ARK - Acts of Random Kindness for Kids & Adults with Free Printables

Children are great imitators. Would you like to make a difference in our world? Small acts of kindness amount to a huge difference, especially when you teach children to do service and develop compassion and charity. You are leading the way to a better future. You are wonderful if you notice and act upon people needing something. Anything can make a difference - even a smile or a hug.

ARK = ACTS OF RANDOM KINDNESS

ARK JAR GIFT with FREE PRINTABLES:

• Noah's Ark for Jar

• Ideas for Adult ARKs Jar

• Ideas for Kids ARKs Jar or Box

HELP CHILDREN HELP OTHERS

My daughter and I initiated Collect Teddy Bears for Policemen or Fire Firefighters by simply placing a box in the church foyer. Many children donated their gently used stuffed animals. Sarah had to think awhile about which stuffed animals to donate - but that is all right. She eventually donated quite a few. They went to children who were experiencing emergencies.

We also made a box to collect items for nursing homes such as lap blankets, non-slip socks, hats, gloves, housecoats, bird seed and bird feeders. I had purchased some ornaments at a 75% off After-Christmas sale. The staff''s faces really brightened when I donated them and also some used decorations I wanted to pass on.

CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS HELPING OTHERS:

My daughter is twenty-six and has special needs, yet here are some ways she and her friends help others:>

• Be a friend to another child with special needs

• Make pillows out of old t-shirts

• Help at school with xeroxing or office work

• Help at a daycare by being a buddy to a child who needs one

• Help clean a church, home or other establishment

• Write notes and make drawings for soldiers or residents in nursing homes

• Work in the church nursery or primary

• Tie a lap blanket. Cut strips around a flannel piece and tie adjoining strips in knots. Cut about 1"wide and 5" long. For a warmer blanket, place 2 pieces of same size flannel on top of each other. Cut them together and tie the front to the back. Sarah has made lap blankets for a boys' home, nursing homes, domestic violence shelter, and The Salvation Army.

Sarah made a box for her ARK notes. I call it her "Blessings Box." I bought the Noah's Ark stickers at a Christian bookstore. There are many free images of Noah's Ark on Free Clip Art. For free coloring pages, click on Noah’s Ark Coloring Pages

MORE IDEAS:

• LIGHT THE WORLD In 25 Ways - Over 25 Days leading to Christmas

• Give Back.lds.org

• Save the Children -To view a “Save the Children” video interview with Mark Shriver and others regarding poverty in the United States, click here. For more information to help feed children in America, where 1 in 5 children live in poverty, visit this site or help them feed children in other impoverished countries. I was shocked at the poverty in the United States.

• Red Cross.org needs blood, money and volunteers.

• Operation Gratitude lists many ways we can help. Teachers are needed to have students write letters, or drawings, of appreciation and support. Soldiers like to give donated beanie babies to children in war-ravished countries.

• World Wildlife.org helps save animals.

• Operation Shoe Box - Child Christmas - See a video on how shoebox gifts affect children.

• Operation International Kindness - Collects school supply kits to ship internationally.

• Imagination Library, Books for Kids and Reach Out and Read

A STRANGER PERFORMED AN ARK FOR ME!

One day I took my daughter to the zoo. We gave the train conductor a cap that I had when I taught kindergarten. I didn’t need it anymore and noticed that he did not have one. He was so happy to have the cap that he insisted that we ride the train for free that day. Later, when we stopped at the convenience store to buy drinks, the cashier told me, “That’s okay, ma'am. It’s been taken care of.”

“Do I look that bad?” remembering how I had gulped down some of the drink and filled it to the top again. It had been a hot day at the zoo.

“No ma'am.” She smiled at me. “Sometimes this just happens.”

It sure made my day and I still remember this simple act of random kindness. I don’t know who to thank – so I’ve passed it on to a stranger.

                 When you're feeling down - 

               lift someone else up.

Need a gift for a teacher or parent? See Kindergarten: Tattle-Tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents and to prepare your child for kindergarten: The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn. Both are bestsellers and also available on Barnes & Noble and Kobo. The ebooks are only $3.99.

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