportive, encouraging cards to share along with your stones.

  • Tell stories about loved ones your family has lost, recently or long ago. Young children love to hear family stories and it’s comforting to keep loved ones close through story.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

4 Elements of a Kindness Practice

Get started with DGT’s big-hearted basics.

Our tools and resources are designed to help you launch a kindness practice with your family.

Not all at once.

Not in an overwhelming way.

The four strategies below will help launch your kindness practice in increments, one simple act, book, or conversation each day.

““A family kindness practice is not simply an occasional volunteer engagement. It’s a way of moving through your busy days with intention, empathy, and wonder.”
— arah Aadland, Big-Hearted Families™ Program Director

Make kindness a priority!

Take a look at your family’s schedule and find a way to build small acts of kindness into the activities you already enjoy.

Give it a try:

2. Read Widely Together

The stories you share offer a great opportunity for big conversations. Through literature, you can explore a range of social issues, emotional states, and personal challenges from your own home and in your own time!

Give it a try:

  • Print and use DGT’s conversation starters for any story.

  • Browse our topical book lists.

  • Read often. Bedtime stories, of course, but also over breakfast, in waiting rooms, and on lazy Saturday mornings. Keep reading long after they learn to read to themselves. In fact, read with your child until they demand you stop, and maybe just a little longer.

3 Reflect Together:

Sparking conversations on your kind acts, books, and experiences teaches kids how to ask big questions, how to make earnest observations, and how to walk in the shoes of another.

Give it a try:

4. Volunteer Together

We come to these last only because volunteer experiences are less frequent.

No matter how often you schedule volunteer events, they will make a huge impact on your children. Some of our member favorites include:

Give it a try:

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Adopt Everyday Habits

Add heart to your routines with our printable menu!

Our daily routines define our lives. After all, we are what we do day after day.

By adopting one or two simple, caring routines, you'll give your children a strong sense of themselves as helpers. In this way, big-hearted habits empower kids to become thoughtful, engaged citizens throughout their lives.

We’ve created a menu of big-hearted family routines, pairing our favorite habits with the cues that have worked best for members of the DGT Family.

“The less you isolate acts of kindness into their own once-in-a-while calendar slots, the more generosity simply becomes a way of life.”
— Sarah Aadland, Doing Good Together

Don’t feel daunted by the complete list below. You aren’t meant to tackle them all at once!

  • Choose one or two favorites.

  • Use them as inspiration to design your own big-hearted routine.

  • Add or change the routine as your child grows.

By adopting a few, well-timed habits, you may be surprised how easy it is to move from good intentions to positive actions.

Instructions

  • Download and print our Menu of Big-Hearted Habits..

  • Invite your family to browse through the ideas and discuss which ones might work best.

  • Choose one or two routines to adopt.

  • Decide on a reward you can enjoy together after you've reached a goal or milestone. For example, if you stick with your habit for two straight weeks, you may want to take your family out for ice cream or have a dance party together.

Read about it!

Inspire your whole family to live generously with excellent picture books and big-hearted conversation starters. Pick your favorites from our growing list and get started today!

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Create a Kindness Quilt Display

Celebrate good deads and grow empathy muscles!

Research confirms that accountability is a key way to foster new habits and reach difficult goals. By letting your family know that kindness and helping others is a priority, you’re setting high expectations for follow-through.

This project pairs perfectly with The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. As you'll see in the book, taking time to focus on everyday acts of kindness makes us all strive to do more.

Create your own “kindness quilt” with DGT’s Kindness Quilt printable, or set up your own creative display of kindness.

Get creative! Your squares can become a quilt, a banner, a bulletin board, or a collage! Use them to inspire kids to notice the kindness they give and receive.

What you’ll need

  • Colored pencils, crayons, or pens

  • Scissors

  • Painter’s Tape

  • Colored paper and glue (optional)

Instructions

  • First, read the book The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. Watch what happens when Mrs. Cooper challenges her students to share acts of kindness and depict them in drawings! Don't let the cute, simple design of this book fool you. Children will be excited to make their own display!

  • Choose large squares for younger kids or art enthusiasts or small squares for large groups and older kids.

  • Cut apart the squares.

  • Place squares and drawing supplies where your kids can easily grab them. 

  • Create space on your wall to display your quilt squares as you draw on them.

