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Author: Salina Yoon

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Be a Friend has 891 ratings and 202 reviews. Laura said: Be a Friend has a simple message to share in such a warm, creative way.Meet Dennis, a mime, w...

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Author: Madonna
Illustrator: Loren Long

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The following Saturday, Mr. Peabody wondered why no one showed up for the baseball game. Little Billy walked up to Mr. Peabody and told him everything. Mr. Peabody took Billy to Mr. Funkadeli's market where Billy realized that Mr. Peabody paid for the apples every Saturday morning when he picked up his milk.

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Author: Jo Witek
Illustrator: Christine Roussey

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juvenile fiction / concepts / senses & sensation

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juvenile fiction / social themes / emotions & feelings

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children's / teenage fiction: general fiction

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children's / teenage personal & social topics: emotions

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Sometimes my heart feels like a big yellow star shiny and bright I smile from ear to ear and twirl around so fast I feel as if I could take off into the sky This is when my heart is happy Happiness sadness bravery anger shyness our hearts can feel so many feelings Some make us feel as light as a ...

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Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrator: E. B. Lewis

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Discover and share books you love on Goodreads.

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This activity can be an extension or included in the "Each Kindness" lesson plan.

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Ripples of Kindness - Big Ideas - Classdojo

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Guide learners in seeing how small, kind gestures can have a big impact on people around them.

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Class Dojo: Empathy Videos (kid-friendly)

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Class Dojo: Empathy Videos (kid-friendly)

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These videos are kid-friendly, visually appealing, and spread an important message about empathy. Can be used for discussions or as a hook before read-aloud activity.

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ClassDojo and Harvard University’s Making Caring Common Project collaborated to create a three-episode video series all about empathy. Find these empathy episodes along with some amazing activities to help strengthen your students’ empathy skills.

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Author: Aaron Reynolds
Illustrator: Matt Davies

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Nerdy Birdy book. Read 283 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Nerdy Birdy likes reading, video games, and reading about video games,...

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Author: Pat Zietlow Miller
Illustrator: Jen Hill)

A picture book about the power of kindness.

When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate contemplates how to make her feel better and what it means to be kind. From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving and thoughtful story explores what a child can do to be kind, and how each act, big or small, can make a difference--or at least help a friend. (less)

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Discover and share books you love on Goodreads.

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Author: Kadir Nelson

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If You Plant a Seed has 1,843 ratings and 430 reviews. Carmen said: A rabbit and a rat plant a garden.Some people will argue that this is a mouse, but ...

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Author: Yangsook Choi

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Discover and share books you love on Goodreads.

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Eagle Boy: A Pacific Northwest Native Tale

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Eagle Boy: A Pacific Northwest Native Tale

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Author: Richard Lee Vaughan

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Eagle Boy book. Read 12 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Based on a popular Northwest Coast Native tale, this book recounts the st...

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Excellent resources for teachers with a wide range of books, articles, lessons, and activities for students from K-12.

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The SEL Resource Finder provides resources to help you learn about Social and Emotional Learning, apply teaching methodologies and assess your efforts.

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Overview

With so much emphasis placed on improvements in math and science, skills like compassion often receive less classroom time. This unintended trade-off may be short-sighted, as compassion is an important social-emotional skill that begins to develop in early childhood and is essential for lifelong health and success.
Learning compassion increases students' own sense of wellbeing and improves the learning environment for all learners. By teaching kindness, empathy and compassion in the classroom, educators set their students up for long term success in every aspect of life.

EVERFI's new social and emotional learning program, The Compassion Project, is the first comprehensive, no-cost program designed to promote compassion education and help educators facilitate lessons around fundamental SEL skills for students in grades 2-4, focusing on the complex but critical skill of compassion.

With interactive activities and games that teach compassion, The Compassion Project provides invaluable resources for teaching empathy in the classroom.

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The Compassion Project | Teaching Empathy, Compassion & Kindness

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Need lesson plans for teaching empathy and compassion? The Compassion Project, is the first comprehensive, no-cost program designed to help educators facilitate lessons around fundamental SEL skills for 2nd through 4th graders, focusing on the complex but critical skill of compassion.

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We could arrange a field trip to the school's local or neighbouring senior home. This would be dependent on where the school is located.

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Big Life Journal: Growth Mindset for Kids & Teens

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We create effective tools and resources to help kids and teens develop a growth mindset so they can face life's challenges with confidence and have every opportunity in life. Our products are based on the latest research, and that's what makes them so unique and effective.

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Make A Difference in the World - Lesson Plan

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Make A Difference in the World - Lesson Plan

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Make A Difference in the World - Lesson Plan

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A guide with lessons.

