FREE Holiday Giving Activities for Kids K-12
What if this holiday season students focus less on getting and more on giving?
The holidays bring countless opportunities to celebrate, connect and spread cheer. And as shopping lists grow and gifts take center stage, this is also the perfect time to help young people discover something even more meaningful than what’s under the tree: the joy of making a difference for someone else!
What if we encouraged students to think beyond what they want to receive and explore what they already have to give? From sharing a few hours of their time to creating something special for someone in need, there are so many ways to transform the spirit of holiday giving into meaningful action.
And the best part? You don’t need a big budget, an elaborate project or even a special occasion to get started.
At Project Heart, we believe everyone has something to give, regardless of age. Through their 3Ts of Time, Talent and Treasure, young people can discover how their unique gifts, passions and everyday actions can create positive and lasting change.
That’s why we’re excited to launch Small Acts. Big Impact. – a collection of FREE resources designed to help educators, program leaders and families inspire changemakers throughout the holiday season and build lifelong habits of giving.
Every resource is flexible and customizable. Adapt activities to your students’ interests and abilities, build on what they’re learning in the classroom or use our activities and spotlights to spark an entirely new project. Most importantly, invite students to share their ideas, make decisions and take the lead in creating meaningful change.
Whether you’re looking for a quick classroom kindness activity, a meaningful alternative to Black Friday shopping, a family giving tradition or a student-led service project, we have inspiration for every age and stage!
Resources for Turning Holiday Spirit into Action
Scroll below and choose one activity, combine a few or let your young changemakers take the lead in creating something entirely their own! These resources are starting points and very adaptable for your classroom or community. Encourage students to put their own passions and creativity into action!
1. Explore our Holiday Giving Guide
Grades K–5 | Discover the 3Ts of giving
What does it really mean to give? Our Holiday Giving Guide helps students explore philanthropy through creative activities, meaningful conversations and simple ways to have big impact.
Looking for a quick activity?
- Like a Snowflake — Help K-5 students discover their unique talents and how they can use them to help others.
- The Best Gift — Explore why giving your time can be one of the most meaningful gifts of all.
- Your Sweet Heart — Help students connect the things they care about with opportunities to give.
- Snowman Treasure Hunt — Search for items at home or in the classroom that could become treasures for someone in need.
Choose an activity that fits your students, then encourage them to come up with their own creative ways to share their 3Ts.
Each activity is a simple reminder that the most meaningful gifts are not from a store!
Changemakers in action: Students at McGraw Elementary put their creativity to work making holiday ornaments to spread joy to others! They are a wonderful example of how young changemakers can use their 3Ts to create meaningful gifts that brighten someone else’s season.
2. Send Holiday Kindness Cards
Grades K–8 | Spread kindness and encouragement
A few thoughtful words can brighten someone’s entire season!
Project Heart’s Holiday Kindness Cards give students a creative way to share appreciation, encouragement and holiday cheer.
Invite students to make cards for school staff, classmates, senior citizens, community helpers, neighbors or anyone who could use a little extra encouragement and compassion. Let kids choose who they’d like to recognize and personalize their messages to make this project their own.
Changemakers in action: Families, community members and Ollie the Otter are putting kindness into action during the OtterShop’s annual service project this Friday, November 6, during Downtown Fort Collins’ holiday lighting event – join us anytime from 5-8 p.m. to create heartfelt cards to help brighten the season for others!
3. Host a Collection Drive
Grades K–12 | Expand generosity through teamwork
Looking for ways to bring your classroom, club or family together around a shared goal?
Our Holidays with Heart resource inspires young people to use their 3Ts to launch a collection drive to support a community organization they care about.
Let students choose a cause, connect with a local nonprofit to identify actual needs, and take ownership of planning and organizing their collection drive. From setting goals and spreading the word to collecting donations and celebrating their impact, students can lead at every step of the process.
Changemakers in action: Shepardson Elementary’s STAR Squad set a goal of collecting 1,000 food items for a local food pantry. Their enthusiasm and teamwork helped them collect more than 3,000 and enlist the help of Otters. Poudre High School students put entrepreneurship and philanthropy into action by launching a student-led thrift store, giving clothing donations a second life and supporting families in need.
4. Be Thankful Every Day
Grades 3–5 | Practice gratitude and appreciation
Before students think about what they want to receive, encourage them to recognize what they already have and the people who make their lives brighter.
Crafting Gratitude helps students explore thankfulness and use their 3Ts to turn appreciation into meaningful action.
Elevate the conversation with our Gratitude Conversation Starters, then use Gratitude Slips to create a classroom gratitude jar or a family tradition of sharing who and what each person is thankful for.
Invite students to brainstorm their own ways to express gratitude – whether through words, actions or creative projects.
