10 Ways Your Kids Can Make Someone Smile This Summer

There's no better way to bring a smile to someone else's face than by spreading kindness. As a family, consider taking the #30Days of Kindness Challenge. Print out the list of challenges, like writing a thank you note for the mail carrier and spending quality time with your pet, and post it on your refrigerator so you and the kids see it every day. Tackle one challenge every day or spread it out over the summer.

Kids love to create colorful chalk drawings on their driveways or the sidewalks in front of their homes. It's also an inexpensive way to keep kids busy, but there's no need to limit the artwork or the fun. Take your budding artists on the road, even just a few blocks away. Let them draw pastel flowers, hearts and rainbows, but also write positive messages that can encourage and inspire, like "You are my sunshine" and "You make a difference every day."

Flowers make people happy and science has even found that flowers can improve emotional health and make people feel happier for a longer period of time. So let your kids pick flowers — maybe not out of your neighbor's yard — and give a bouquet to a loved one. Look for a farm near you, like Burnside Farms in Haymarket, Va., that grows beautiful flowers, like tulips and sunflowers, that can be picked and shared to bring a smile.

Summer is a great time to collect and purge the books your kids have outgrown. If you have a Little Free Library near your home, stock it up with the colorful books your kids have already read. If your neighborhood allows, consider building a Little Free Library to put in front of your own home to encourage friends and neighbors to take a book and add a book.