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Encourage positive conversations - from Big Life Journal

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These beautiful conversation cards will spark fun (and important) discussions about growth mindset, kindness, resilience, gratitude, and much more! These cards are great for families, classroom, homeschool, small groups, or gatherings. There's no need to wonder if you're asking your

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Check out ideas for schools - Write Positive Sticky Notes or Write Down Someone's Best Qualities

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Unique kindness ideas that you can do today.

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Invite an Elder to talk about kindness and community -- cross-curricular with social studies

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Invite an Elder to talk about kindness and community -- cross-curricular with social studies

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Invite an author of one of the kindness books 

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Invite an author of one of the kindness books 

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In-person or via Facetime/Skype Call depending on location and availability.

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How To Teach Growth Mindset (4-week guide) by Big Life Journal

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Kindness Quotes - Random Acts of Kindness

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Kindness Quotes - Random Acts of Kindness

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Display daily kindness quotes in your classroom!

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A few quotations to help inspire you to be kind.

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Animal Shelter - Donate Used Towels & Blankets

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Animal Shelter - Donate Used Towels & Blankets

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Find a local/nearby animal shelter to donate to. Then arrange with them the best method for students to collect donations of used towels or blankets. There could even be a field trip to make the donation in person. During this donation trip it could be arranged for students to read books to the shelter animals to keep the animals company for a short while and to help boost students confidence with reading.

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See our collection of fun kindness ideas, inspirational stories & quotes, FREE K-8 lesson plans and more. Let's make kindness the norm.

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Author: Lydia Dabcovick

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The Polar Bear Son book. Read 15 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. A lonely old woman adopts, cares for, and raises a polar bear as...

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Author: Trudy Ludwig

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The Invisible Boy book. Read 1,028 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. A simple act of kindness can transform an invisible boy into a...

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We curated these resources (print, technology, people, places, others) for our Grade 3 Kindness unit. These multi-modal resources can be used beyond English Language Arts and  can be extended to be used for cross-curricular studies.

For our technology resources, we chose kid-friendly websites ("Class Dojo Empathy Videos") because they used kid-friendly language and are visually appealing. The other websites we provided are also oriented for kids but also provide extra resources and plans for educators.

For print, the books we chose include Indigenous picture books (ex. The Polar Bear Son), books that discuss about diversity (ex. The Name Jar), and books about LGBTQ2+. The books focus on a progression of kindness, starting from recognizing feelings, to empathy, to recognize signs of bullying, and advocacy. We hope that these resources help students understand the importance of kindness, but are also relevant, relatable, and engaging for our students.

We selected these resources because they cover a wide range of situations, cultures, people, and places. For places, we suggest arranging a field trip to visit a local assisted senior facility. We feel that this field trip would allow the students to give back to their community and also learn more about the importance of intergenerational knowledge. Kindness is not just about being kind in school but also being kind in their community.

These resources are valid for our unit because they focus on kindness and provide examples of where kindness exists. These resources can be used for other grades.

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Can arrange with the local children's hospital to donate teddy bears for kids in difficult situations. Hold a teddy bear drive at your school to collect donations. If it is not feasible to do the teddy bear drive with the local hospital, you can arrange to give donations to your local police station or fire department.
"A cuddly friend could be a huge comfort to a scared child. Schools are filled with kids who have grown out of the need for stuffed animals. Part ways with a few of your furry friends and make an impact in another child’s life."

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See our collection of fun kindness ideas, inspirational stories & quotes, FREE K-8 lesson plans and more. Let's make kindness the norm.

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Arrange a period the day for your class to go out an clean-up the school field or a nearby park. They will be helping not only themselves, and their school, but also their local community. Students can be in pairs or small groups and be responsible for picking up even just one piece of trash each.

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See our collection of fun kindness ideas, inspirational stories & quotes, FREE K-8 lesson plans and more. Let's make kindness the norm.

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List of resources for LGBTQ https://www.sogieducation.org/

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https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/197266/my-secret-bully-by-by-trudy-ludwig-illustrated-by-abigail-marble/9780553509403/

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My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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Noni Speaks Up book. Read 34 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Noni always tries to do the right thing. But she doesn't know how to...

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SOGI 1 2 3 helps educators make schools inclusive and safe for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities (SOGI). At a SOGI-inclusive school, students' gender does not limit their interests and opportunities, and their sexual orientation and how they understand and express their gender are welcomed without discrimination.

Where to
Begin

We are currently in Western Canada and looking to grow. Change will come if we work together. Learn more and find your role.

For
Educators

Learn what's happening in your province and download resources. There is a dedicated SOGI 1 2 3 website for educators in each participating province, with resources for creating inclusive policies, learning environments, and lesson plans.

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SOGI 1 2 3 helps educators make schools inclusive and safe for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities (SOGI). At a SOGI-inclusive school, students' gender does not limit their interests and opportunities, and their sexual orientation and how they understand and express their gender are welcomed without discrimination.

