Ideas to create smiles throughout the year
150 things that will make you smile. Try one today!
- Do a random act of kindness
- Hug a friend, loved one or stranger
- Listen to your favorite song, dance too!
- Wear bright-colored socks
- Make a list of everything you’ve accomplished this year – big and small
- Tell someone how much they mean to you
- Give someone flowers
- Go to your favorite place and sit or take a walk
- Create a gratitude list — make a list of the big and small things you are thankful for
- Watch a funny movie
- Read a funny book or article
- Call a friend that makes you laugh
- Smile at a stranger
- Have lunch with a friend
- Enjoy your favorite food / snack
- Spend time with a child
- If you have FB – ask your friends to post something that makes them smile
- Blow bubbles
- Do your favorite craft
- Look at pictures from a happy event or milestone in your life
- Handwrite a note to someone you love
- Bake cookies and share with a neighbor
- Walk your dog
- Do a cartwheel
- Go for a drive
- Take a bubblebath
- Play dress-up with your kids
- Take a nap
- Eat something sweet without counting calories
- Go on a scavenger hunt
- Jump rope or do the hula hoop
- Look at old pictures or watch a family video
- Sleep in and wake up without an alarm
- Go outside and step on crunchy autumn leaves
- Build a snowman or snow angel
- Play catch with a friend
- Take a road trip with a friend or family member
- Go visit a garage sale and buy something you normally wouldn’t
- Feed the birds – put a bird house / bird feeder outside your window
- Hang wind chimes outside your window
- Volunteer at your local soup supper
- Put on your favorite soundtrack and go for a random drive
- Donate to a good cause
- Watch the sunset or sunrise
- Play charades with a group of friends
- Rearrange your furniture
- Go sailing, boating or water skiing
- Get a new haircut
- Compliment a stranger
- Pay it forward
- Visit a nature preserve and see how many animals you can spot
- Have a pillow fight
- Decorate your front door
- Fingerpaint
- Knit or crochet a scarf
- Make a collage
- Do a craft with a friend
- Share your legacy – start a daily journal with the intention of passing it to a loved one – share interesting fact/stories
- Eat ice cream!
- Swing on a porch swing
- Wave at a stranger
- Connect with an old friend
- Have breakfast in bed
- Visit a butterfly garden
- Put together a puzzle – either by yourself or with a friend
- Create a memento box – decorate the outside and collect items with meaning
- Rediscover an old hobby
- Take photos of something or someone you love
- Watch the lightning during a thunderstorm and count the flashes
- Lay out on a hammock
- Go bird watching
- Give a cherished item to someone special
- Sing like nobody’s listening
- Fly a kite
- Walk on the beach and add to your shell collection
- Take $20 and invest it in something
- Wake up early and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea by the light of the sun rising
- Try a new recipe
- Go on a spontaneous weekend trip
- Foster or adopt an animal who needs a home
- Pick apples, berries or fresh veggies to add to your menu
- Donate food to a local food bank
- Be a mentor – share your knowledge and experience
- Coordinate a surprise birthday party for a friend
- Be a pen pal to a new friend
- Have a snowball fight
- Visit someone who lives alone
- Go on a hot air balloon ride
- Shop at your favorite store
- Make fresh lemonade and share with a neighbor on a hot day
- Plan a dream vacation, even if you can’t go
- Go to the zoo, a fair or amusement park
- Make a scrapbook with a grandchild
- Give an anonymous gift to someone in need
- Deliver a meal and eat with someone who lives alone
- Buy fresh flowers and display them in your home
- Have a party at your home for no reason
- Visit a local museum or historical site
- Put a fresh coat of paint on something you love
- Go people watching
- Visit a secluded area and stargaze – can you spot any shooting stars?
- Go to a coffee shop, get your favorite drink, and sit for awhile
- Borrow a book from a library and read it the same day
- Collect leaves of different sizes and shapes and press them
- Start a vegetable, herb, or flower garden
- Take a yoga or wellness class with a friend
- Swim under a waterfall
- Recognize a Veteran with a new flag or letter of thanks
- Read a story to someone who can’t see
- Drive someone who can’t drive
- Take a walk in the rain and jump in the puddles
- Volunteer to walk dogs at your local humane society
- Watch a fireworks display
- Take your grandchild to the park to play
- Give a mom a break and take her kids on an adventure
- Visit a local park and swing on the swings
- Go to a pond and feed the ducks
- Write a list of your top 5 favorite moments in life
- Make something from scratch and give it away
- Visit an art gallery and sketch your favorite piece of art
- Try meditating
- Be brave and tent camp at a state park
- Catch a snowflake on your tongue
- Make pitcher of iced tea during a hot summer day
- Marathon your favorite Netflix show without feeling guilty
- Prepare homemade frozen meals for someone who is unable to cook
- Rake leaves and jump in the pile
- Take a tour of the lighthouses in your location
- Go canoeing with a couple friends
- Practice gratitude – note three things you are grateful for each day
- Go to an outdoor concert
- Go on a picnic with a friend
- Buy someone a cup of coffee
- Go to a paint and sip with friends
- Draw with sidewalk caulk and then clean it up with water balloons
- Do something you’ve been putting off for awhile
- Take a walk in a field and pick wildflowers
- Buy a box of chocolates and eat them till you can’t eat anymore
- Find personal letters, cards, or emails and read through them
- Have a child or grandchild draw a portrait of the two of you
- Laugh out loud without shame
- Go out and exercise — take a run, ride your bike, play tennis, etc.
- Listen to an old favorite song or album, preferably one you haven’t listened to for years
- Buy a mystery fruit from the grocery store and try it
- Sign up for a free online course
- Create a business card for your dream job
- Hand make a card for someone
- Write a positive review online
- Buy a potted plant and name him or her
- Go to a secondhand book store. Look for notes and scribbles hidden in the pages
