Everyone wants to feel validated and appreciated. When you care about someone, it’s natural to want to help them feel their best. Even with strangers, one smile could brighten someone’s day. Simple things you do in everyday life can change someone’s day for the better, and bring a little more joy into this world. Sponsor of Acts Of Kindness (AOK) club, Ms. Baker says, “Any time I see students explain directions to someone sitting near them in class or helping one another with an assignment, those are small, kind gestures. Any time a staff member or student says ‘hello,’ or ‘good morning,’ those are tiny gestures that can make people’s day just a little bit better.”

The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines kindness as “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” Ms. Baker defines kindness as, “doing intentional, voluntary acts that help, uplift, or support those around us. It’s recognizing that we all deserve to be happy, supported, and loved and sharing that understanding with others.” Something people don’t often think about is the small simple acts you do every day that could affect people’s moods and bring kindness into this world.

To optimally impact different people with kindness and make them feel special, consider the ways different people like to be cared for.

There are five love languages: words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, and receiving gifts. It is helpful to know your love language, and there are plenty of online tests to find out. When forming relationships, it is always a good idea to know the love language of both parties, so you can truly show each other your appreciation. To find out the perfect way to brighten someone’s day, think about habits and trends that show up in your relationship with them.

Lafayette’s acts of kindness club exhibits the different love languages through the actions that they take.

AOK’s mission is, “to do all things with kindness and to make Lafayette a better place through simple, everyday acts. We collaborate with lots of other groups and organizations within the school and community to provide things such as; encouraging notes, gift baskets, volunteering/assistance on projects, cards for veterans, hosting various drives and fundraisers, and putting inspiring quotes on the school’s Marquee sign, just to name a few.”

Ways to spread kindness are to share a meal, or spend time together outside. Breathing fresh air also raises levels of oxygen that boosts the levels of serotonin in your brain which will help the two of you feel more energized, reach out with a personal conversation, relive happy memories, learn a new skill together, smile, make eye contact when you say hello, use their name, give compliments, tell jokes, give a hug, call a friend, let someone know that you miss them, hide a secret note, share cute pictures, and share uplifting quotes. These are all simple easy things that may take five minutes of your day, but could start a chain reaction of kindness.

“To be kind to all, to like many and love a few, to be needed and wanted by those we love, is certainly the nearest we can come to happiness.” -Mary Stuart

To join the AOK club, go to https://sites.google.com/fayette.kyschools.us/artdesignwithbaker/aok-club
Or visit room 133 after school.