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Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education

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My husband and I have spent many family discussions teaching our children about kindness. We tell our kids that what goes around comes around. If you want to be treated with kindness, you need to treat others with kindness. We've been successful for the most part, but kids make mistakes (who doesn't?) and need a refresher now and then. Here are some books that celebrate kindness and help my family remember how and why we should be kind.

by Mary Murphy

Kindness is contagious. When Hen gives Pig an egg, she starts a domino effect of kindness that spreads throughout the barnyard. This adorable board book is straightforward and simple in its message of expressing kindness to others.
(Ages 2 - 5)

by Jodie Shepherd, illustrated by Tom Brannon

Elmo is working to earn his Monster Scout "K Is for Kindness" Badge! Follow along with Elmo as he does good deeds around the neighborhood and learns what it means to be a kind person.
(Ages 3 - 7)

by Rana DiOrio, illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch

Kindness often takes courage. We can choose to be kind to others in our actions each day. Using short, simple terms, this delightful picture book gives kids several specific suggestions of how to be kind.
(Ages 4 - 8)

Editor's note: This post was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2021.

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Children's Books That Champion Kindness | Brightly

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My husband and I have spent many family discussions teaching our children about kindness. We tell our kids that what goes around comes around. If you want to be treated with kindness, you need to treat others with kindness. We've been successful for the most part, but kids make mistakes (who doesn't?)

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Fostering kindness in children and spreading kindness in our communities

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While researching for our school curriculum many years ago, I came across the work of Maurice J. Elias, a Professor of Psychology. His view about kindness being a teachable quality mirrors my own and like me, he's a huge advocate for teaching it in schools.

Like me, he believes that children have an emotional response to kindness but that emotionally intelligent kids have a better understanding of the feelings they're experiencing.
"Kindness depends also on possessing certain learnable skills, and these are included in most evidence-based efforts to promote children's social-emotional and character development.

Maurice isn't the only one who believes kindness is teachable. Over the years I've discovered many with the same view and noted that apart from being a trait that can be learned, kindness is also contagious! So, spreading the kindness bug among a community really isn't that hard.

With the various kindness days that are recognised Internationally, we're provide with some wonderful opportunities to introduce kindness activities that teach social and emotional skills in a fun and heartfelt way.
"We need to be prepared to teach kindness, because it can be delayed due to maltreatment early in life. It can be smothered under the weight of poverty, and it can be derailed by victimization later in life.

The warm, fuzzy feelings kindness produces is also an effective way to reach kids with anti-social or bullying behaviour. Their undesirable traits are more often than not caused by a need that hasn't been met (lack of support or love, etc.). They can, of course, also be learned within the home if positive values are not a priority making it essential for kids to be exposed to kindness and caring at school.

There are many simple and free ways to nurture kindness and giving within homes and schools and we encourage you to share the resources below with parents to take kindness outside the school gate.

Free Kindness Printables

1. Kindness ideas posters for both students and teachers

Our kids poster makes it easy to start group discussions around kindness and giving and to inspire students to come up with their own ideas of how they can make a difference. Pop the adult poster on the wall in the staff room to encourage teachers to start a kindness initiative among staff.

2. Kindness checklists for students and teachers

Our checklists are loved by kids and adults alike and make it easy to participate in kindness days at school, home and in the community.

3. Kindness is Your Superpower colouring pages

Teach your students that they all possess a superpower called 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. Pop finished posters throughout the school to remind the community to be kind to one another.

You may like to ask older students to work in groups to design and create their own posters.

4. Hug Coupons

There really is nothing quite like a hug to show you care or help make amends. Print our coupons or have your kids make their own. They can be taken home to share with family and friends or used in the yard.

Free Lesson Plans

This is a powerful activity to use in the classroom at any time a student is in need of some extra love and care or as a focus activity during International Day of Friendship. It's one we've included in the Ripple Kindness Project for Schools primary and elementary curriculum as it can have such an incredibly positive impact on children who are being acknowledged and complimented.

The activity can be exceptionally moving for children who have trouble connecting with others or suffer from low self-esteem as it helps them discover a sense of community. It can also help to nurture more positive relationships as it encourages children to think about and highlight the endearing qualities of their peers.

2. Kindness Coupons

These little coupons are one of our favourite resources because they can be tailored to suit so many situations. During kindness day, you can have your students brainstorm ideas for sharing kindness at home and get them to make their own coupon poster to take home.

You can also use coupons to show love and kindness during Mother's and Father's Day, to celebrate Gratitude Day, to cheer up a sick friend or to pop in the staffroom. You're really only limited by your imagination!

