Last Updated: October 28, 2026

Table of Contents

• What You'll Need to Start Your Kindness Jar
• How to Make the Kindness Jar in Four Simple Steps
  • Step 1: Choose and Prepare Your Jar
  • Step 2: Set Up a Note Station
  • Step 3: Write Your First Notes Together
  • Step 4: Pick a Weekly Ritual
• Kindness Jar Ideas for Families to Try This Week
• Kindness Jar Notes: What to Write and How to Prompt Kids
• How to Teach Children Kindness Without Lecturing
• Kindness Activities for Preschoolers: Adapting the Jar for Little Hands
• Keeping the Tradition Going All Year
• Choosing Your Kindness Jar Kit and Getting Started
• Frequently Asked Questions

What You'll Need to Start Your Kindness Jar

A family kindness jar is a simple glass jar where everyone drops in notes about kind acts they have done, seen or received. It turns kindness into something you can see filling up.

You do not need much to begin. Here is the full supply list:

• A clear jar with a wide mouth, roughly 500ml to 1 litre
• Sticky notes, coloured paper squares or blank index cards
• Pens or pencils for every family member
• A roll of tape or a label for the jar
• Optional: stickers, washi tape or ribbon for decorating

If you would like ready-made prompts and printables to go with your supplies, our kindness downloads are a good place to start.

How to Make the Kindness Jar in Four Simple Steps

You can build the whole tradition in under half an hour. The steps below work for any family size, and you can repeat them every week without much effort.

Writing these small notes of gratitude transforms the jar into a permanent record of the moments when you express appreciation to family and helps everyone recognise the quiet kindnesses that define your home life.

Step 1: Choose and Prepare Your Jar

Pick a jar that suits your family. A clean pasta sauce jar works fine. So does a large mason jar or a simple glass storage jar.

Wash it, dry it fully, and peel off any labels. Then let the kids decorate it with stickers or a handwritten label reading "Our Kindness Jar".

Kindness Crystals | Pass-It-On Stone Set →

Step 2: Set Up a Note Station

Put a small basket or tray beside the jar. Fill it with paper squares and a couple of pens.

Step 3: Write Your First Notes Together

Sit down as a family and each write one note. Model it first so nobody freezes.

Try prompts like "Something kind someone did for me this week" or "One kind thing I did without being asked". Read them aloud before they go in the jar.

Step 4: Pick a Weekly Ritual

Choose one fixed time each week to open the jar and read the notes together.

Kindness Jar Ideas for Families to Try This Week

Stuck on what actually goes in the jar? These kindness jar ideas for families cover small daily acts and bigger gestures, so there is something for every age and energy level.

• Hold the door for a neighbour and say good morning
• Write a thank-you note to a teacher or coach
• Let a sibling choose the car playlist
• Help carry shopping in without being asked
• Ring a grandparent just to chat
• Leave a kind note in a library book for the next reader
• Share a snack at school with someone who forgot theirs
• Pick up litter on the walk home

If your family wants a bigger pool of prompts to draw from, our Kindness Bucket List Kit gives you a printable list to tick off together.

Kindness Jar Notes: What to Write and How to Prompt Kids

Try these:

• Who did something kind for you today?
• What did you do that made someone smile?
• Who might be having a hard day, and what could help?

How to Teach Children Kindness Without Lecturing

• Name kind acts out loud. "That was kind when you waited for your sister."
• Let them see you doing it. Write your own notes.
• Keep it light. No lectures, no guilt, no moralising at the dinner table.

If you want to read more about non-lecturing approaches, see our guide on how to teach kindness to kids.

Kindness Crystals | Pass-It-On Stone Set →

Kindness Activities for Preschoolers: Adapting the Jar for Little Hands

Try these adaptations:

• Let them draw a picture of a kind act instead of writing a sentence
• Use stickers as notes, one sticker per kind deed
• Do the writing for them while they dictate out loud
• Keep sessions to five minutes maximum
• Use a plastic jar rather than glass for safety

Keeping the Tradition Going All Year

Timeframe	Action	Why it works
Daily	Add notes whenever something happens	Keeps it spontaneous
Weekly	Read notes together at a set time	Builds anticipation
Monthly	Count the notes and celebrate	Shows visible progress
Yearly	Read the whole jar on a special date	Creates a family memory

If your family wants a daily prompt, a 30-Day Kindness Challenge printable offers one for each day of the challenge. You could also pair the jar with a family gratitude practice.

Choosing Your Kindness Jar Kit and Getting Started

That said, our Kindness Bucket List Kit is a printable list of kindness ideas, and our 30-Day Kindness Challenge provides a daily kindness prompt for 30 days.

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Sharing Kindness offers the Kindness Bucket List Kit, a printable list of kindness ideas, the 30-Day Kindness Challenge, with a daily kindness prompt for 30 days, and the Kindness Crystals pass-it-on set, which includes three raw kindness crystal stones and pass-it-on cards.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make a kindness jar with children?

Start with a clean jar and a small stack of paper squares. Sit down together and each write one kind act you could do that week, then fold and drop it in. Keep the jar somewhere visible, like the kitchen worktop, and agree on a regular time to pull a note out. Younger children can draw pictures instead of writing words.

What should you put in a family kindness jar?

Notes describing specific kind acts are one option. Think 'help Dad unpack the dishwasher without being asked' or 'draw a picture for Nana'. A small printable like the Kindness Bucket List Kit can supply ready-made prompts if you get stuck for ideas.

How often should a family read notes from a kindness jar?

You could choose a regular time, such as once a week. Pick a day that suits your family.

How can you adapt a kindness jar for younger children?

You could use drawings instead of written notes. Read the notes aloud together. You could also try kindness activities such as helping set the table or making a card for a neighbour.