  • Choose a time of day to regularly spend a few minutes talking about kindness.

  • Try to answer the following questions:

·   How did you share kindness today?

·   How did your action make you feel?

·   How do you think it made others feel?

·   How did someone help you today?

  • If you’re feeling crafty, embellish your quilt squares. Like Minna in our story, gather scrap paper and glue to create backgrounds. Then tape them on your wall to create a quilt just like in the story.

Reflection Questions

  • After a few days of adding to your quilt, ask: Did you enjoy focusing on kindness? Should we continue adding to our quilt?

  • Do you find it easier to recognize (and be thankful for) the kindness others do for you when you know you'll be talking about kind acts later with your family?

  • Can we brainstorm a list of new kindness ideas you might want to try?

Resources

Take it Further

  • To keep a daily focus on kindness, print a stack of our Pithy Placemats, now in several new versions. They help bring big-hearted conversations to every family meal.

  • Commit to a monthly family act of kindness tailored to book lovers like you. Send books each month to a child in need of reading materials with our Feed Hungry Minds project.

Browse the projects in our Big-Hearted Families Tookit!

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

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Support Reach Out and Read

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Deploy books to build strong brains.

Join thousands of families nationwide and support programs right in your community by donating books (both new and gently-used), improving literacy-rich waiting rooms, and reading aloud to children at select program sites.

Potential Recipients

Support your local Reach Out and Read affiliate or the national Reach Out and Read program.

What you’ll need

  • Art supplies: Crayons or colored pencils, scissors, clear packing, and tape or laminating paper

Instructions

Learn more about Reach Out and Read!

Your family can support Reach Out and Read in lots of fun ways!

  • Host a virtual book drive (they make it easy!) and build a book oasis.

  • Host a gently-used book drive (as local pandemic conditions allow).

  • Volunteer directly as local opportunities become available.

Reflection

  • In high-poverty communities in the U.S., there is only one book for every 300 children. (In higher-income neighborhoods, there are about 13 books for every child.) Does your family have access to good picture books and chapter books?

  • Is there a favorite book or series you feel especially grateful for?

  • Do you have a favorite reading spot at home? If so, talk about a time when you read there recently. If not, talk about what your dream book oasis might look and feel like.

Resources

Take it further

  • Donate favorite books to a local shelter or children’s hospital.

  • Host a book drive for a shelter or organization in need.

  • Volunteer to read to seniors at a nearby nursing home.

Browse the projects in our Big-Hearted Families Tookit!

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Start a Family Book Club

Grow big hearts one story at a time.

Grownups have book clubs – why not families? At Doing Good Together we’ve pioneered what we call the Big-Hearted Family Book Club.

We encourage families to pair a book with a related act of service, which means children get to practice kindness and build empathy while also developing a passion for books, conversation, and generosity.

Potential Recipients

Your whole family will benefit from the meaningful time you spend together. The impact of your service work will vary based on the project you choose to pair with your book.

What you’ll need

  • Supplies will vary based on the service project or kindness activity you choose to accompany your book.

Instructions

  • Set time aside for your recurring family book club

  • As a family, browse DGT’s Read with Empathy collection and choose 4 to 6 chapter books or picture books on a variety of topics

  • As a family, browse DGT’s Pick-a-Project collection to discover service project ideas that work with your chosen topics (Hint: all of DGT’s projects feature book titles and/or applicable book lists)

Explore DGT's Book Lists
Global Poverty Books.jpg
Picutre Books that Illuminate Hunger in America
Celebrate Love this Valentine's Day with Books
Seniors & Aging
citizenship - small.jpg
poetry book image.png
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Graphic summary for picture books about death.jpg
Stories to Inspire Imaginations

Reflection

  • Was it difficult to agree on a book or books to read?

  • What do you look for in a service project? Do you prefer crafts that provide comfort or projects that directly fight poverty? Something else?

  • What issues do you want to learn more about as a family? Why? Can you find book titles that speak to that issue?

Resources

Take it further

  • Invite friends, extended family, or neighbors to participate in your Big-Hearted Book Club

  • Share your story of service and reflection with the charitable organization you supported (like the food pantry in our example above). They can use your story to amplify their mission and inspire others to support their work.

Browse the projects in our Big-Hearted Families Tookit!

