![[Original size] Copy of [Original size] [Original size] [Original size] [Original size] Gr](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0609e4_c6e3166159d44ed5a40df4a6550092c0~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_151,h_151,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5BOriginal%20size%5D%20Copy%20of%20%5BOriginal%20size%5D%20%5BOriginal%20size%5D%20%5BOriginal%20size%5D%20%5BOriginal%20size%5D%20Gr.png)
It's almost #kindnessweek and #valentinesday so what better reason is there to teach kids about the importance of treating people with kindness?? Kindness is NOT a natural behavior for most children; it's something that must be taught and modeled. Here are some things I do in my classroom that help kids understand the importance of kindness..
(Full disclosure, the live links are affiliate links)
Let's start off with some great books to read!
But real quick... Have you heard of the app Novel Effect?? It's an app that brings stories to life, adding sound effects as you read them! I call them "Magic Stories" because they truly make stories magical! (No... I am not being paid to endorse them, but I wanted to mention the app because it's literally that wonderful!)
Some superheroes can leap tall buildings in a single bound, some can crawl up a wall, some grow wolf-sharp claws, and some have superhuman speed. And Superbuns? Her superpower is being kind. Super kind. She can’t help but be kind: watering a neighbor’s daisies; helping a friend cross the street; feeding a hungry goldfish. Superbuns’s older sister Blossom is a super know-it-all who doesn’t believe kindness is a superpower. Not one bit. And all this kindness is slowing them down on their way to Grammy’s house, where a yummy carrot cobbler awaits. But the sisters are being followed by a little fox, and when Blossom learns the fox is not after their cobbler but is lost, she discovers kindness really is a superpower after all.
My class absolutely LOVES this story! This is told from the perspective of a salty sunflower seed who has had a rough go at life, making him grumpy and apathetic. He lives his life, willingly and knowlingly being rude to others, until he discovers how lonely it gets and how choosing to be kind to others is a far better way to live.
While using a simple metaphor of a bucket and a dipper, author Carol McCloud illustrates that when we choose to be kind, we not only fill the buckets of those around us, but also fill our OWN bucket! Conversely, when we choose to say or do mean things, we are dipping into buckets. All day long, we are either filling up or dipping into each other's buckets by what we say and what we do. When you're a bucket filler, you make the world a better place to be!This book is perfect for children, parents, grandparents, teachers and people that want to teach empathy, nurture, kindness and create a positive environment in their home, classroom, workplace and community.
This story starts off with a little stone who thinks he will be become something amazing but then soon realizes he had become a dull paper weight. He's on a mission to become something greater and in the process meets scribble and splatter and they all come up a creative way to bring joy to thousands of people. This story inspired one of our activities and my students absolutely loved it!
Each of us has an invisible bucket. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it’s empty, we feel awful. Yet most children (and many adults) don’t realize the importance of having a full bucket throughout the day. In How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids, Felix begins to see how every interaction in a day either fills or empties his bucket. Felix then realizes that everything he says or does to other people fills or empties their buckets as well. Follow along with Felix as he learns how easy it can be to fill the buckets of his classmates, teachers and family members. Before the day is over, you’ll see how Felix learns to be a great bucket filler, and in the process, discovers that filling someone else’s bucket also fills his own.
This is a super cute story that shows the different ways we can show kindness to others. The illustrations are super fun, showing both the kind choices and not so kind choices so you can have a great discussion about why kind choices matter!
This is a very sweet story of a boy named Brian who feels forgotten, left out, and unnoticed by others at school until he sparks a friendship a new kid that changes everything for him!
What Does It Mean to Be Kind? is a rare kindness book for children because it uses a proactive, not reactive, introduction to a conversation about kindness. It gives super practical ways for kids to show kindness and it reminds kids how easy showing kindness can be, and yet a simple act can make a huge impact on others around them.
This is definitely a class favorite! The main character experiences how enemies can become friends by extending kindness and making an effort to get to know someone.
When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate wants to make her feel better, wondering: What does it mean to be kind?
From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving story explores what kindness is, and how any act, big or small, can make a difference―or at least help a friend.
Dig Deep!
Circle time provides an excellent chance to engage children in deep, meaningful discussions. Here are some activities I use to help children visualize the impact of kindness - or unkindness - on others.
Compliment Circle: This one may take some preteaching on what a compliment is and how to give one. Encourage kids to think about something nice about the person next to them. Often times this will look like kids noticing something physical about their friend next to them (they like their shirt or shoes, etc.), but if a kiddo feels stuck, encourage them to compliment the friend on how they are good at sharing, helping others, or are a good listener to show the others that you can compliment somone's inward characteristics, as well as their outward characteristics. This activity fosters positive language and makes each child feel special.
For further discussion, ask students “How does it feel to receive a compliment? How does it feel to give one?”
Kindness Jar or Board: I recommend introducing this after your first read aloud of the week and share that the whole class will be on the look-out to catch people being kind. When someone shows an act of kindness, you will write a note and put it into the jar. The goal is to fill the jar with notes full of acts of kindness and at the end of the week, you will read them aloud and celebrate. Use each read aloud this week as an opportunity to inspire the kids about all the ways to be kind!