A simple action today helps nurture a lifelong habit of impact.
5. Plant Seeds of Kindness
Grades 3–5 | Help compassion take root
What happens when one small act of kindness inspires another?
Our Planting the Seed: An Acorn of Kindness activity encourages students to explore how small actions can make a meaningful difference.
Invite students to brainstorm their own acts of kindness, choose one to put into action and reflect on their impact. Encourage kids to think creatively about how they can make someone else’s day a little brighter.
Changemakers in action: Families participating in our Giving Workshop at Council Tree Library explored this activity side-by-side, discovering how everyday kindness can be an opportunity to practice philanthropy together for even bigger impact.
6. Handwrite from the Heart
Grades K-12 | Use creativity to lift others up
Sometimes the most meaningful gift is a handwritten message that says, “You matter!”
Our printable Encouragement Cards make it easy to get started!
And with Project Heart’s Handwritten from the Heart project, third through fifth graders can put their creativity and compassion into action by making personalized cards for others.
Invite students to think about who might appreciate a thoughtful note and why. Then let them design their own messages, choose their recipients and decide how to share their creations.
7. Make Blankets for Hospitals
Suggested grades K–12 | Create comfort through giving
A cozy blanket is much more than a gift. It is a constant reminder that someone cares.
Invite students, clubs or families to work together to make blankets for patients or families experiencing challenging times. This hands-on project gives young changemakers an opportunity to share their 3Ts while practicing teamwork, empathy and generosity.
Let students help select materials, organize teams and decide how to personalize their creations. Before getting started, connect with a local hospital or nonprofit partner to confirm what types of blankets and quantities they can accept.
Changemakers in action: Participants at a Poudre Libraries Family Giving Workshop put their Time and Talent to work creating handmade blankets and heartfelt cards for Children’s Hospital Colorado. These changemakers of all ages and stages discovered how simple acts of kindness can bring comfort and brighten someone’s hardest days.
8. Create Blessing Bags
Grades K–12 | Turn compassion into action
How can students support neighbors experiencing homelessness, food insecurity or similar challenges?
Our Blessing Bags activity guides young people through identifying community needs, collecting useful supplies and assembling thoughtful care packages.
Customize the project around specific needs, inviting students to help select supplies, organize donations and assemble the bags. Before getting started, encourage kids to connect with a local nonprofit or community partner to learn what items would be most helpful.
Changemakers in action: Families participating in Giving Workshops at Poudre Libraries have assembled Blessing Bags together, demonstrating how they can combine their 3Ts to support others and expand their impact.
9. Find a Cause that Speaks to Your Heart
Grades K–12 | Let students lead the way
Not sure where to begin? Start with what your students are passionate about!
Our Project Ideas page is filled with real student projects organized by causes such as animals, education, food security, housing, the environment and many more!
Explore the possibilities together, then ask:
What do we care about? What does our community need? And how can WE help?
Use these projects as inspiration, then encourage students to innovate, adapt and create something uniquely their own.
The best holiday giving projects are the ones students come up with themselves!
Changemakers in action: Third graders at Carrie Martin Elementary turned their love of animals into action! Through a student-led entrepreneurial fair, they raised more than $1,000 to support International Hearing Dog, helping connect people who are deaf or hard of hearing with specially trained assistance dogs.
10. Follow Your Passion
Grades K–12 | Discover the power of giving Time and Talent
The most precious gifts don’t cost a cent!
Our Voracious Volunteers project helps students explore the many ways they can share their Time and Talent to support people, organizations and causes in their communities.
From helping at a food pantry to supporting an animal shelter or lending a hand to a neighbor, kids discover that volunteering is an important part of philanthropy.
Encourage students to identify needs they’re passionate about, explore volunteer opportunities, help plan an experience that fits their interests and abilities and invite others to join them.
Because sometimes the most valuable gift we can give is simply showing up!
Ready to Spark Your Holiday Changemakers?
Whether you’re an educator planning classroom activities, a program leader looking for meaningful group projects or a family hoping to give back together, Project Heart is here to help.
Our FREE, flexible K–12 resources make it easy to introduce philanthropy, encourage student action and turn simple, everyday moments into opportunities for impactful changemaking.
Start with an activity. Plant the seeds for students to discover their 3Ts. Then let kids make projects their own and lead the way!
Invite young changemakers to explore causes they care about, identify real community needs and decide how they want to share their 3Ts of Time, Talent and Treasure. Their projects might look different from our original activities – and that’s worth celebrating!
Please share what your changemakers create! We love seeing the creative ways students, educators and families turn inspiration into meaningful action.
Small acts. Big impact. Lifelong changemakers.
👉 Explore our FREE Project Heart activities
👉 Get inspired by real student Project Spotlights
Because the best gift we can give young people is helping them discover how much they already have to give!