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

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Plant a Row for the Hungry

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Dedicate a row of your garden to a local food shelf.

Everyone enjoys fresh produce. Help struggling families in your community by sharing your bounty. 

Possible Recipients

Your local food pantry, soup kitchen, or deserving neighbors and friends. Learn more about the Garden Writer’s Association Plant a Row for the Hungry initiative.

What you’ll need

  • A garden

  • A bag or box to carry your freshly picked goods

  • Optional: card-making materials

Instructions

  • Call your local food pantry or soup kitchen to make sure they can accept your donation. AmpleHarvest.org offers a simple tool to find the nearest food pantry.

  • Plant one row in your garden that you plan to donate.

  • When it’s ready, harvest your produce.

  • If you’d like, attach a card saying something like, “From the garden of ___“ or “Fresh to you! Enjoy!”

  • Deliver to the nonprofit or to a friend or neighbor in need. If you choose a food pantry, ask about getting a tour.

Reflections

  • Why is it important to eat fresh fruits and vegetables?

  • Why might it be difficult for those with limited resources to get fresh produce?

  • How would it feel if you had to get your food from a food pantry?

  • What other ways can you share healthy, fresh foods with others?

Resources

Take it further

  • If you don’t have room to garden in your backyard, reserve a plot in a community garden. Get to know your neighbors and share your harvest!

  • If there’s not a community garden nearby, start your own. Get neighbors and friends to join in.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Start an Upcycle Bin

Repurpose would-be waste into craft supplies.

Create space in your home to store items that either can’t be recycled or can easily be repurposed before being recycled. Then encourage your children to use their imaginations, turning this would-be waste into something new.

Teaching our children to care for the earth is integral to teaching compassion. And as the complicated challenges of climate change and waste management demand global attention, the planet's health will be front and center in kids' lives. Here is one small, fun way your family can learn to become earth advocates.

Possible recipients

Get started with this quick video.

Encourage your family to get creative with clean, would-be waste materials, either as silly craft projects or as creations with clever new purposes.

What you’ll need

Click here to download and decorate a sign for your upcycle bin.

  • Our printable Upcycle Bin label

  • Crayons, colored pencils, or markers

  • Box or spare laundry basket

  • Duct tape

Instructions

  • First, decorate your poster.

  • Add three ideas for upcycled creations in the three blank spaces. Get inspired with our Kids Can Upcycle! Pinterest board.

  • Attach your poster to a large cardboard box.

  • Add a roll of duct tape.

  • Add unrecyclable plastics and other clean items you would otherwise toss whenever possible.

  • When you’re feeling crafty, create something new from the materials you gather!

Reflections

  • Can we think of some ways to use less plastic as a family? Let's make a list!

  • What are some things our family is already doing to conserve earth's resources and keep the planet clean?

Resources

Browse our growing collection of picture books for earth advocates.

Take it Further

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Celebrate Earth Day - Every Day

Practice daily acts of conservation.

Plant the idea of environmental stewardship in your children all year – not only on Earth Day – by making little changes in your daily life.

This simple video will help you get started!

Possible recipients

Your family, home, community, environment, and the earth.

What you’ll need

  • A willingness to make small changes in your everyday life

  • Computer with Internet access

  • Supplies vary based on the activities you choose.

Instructions

Our daily routines take a toll on the planet. It can be fascinating to show children how even their smallest activities add up to a significant impact.

Click here to start the questionnaire.

  • Take the plastic reduction challenge. DGT's quick and easy plastic reduction challenge will send you on a hunt for the single-use plastics you rely on in your home. Once you find them, brainstorm replacement options together.

  • Measure your carbon footprint. This kid-friendly calculator from the World Wildlife Federation makes it clear how your family’s choices impact the environment.

  • Adopt a new sustainable habit. This list of 50 ways to help the planet is full of easy-to-tackle changes in your everyday routine.

  • Consider going zero(ish) waste. If you're feeling ambitious, take this fun (and surprisingly doable!) month-long zero-waste challenge, listing one small change your family can make each day.

  • Create posters. If desired, use art materials to create fun, colorful reminders — pictures, signs — to help family members keep up their new habits.

Reflections

  • What good things are we already doing in our day to help the earth?

  • What simple changes can our family make to take even better care of our planet?

