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!

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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.

Click here for more titles on this growing list.

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

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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?

Click here for more titles on this growing list.

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:

• cardsforhospitalizedkids.com

• colorasmile.org

• lovefortheelderly.org/letters.

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?

Click here for more titles on this growing list.

Resources

• Heartprints by P.K. Hallinan
  A sweet little story about the lasting impact your kindness can have on others.

• Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
  A grumpy, lonely man discovers the importance of friendship when he receives an unexpected package from an admirer. A compelling message about the power of kindness.

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 & Share Car Window Poetry

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

• This template from our friends at Car Window Poetry, available here (or create your own!)

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

Instructions

Hear one family’s story of this project in action here.

• 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!

• Lend a Hand: Poems about Giving by John Frank.
  So much good is captured in the pages of this book. Kind acts of children are captured in the thoughtful, observant way only poetry can accomplish.

• Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters
  This collection of poetry overflows with opportunities to launch big-hearted conversations.

Take it further

• Write poems to share with friends or neighbors in need of cheering up.

• Use poetry to inspire big-hearted conversations and critical thinking with these tools for educators from the National Poetry Foundation.

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.

Assemble Literacy Kits

Donate literacy kits to feed hungry minds.

Assemble literacy kits to ensure school-age children are set up for academic success.

Potential Recipients

Connect with a local organization that supports literacy, works with immigrants and refugees, or works with unhoused families. Lots of organizations are excited to receive a donation of literacy kits!

Before your start, reach out and ask what their needs are. Your organization may add to the list of essential items below.

What you’ll need

• Stationery

• Pens, crayons, or markers

• Gallon-sized resealable plastic bags or small canvas bags you can decorate.

• Permanent markers or fabric markers to decorate your choice of bag.

• Essentials

Essential Items You Might Include in Each Kit

• Composition notebook, with or without drawing space

• Pencils

• Erasers

• New or gently used book

• Alphabet stickers

• Colored pencils

• Big-Hearted Bookmarks

• DIY Kindness Journals

Instructions

• Create cheerful cards of encouragement for each kit.

• Fill each decorated plastic or fabric bag with the items you’ve gathered.

• Drop off your donations together.

Reflect Together

• What do you love most about reading?

• Can you name a favorite book or two? A favorite character or two?

• How could you persuade someone who doesn't love to read to try your favorite book?

• Do you like to visit the public library?

• Do you think it's important to make books available, for free, to everyone? Why or why not?

Resources

A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader edited by Maria Papova and Claudia Bedrick
Perfect for book lovers ages 10 and up, this collection of deliciously inspiring essays features writers from Neil Gaiman and Jane Goodall to Rebecca Solnit and Regina Specktor.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce
This whimsical, reality-bending book is full of food for thought. It even inspired an Academy Award-winning short film.

Take it further

• Add kits to a Little Free Library.

• Host a book drive and assemble literacy kits to include with your book donations.

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.

Share Bookmark Kindness

Spread cheer and great reads.

Use our printable template, or design your own bookmarks. Then add your favorite big-hearted book recommendation to the back, and start ripples of bookish kindness. 

Potential Recipients

• Share bookmarks with patients in a nearby hospital, residents of a local nursing home, or anyone who could use some cheer.

• Include bookmarks with a community book drive.

• Give them as gifts to friends, teachers, neighbors. Or leave them (and perhaps a copy of your recommended book) in a Little Free Library.

What you’ll need

• Print one of DGT’s bookmark templates: Explore a Story, Pass it On or blank.

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

Click here for the Blank Bookmarks!

Click here for the Explore a Story printable!

Cliquea aquí para imprimir en español.

Instructions

• Read any of the titles in our Read with Empathy collection.

• Decorate your bookmarks with colors, colored pencils, or markers.

• Cut around the outside of the bookmarks.

• On the back, recommend your favorite perspective-expanding book or leave a cheerful note.

• Seal with packing tape or laminate. (Optional)

• Hide your decorated bookmarks (and perhaps your recommended book) in a Little Free Library, stash them in library books, or gift them to others!

Reflection

• Why did you recommend your chosen book?

• Why is it fun to read books about characters and experiences different from your own?

• People talk about kindness having a “ripple effect.” What do you think that means? Let’s imagine the ripple effect our bookmarks might have.

Resources

Browse the lists in Doing Good Together’s Read with Empathy collection for your next picture book favorite!

Take it further

• Restock a Little Free Library.

• Leave encouraging sticky notes - along with bookmarks - in your favorite library books.

• Donate favorite books to a 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.