Get them thinking! Ask, “What are some kind things we can do to fill the kindness jar this week?”
Toothpaste Demonstration: Kids are impulsive, and that is very developmentally appropriate! This simple demonstration, however, shows how damaging impulsive reactions can be when it comes to using unkind words and actions. All you need is a tube of toothpaste, a plate or bowl to squeeze it into, and a spoon. Explain that our words and actions are represented by the toothpaste inside of the tube. Once we speak or react, our words or reactions are out for others to see and hear. Squeeze out some toothpaste so the kids can see it. Explain that once we squeeze out the toothpaste, we can never get it back inside the tube, just like once we say or do something to someone we can never take it back. If it is something that is unkind, it could hurt your friend in a way that changes your friendship forever; sometimes we can hurt someone enough that they do not want to be our friend anymore; sometimes saying sorry isn't enough to fix it. Try to put some of the toothpaste back in the tube using a spoon and start to act frustrated that it won't go back in. Point out how messy the tube gets and how sticky your fingers are getting. Drive the point home by expressing the importance of choosing our words and actions carefully!
Get them thinking! Say, "Share about a time when someone said or did something to you that hurt your feelings."
Wrinkled Heart Demonstration: Here's another great visual for kids to see the damage that unkind words and actions can have on someone. All you need is a heart made out of paper. Start by sharing that the paper heart is so pretty and you worked very hard on it to cut it out; maybe it's even your favorite color of paper! You love the way it looks and it makes you so happy and excited to share it with them today. On the inside, we all have a heart just like this! But sometimes, a friend's words or actions can hurt your feelings and.... (Crumple the heart in your hands)... Begin to look at it sadly. Explain that unkind words or actions hurt our hearts within us and can leave wrinkles in our hearts that last forever. Ask students to try to help you straighten it out; give them each a few seconds to try and then pass it on. When it gets back to you, examine it and notice out loud that while it looks better, it's still not perfectly smooth like it was before; there are still some wrinkles. Drive the point home that our words and actions have a lasting effect on others, and when we choose to be unkind, it causes their heart to become wrinkled. We can say sorry, but even being sorry can't return the heart back to the way it was. We have to choose our words and actions carefully! I do like to display the heart in my classroom as a constant reminder!
Let's Apply It!
Teaching kindness to young children is about more than just words—it’s about experiences that help them understand what it means to be kind and compassionate. Hands-on activities offer a powerful way to engage kids and show them how small acts can make a big difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. Here are a few that I do in my classroom that go along with some of my favorite read aloud books from the week:
Make Scribble Stones: Another popular name for these are "Kindness Rocks." After reading the book Scribble Stones , we paint rocks with the intention to give it away to someone else to brighten their day. I say that with emphasis because kids naturally want to keep the rocks for themselves and sometimes need some encouragement to think about someone in their life that they want to make smile with a special rock. It is SO sweet to see the kids get so excited about the rocks they are painting and choose special colors or designs based off of what the special person in their life likes! It really is kindness in its purest form!
Make an Encouraging Note and Give it to Someone: I found these super sweet FREE printable "Thinking of You" cards from My Pear Tree Home and we colored them for someone special in our lives! These are awesome for younger kids who can't quite write and they have such sweet messages on them!
***FREEBIE*** Kindness Pie Recipe Sort: After reading the story Enemy Pie, you can either use this as a whole-group activity or independent activity depending on the skill level of your students, and sort out the "ingredients" that make a good friend! This has both words and pictures, so if you are using it as an independent activity, students who cannot yet read can easily look at the body language and actions in the pictures to tell which ones show kindness and which do not!
DOWNLOAD THE KINDNESS PIE FREEBIE HERE!!
Eat Kindness Pie: OF COURSE you can't talk about pie without eating it!! After sorting the Kindness Pie Recipe and reading Enemy Pie, serve the students real pie!
Spreading Kindness Symmetry Art: This is probably my FAVORITE activity of them all! The kids were AMAZED at how these turned out and thought the process was so much fun! Be sure to print these out on sturdier paper to avoid rips and tears and pre-fold each page so the paint goes where it is supposed to. Instruct the kiddos to paint ONLY ONE SIDE of the heart. This represents the kindess that we have inside of us! When we share kindness, it makes the world more beautiful! Have the kids close their heart and push it down. When they open it, they will be so excited to see how the colors spread in a beautiful symmetrical pattern! At the end, glue the pledge to the bottom corner as a reminder about what the picture represents and the promise we are making to one another!
DOWNLOAD THE "SPREADING KINDNESS SYMMETRY ART" FREEBIE HERE!!
Thank you so much for reading along!
I truly hope these ideas help you have the BEST kindness week EVER!
I'd love to hear any other ideas YOU have to help teach kids about kindness! Please leave a comment and let's make this world a more beautiful place!
Comments