  • Why is it important to be good about recycling? composting? turning off the lights? taking shorter showers? turning off the water while brushing our teeth?

  • Why is it sometimes hard to make even small changes like these?

Resources

Take it further

  • Celebrate Earth Day by attending (or organizing) a community festival, planting trees, picking up litter, organizing a letter-writing or fundraising walk for environmental causes, or doing some activity that helps make a difference for our planet.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

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Become a Community Scientist

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Support scientists with hands-on efforts.

Thanks to smartphones, computers, and evolving technology, you can discover, learn about, and contribute to scientific research projects from anywhere in the world. SciStarter.com creates a shared space where people of all ages can get involved with the scientific process and scientists can crowdsource new data.

Possible recipients

Choose among hundreds of research projects searchable through SciStarter.com. Some are online only. Others get you out into nature. Still others put you to work analyzing results.

What you’ll need

  • Computer and internet access

  • Supplies vary depending on the project you choose

Instructions

  1. Register for a free account with SciStarter.com.

  2. As a family, browse available projects based on location and interest area. Educational projects with extra learning tools are available too.

  3. Choose a project and follow its instructions.

  4. Rate and review the project to inspire other community scientists.

  5. Some projects we recommend include:

Reflection Questions

  • What surprised you about doing citizen science? 

  • How has the experience changed your understanding of what science is or what scientists do?

  • What did you learn about community science? Do you think it is important or exciting? Why or why not?

  • What projects did you find most interesting? What projects did you find least interesting?

  • What project did you select and why? What do you think its impact will be?

  • Once you've completed your project, think of one or two related ideas you are curious about. How would you find the answers to those questions?

  • What are the limitations and possible challenges of engaging science enthusiasts in scientific research?

  • What are the benefits of encouraging everyone to participate in science?

Resources

  • Ruby’s Birds by Mya Thompson
    Join Ruby in discovering the fun of birdwatching, a pastime you can pursue wherever you are! Learn Ruby’s tips for taking nature walks, find out how to spot birds in your neck of the woods, and connect with Celebrate Urban Birds, a community science project at the Cornell Lab.

Take it further

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

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Advocate for Animals

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Raise your voice for endangered creatures.

Encourage your child to speak up for endangered animals with this unique project. Equal parts art project and advocacy letter, this project is an excellent introduction to active citizenship.

Invite your child to draw a picture or write a letter to advocate for their favorite animal.

Possible recipients

Elected officials, whether local, state, or federal.

What you’ll need

  • Drawing paper

  • Markers, crayons, or colored pencils

  • Notepaper

  • Envelop and stamp (if mailing)

Instructions

Get inspired with this fun video!

First, choose an animal friend in need of help.

  • Take half an hour or so to learn about endangered animals.
    Discover endangered animals in your state by visiting the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

  • Or take a global view and choose an animal from the World Wildlife Federation's complete global species list.

  • Help your child choose an animal to champion. As your child gets to know their chosen animal, be sure to answer these questions:

    • Why is this animal endangered?

    • What is this animal's greatest threat?

    • Who is working to protect this species? How?

    • What can our elected officials do to protect this creature and its ecosystem?

Second, illustrate the problem.

  • Gather drawing materials and create artwork featuring your chosen animal and its greatest threat.

  • Be sure your child signs their name and age.

Third, write a letter to your elected official.

  • Look up your congressional leaders here.

  • Write a letter asking your chosen official. Ask them to support policies that protect the animal and its ecosystem.

  • Mail (scan and email) your creation to your elected leaders.

  • Post the name, email address, phone numbers, and photo of your elected leaders in a prominent place - perhaps the refrigerator - in case your family has future issues to bring up.

  • If you get a response, post that as well!

Reflection questions

Resources

  • A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Robinowitz
    Meet Alan, a boy who loves animals. In fact, he struggles with a stutter unless he's speaking to animals. Alan has to overcome his stutter and find his voice when he encounters a zoo whose animals are in a sad state. Can one young voice make a difference?

  • Gamba - An Optimistic Mountain Gorilla Tale by DJ Burk
    Gamba is busy learning everything a gorilla needs to know to thrive with her family in the wild until tragedy strikes. Although people were responsible for Gamba's hardship, the kindness of humans also helps him in the end. This book will start a thoughtful conversation about how humans can make things better for animals.

Take it further

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.