Adding kindness to our home or our preschool curriculum is important now more than ever. Teach your kids that kindness rocks! Kindness is an emotion that students feel and empathy is a strength that they share” It is important for both teachers and parents to learn the importance of teaching the value of kindness to children. Discipline with love, support them when they are down, and as always, be kind., Similarly, kids who may not naturally be inclined to bullying others or being mean may join in when others are doing it. Br J Dev Psychol. These activities are just a few of the ways you can help teach your kids how to practice kindness. These free colouring pages will help you to start a discussion about how they use this power and the kindness they may be able to share in the future. Your email address will not be published. Other books on teaching kindness: Volunteering is a great place to start teaching children kindness, … These benefits make a strong case for teaching kindness. Alhajji M, Bass S, Dai T. Cyberbullying, Mental Health, and Violence in Adolescents and Associations With Sex and Race: Data From the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. How would they feel if they found out that someone was making fun of their dress or criticizing them for not doing a math problem fast enough? Be the behavior you want to see in your child. These new resilience resources can be used at home or in the classroom. Jan 23, 2018 - Explore Fun Pasta Fundraising's board "Teaching Kindness to Kids", followed by 674 people on Pinterest. 2014;7(2):126-37. doi:10.1007/s40617-014-0025-0, Rowland L, Curry OS. One of the best ways for children to learn how great it feels to be kind, is by experiencing it through acts of kindness. Back to better and kindness teaching resources We’re continuing to provide support to teachers, children, young people and parents through the coronavirus crisis. The adage about saying nothing at all if you don’t have something nice to say about someone is a good lesson in kindness to teach kids. One of the best ways to teach kindness in the classroom is to model being kind to others. When kids are 3, 4, and 5, it’s a good time to start having discussions about kindness, suggests Dr. Korb, and the Golden Rule is a perfect conversational launchpad. With these fun kindness activities for kids, your children will learn all about doing kind acts for friends, family, and their neighbors. To be kind means "having or showing a tender, considerate and helping nature." I believe that even when it looks like the opposite is happening in many places around the world. This morning as I was helping the Little One get ready for school and we had one of our usual conversations. Kids are hard-wired to have empathy for others and want to help. Parents, caregivers, and teachers can take advantage of these natural instincts that we're all born with and encourage kids to practice kindness in their everyday lives.. Unkindness isn't new; humans have been cruel to each other for thousands of years. But today the ease, speed, and anonymity with which people can pass judgments and criticism onto others is unprecedented. Perceived appearance judgments moderate the biological stress effects of social exchanges. But for most kids, kindness is something they need to learn and practice over time before it becomes a habit. Young children need reminders about trying to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Ask your kids “How do you think they feel?” You can even make up a story about why they might be feeling that way together. 2018;142(6). Make small cards for strangers with inspiring quotes or bible verses. It can be easy to teach empathy and kindness if your actions portray these values. Estelle Lloyd, Co-Founder of Azoomee, and Ariane de Bonvoisin, author, speaker and life skills coach, share tips on teaching your kids kindness at a time when physical affection is limited, and everyone is feeling the strain of the pandemic.. Credit: Charlein Gracia via Unsplash. Get a bunch of $5 gift cards from Starbucks and have your child give them out to the custodians, cooks, secretaries, teachers, and … This helps to get children thinking about things they love, so that they can be positive, and kind too. We now live in an age where photos and posts online can garner nearly instant and anonymous comments from total strangers and acquaintances alike. In fact, teaching children to be kind is more important than ever. Below is a printable learning activity, a printable call to action and a list of picture books to help children explore the value of empathy and grow kindness. To be kind means "having or showing a tender, considerate and helping nature." Kindness Contagion. 2015;112(12):3659-62. doi:10.1073/pnas.1420870112, Riess H. The Science of Empathy. Biol Psychol. 1. By teaching kids to practice kindness on a regular basis and manage their emotions, actions, and statements, they become better equipped to navigate our complex world and the challenging times they are being asked to navigate. Kindness and compassion are rooted in empathy and stem from the golden rule of treating others how we wish to be treated ourselves. These days every small act of kindness matters. So how do we teach our kids to think of others and to treat other people with kindness and compassion?. Help mom with a chore without being asked. Practice showing kindness with role playing games, read books that model kindness with your children and take turns completing acts of kindness together. Thank you to KIND for sponsoring this discussion. Let your kid find you doing acts of kindness and encourage them to do the same by showing them that doing that makes you and others happy. Posted in Preschool (4 -5 years), Social-Emotional Development Post navigation. This is where the nurturing aspect of teaching kids kindness comes into play. The goal is to help kids become more aware of doing acts of kindness and of their feelings of gratitude when they experience pleasant activities. See our latest activities and ideas first! Honestly, I believe that most children are born