World Kindness Day

What is World Kindness Day?

This year: World Kindness Day 2026 is on Friday 13 November. See the World Kindness Day 2026 page for this year’s date, theme and what’s on.

World Kindness Day is on 13 November every year. It is a global observance created by the World Kindness Movement, a not-for-profit coalition of kindness organisations formed at a conference in Tokyo in 1997, and it has been marked on the same date since the first World Kindness Day in 1998. The day asks individuals, schools, workplaces and public bodies to do something deliberately kind, and to notice the kindness already around them.

In the UK the day is promoted by Kindness UK, an independent not-for-profit that has worked with schools, universities and community groups since 2007. It is not a bank holiday and there is no central programme you have to join; most people take part through their school, their employer or a small act on the day itself.

World Kindness Day is a single day set aside to highlight the good done in communities and to make kindness something people practise on purpose. The World Kindness Movement describes itself as having no political, commercial or religious affiliations, and the day reflects that: it belongs to nobody in particular and anyone can take part.

Three ideas sit behind the day. Kindness is a skill that improves with practice, so a date in the calendar is a prompt to do something concrete. Kindness spreads, because a person who receives or witnesses a kind act is more likely to pass one on. And kindness is good for the giver as well as the receiver, which is why mental health charities and employers have taken the day up. It is not a fundraiser and there is no official colour or ribbon, so most of the ideas on this page cost nothing.

When is World Kindness Day?

World Kindness Day is always on 13 November. Because the date is fixed, the day of the week changes each year. On a weekday, assemblies, form-time activities and team events are the natural fit; at a weekend, many schools mark it on the Friday before or the Monday after. For this year’s weekday, any announced theme and what is being organised, see the World Kindness Day 2026 page. This page covers what does not change from year to year.

History of World Kindness Day

The World Kindness Movement traces its origins to a conference in Tokyo in 1997, when Japan brought together like-minded kindness organisations from around the world for the first time. Those organisations agreed to work together under one banner, and the Movement’s own timeline records the launch of World Kindness Day on 13 November 1998. The date has not moved since.

For most of its history the Movement was an informal network of national kindness charities. In 2019 it was registered as a non-governmental organisation under Swiss law and became a legal entity. Membership is open to registered non-profits, NGOs and government agencies that promote kindness in their own countries.

In the UK, Kindness UK was set up in 2007 and promotes the day through school programmes, student-led projects and research into the benefits of kindness. Social media gave the day a second life, and the hashtag #WorldKindnessDay is now used by charities, councils, NHS trusts and employers each November.

Why kindness matters

The Mental Health Foundation defines kindness as doing something towards yourself and others, motivated by a genuine desire to make a positive difference. It says kindness and mental health are deeply connected, that kindness is an antidote to isolation and creates a sense of belonging, and that it helps reduce stress, brings a fresh perspective and deepens friendships.

Two points from that work are worth keeping in mind. Kindness directed at yourself counts: the Foundation notes it can boost self-esteem and improve feelings of confidence and optimism. And kindness works best when it is specific. A named thank-you or an offer of help to one person does more than a general call to be kind.

World Kindness Day in the UK

World Kindness Day sits in a busy fortnight for UK schools. It falls a few days before Anti-Bullying Week in mid-November, and many schools treat the two as a single block: a kindness assembly or activity on 13 November, then the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s programme the week after. The campaigns reinforce each other, since kindness and respect make bullying less likely in the first place.

In workplaces the day is usually run by HR, internal communications or a wellbeing network, through a recognition drive, a team lunch or a short all-staff message from leadership. Councils, NHS trusts and universities also mark it, often by sharing stories of staff or volunteers. There is no central UK programme, so you do not need to register or buy anything; Kindness UK publishes ideas for schools and community groups if you want a starting point.

20 kindness ideas for schools and workplaces

The best activities are small, specific and easy to repeat. Pick two or three.

At school

1. Run a compliment circle in form time, with each pupil saying one specific thing about the person next to them.
2. Put up a kindness wall where pupils post anonymous kind messages about classmates and staff.
3. Ask each class to commit to one kindness act for the rest of term, and review it at the end.
4. Hold a kindness assembly that uses examples from the school’s own community.
5. Pair older and younger pupils for a reading or games session.
6. Write thank-you cards to catering, cleaning, office and site staff who are rarely thanked.
7. Set a homework task of one kind act at home, reported back the next day.
8. Use the day to launch the school’s Anti-Bullying Week plans so the two campaigns connect.

At work

1. Write a handwritten thank-you note to a colleague for something specific they did.
2. Nominate someone for an internal recognition award, or create a one-off award for the day.
3. Organise a team lunch or coffee with no agenda beyond spending time together.
4. Check in, one to one, with a colleague who has seemed under pressure.
5. Offer to take a task off someone’s plate for the afternoon.
6. Ask managers to send one short, specific message of appreciation to each person in their team.
7. Give staff an hour to volunteer with a local charity or foodbank.

At home and in the community

1. Check on an older or isolated neighbour, or offer to carry shopping or put the bins out.
2. Donate to a local foodbank or drop off warm clothing with a community project.
3. Send a message to a friend or relative you have not spoken to in a while.
4. Pay a specific compliment online, tagging the person or organisation rather than posting a generic message.
5. Do something kind for yourself: an early night, a walk, or an hour on something you enjoy.

Related awareness days

• Random Acts of Kindness Day in February, which began in the United States and is used by many UK schools as a spring counterpart.
• Anti-Bullying Week in mid-November, the natural follow-on for schools.
• World Hello Day on 21 November, a small act of connection through greeting others.
• Giving Tuesday, the global day of giving and volunteering in late November or early December.
• World Mental Health Day on 10 October, where kindness and wellbeing are often part of the conversation.