Intentional Acts of Kindness Calendar for February

At the start of each February, I tend to think a little bit about love. I think about how to better love my husband, of course, but I also try to be intentional about showing love to my family, my friends, and my neighbors.

Love is at the very heart of the Christian faith (Matthew 22:37-40). In showing love to those around us, we model God’s love. I know this, but my knowledge doesn’t always translate into action. Sometimes I get so carried away completing tasks that I forget to put effort into loving people!

If there is anything I’ve learned from being a parent of young kids, it’s that they learn from our examples. My kids repeat the things I say and mimic my mannerisms and actions. As a follower of Jesus—and as a mom of kids who I hope will grow up to follow Jesus—I need to be more intentional about performing acts of kindness and love towards the people around me.

Given it is almost February, I decided to come up with a month’s worth of kind, loving acts so my kids and I can try to complete one on each day of the month.

• Compliment a stranger
• Talk to a manager about great service provided by a staff member
• Check in with friends we haven’t spoken with in a while
• Offer to help a neighbor with yard work
• Make valentines to send to family members who live far away
• Let people go in front of us in the checkout line
• Anonymously give a grocery store gift card to a family that is struggling financially
• Take a thank-you note and treats to the local police station or firehouse
• Smile and thank our cashier at the grocery store
• Donate gently used books to the Friends of the Library
• Take a meal to a family with a young baby
• Walk through our neighborhood and pick up litter
• Say “thank you” to service members we see while out and about
• Send encouragement notes for Daddy in his lunchbox
• Take extra time to pray for missionaries we know who are serving around the world
• Give a family member a back rub
• Donate canned goods to the local food bank
• Leave a large tip for a waiter or waitress
• Take a thank-you note and treats to the church office
• Take cookies to our neighbors
• Offer free babysitting for a friend
• Donate new or gently used toys and clothes to a charity
• Help a family member complete a chore
• Share an inspirational or encouraging quote on social media
• Take a meal to a family that has a spouse/parent serving overseas in the military
• Send thank-you notes to government leaders
• Make care packages for the homeless to carry with us in the van
• Take a few minutes to encourage each member of the family

I didn’t assign the acts to specific days because I’m not sure which days I’ll be at the grocery store, which days it’ll rain so we can’t be outside, etc. It’s unlikely we’ll complete them in order, but we will try to complete them all! If we don’t get to one this month, then we’ll plan to do it some other time.

I hope you and your family will also focus on loving others this month! You certainly don’t need a calendar like this to do so, but I hope you will use it if you think it will help. There are two different ways you can view and download the calendar.

• A printable PDF version that contains the acts of kindness listed above
• A printable PDF version that contains a blank calendar so you can write in acts of kindness by hand

What sorts of things do you do to keep focused on loving the people around you? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Shared at the following:

Creative Inspirations, Busy Monday, Over the Moon, Tuesdays with a Twist, and Encouraging Hearts and Home.