with an innate kindness. Honestly, I believe that most children are born with an innate kindness. You can draw feelings or paint them with bold colors. Practice manners. Kids are naturally selfish – me, me, me and mine, mine, mine.Not surprising: in the early months and years, it is all about them. Thank you to KIND for sponsoring this discussion. To nurture kindness in kids, try incorporating some of these practices into your daily routines. Nurturing Kindness. This isn’t the first time I’ve written about kindness. If so, try these simple ideas for intentionally focusing on kindness with your preschoolers. RELATED: 7 Random Acts of Kindness Ideas for Kids Look on the Bright Side. Pen, Pencils, Materials. RELATED: 7 Random Acts of Kindness Ideas for Kids Look on the Bright Side. “I liked the colors you used,” or “You made a nice, big house” or something similar is great. Kindness is best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it.” A great number of benefits have been reported to support teaching kindness in schools , best summed up by the following. Kind children are also children who are charitable, who know that their parents cannot buy everything they want for them (and understand why they should not get everything they want), and are patient, thankful, and have self-control. How to Teach Kindness in the Preschool Classroom. 52 Acts of Kindness for Families by Moments a Day. Teaching kindness to your kids by actively giving to others is such a great way to pass your faith to the next generation. You still have your candy. Acts of Kindness We love using these fun and playful kindness activities to teach our kids. When push comes to shove, love and kindness win. Posted in Preschool (4 -5 years), Social-Emotional Development Post navigation. If you enjoyed reading Teaching kindness to kids, you might also enjoy reading: 5 Simple Tips for Managing Your Toddler’s Mood Swings. 55 Kindness Activities for Kids. Teach kids about feelings through games and art. At that age children love to help. Teaching our children about kindness to ourselves and our community of friends and family is so important. Buy gift cards for others at school or church. help children identify facial expressions, FOR THE BEST ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS FOLLOW US ON PINTEREST. These reactions can be rude, hurtful, and even malicious. I was part of a kindness blog hop a few years back, where we all shared ways we have taught our young children how to be kind. Consider taking on an acts of kindness challenge with your kids to show them how great it feels – or volunteering with them at a food bank or shelter. It can be easy to teach empathy and kindness if your actions portray these values. Ⓒ 2021 About, Inc. (Dotdash) — All rights reserved. Andrea Rice is an award-winning journalist and a freelance writer, editor, and fact checker specializing in health and wellness. Teaching Kids about Kindness. Why is teaching kindness so important? Find a way to do even small acts of kindness every day and you make an impact. The True Power of Family Kindness Practice by Doing Good Together. Do your kids struggle with understanding what kindness is and what it looks like in action? Updated May 30, 2019. This cannot be done by mere classroom sessions, but with actions. Zaki J. Would they want someone to praise them for trying or to put them down for not doing something right? I find that doing activities with kids allows the opportunity to have conversations about the big things in life. It can be easy teaching empathy to children and kindness if your actions portray these values. Create kindness rocks or crafts to give others. Studies have also shown that doing kind deeds increases happiness. Below is a printable learning activity, a printable call to action and a list of picture books to help children explore the value of empathy and grow kindness. Read more about teaching kindness one rock at a time. It can be difficult to be kind when times are hard. “Can you believe what she’s wearing?” “Don’t you think he’s fat?” “Why would anyone want to be friends with her?” “He’s ugly.”. A beautiful visual reminder that World Kindness Day is approaching may open conversations and spark interest in the day and its meaning. 11. Because young children usually focus on what's right in front of them and tend to not think too far ahead, they may not realize the full effects of what behaviors like meanness, exclusion, or bullying can have on other kids. Model Kindness. Thus, one who is kind is friendly, generous, warmhearted, sympathetic, considerate, gentle, affectionate and forbearing. You could do this several ways. Teach your child to get into the habit of saying only positive things—the sort of things that will make someone feel good rather than sad. I believe that even when it looks like the opposite is happening in many places around the world. A range of kindness activities boost happiness. Kindness is Your Superpower colouring pages. July 26, 2016. The Fruit of the Spirit is KINDNESS Kids Activities pack is full of simple ideas to teach kids what kindness is in an engaging way. Make sure they understand that respect should always be shown to everyone including: the elderly, people with disabilities, different skin colors, religious backgrounds, genders, hair color, opinions, etc! Using everyday situations to encourage understanding will give your child a chance to strengthen this skill. By teaching children to look outward and identify with the experience of others, we can cultivate kindness and foster compassion. World Kindness Day Display. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. Just like most habits of mind, this too can be wired into the brain with repeated practice. Kind is the new cool. Furthermore, is it even possible to teach kindness to kids? When kids are 3, 4, and 5, it’s a good time to start having discussions about kindness, suggests Dr. Korb, and the Golden Rule is a perfect conversational launchpad. This gorgeous activity uses rocks to teach kids how to spread kindness. 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