Great Blogs About Kindness

Phrases like "random acts of kindness" and "pay it forward" have become popular terms in modern society. There are even special days dedicated to performing good deeds and organisations who specialise in altruism.

But why has kindness become so popular? Perhaps it's best explained by those who have identified a deficit in their lives that can only be filled by giving.

Science proves there are good reasons why so many of us can't get enough of those addictive, feel-good emotions. Research shows there are many physical, emotional, and mental health benefits associated with kindness. It's a powerful and free resource to reduce anti-social and bullying behaviour.

When I teach Kindergarten or first-grade children, I always teach my students a little song called "Five Little Bluebirds". I developed some motions for the song, and always end this subtraction-type song by making a very sad face and saying, " No little bluebirds in the nest." The kids find this hysterical!

We sing the song through a second time with them joining in with more enthusiasm, and I can see in their mischievous eyes that they cannot wait until we get to the last line and they get to see my sad face AND make a sad face of their own. They laugh with their entire bodies, as 5 and 6-year olds are prone to do - and yes, that means some of them end up "prone" as they fall over on the carpet with laughter.

The power of classroom circles for fostering emotional intelligence, improving well-being and creating a culture of kindness is well documented. Circles are important tools for nurturing relationships and feelings of community and can be used in any classroom.

Schools with a focus on social and emotional learning (SEL) often use circles to help build a positive culture to reduce bullying. Circles work because they help all children to feel loved and encouraged while creating bonds between peers. They are especially important for nurturing feelings of belonging, acceptance and stability in troubled children.

I am crazy about kindness. Sharing it, spreading it, promoting it, talking about it, practicing it, blogging about it, teaching it, quoting it, buying t-shirts about it... crazy. about. kindness.

I am SO crazy about it that I felt the need to come up with a unique way to share this passion with my students and to practice kindness in a way that they would remember forever. I wanted to not only read cutesy little books about being kind (even though one of my favourite books is "What Does it Mean to Be Kind") or practice kindness within the fours walls of our classroom (our number one rule in the class is "Be Kind") or watch videos about examples of kindness (even though I always love me a good ugly cry kindness story on Ellen...). I wanted to LIVE kindness in our community. I wanted people to think about kindness and associate it with my kiddos and be hopeful that a bunch of 4, 5 and 6-year-olds could change the world. I wanted my learners to know that there are some lessons that aren't in the curriculum but that will be important to them for the rest of their lives. From that place, Kindness Capes (#kindnesscapes) was born.

In the book, Wonder by R.J. Palacio, she writes about Choosing Kind as the best option in life. This phrase resonated with me and sparked a new appreciation on how I discuss bullying with my 6 th graders.

I then came across an article on the Edutopia website titled, " Why Teaching Kindness in Schools is Essential to Reduce Bullying" and knew this was the right angle to take with my incoming 6 th graders. They have all heard the lectures about how bullying is wrong. I wanted to attack bullying from a different point of view. After reading the Edutopia article, I decided to teach kindness. What does it truly mean? I wanted my students to reflect on the meaning of kindness. I wanted them to pay it forward and start applying kindness to their peers at school.

Our elementary school serves approximately 800 students PreK-3rd grades.

The week of February 11th, 2018 happened to be "Random Acts of Kindness Week" so I challenged the staff to a Kindness Challenge - I challenged them to complete these simple, kind acts that would make our students' and colleagues' days just a bit brighter!

Links to Other Kindness Resources

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16 Free Resources to Teach Kids to Give During Kindness Day | Ripple Kindness Project

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While researching for our school curriculum many years ago, I came across the work of Maurice J. Elias, a Professor of Psychology. His view about kindness being a teachable quality mirrors my own and like me, he's a huge advocate for teaching it in schools.

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Invite a yoga teacher to class or lead one yourself

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It's no secret that yoga is a popular activity these days. From gyms, to studios, to schools, the practice is becoming all the more mainstream and taking on new and varied forms. One of the wonderful things to come out of the yoga craze is the accessibility for children.

Teaching yoga to children opens the door to a lifelong practice that nurtures healthy bodies, minds, and spirits.

That being said, if you're thinking of practicing yoga with your youngster or teaching a class to children, be prepared to shake things up a bit. While many adults turn to yoga to find peace and release tension in their bodies, children are motivated by one overarching factor: fun.

To peak their interest and keep them engaged, it's important to present kids with fun and exciting poses. Once engaged, we can begin to weave in breathing and meditation exercises so that they can also reap the wonderful benefits that yoga has to offer.

Here are the 7 best yoga poses for kids:

1. Cat and Cow

Any pose that has an animal name is wonderful because it conjures playful, relatable imagery that helps yoga feel more like play. From their hands and knees, walk them through dropping their belly and looking up for Cow Pose, and then arching their back like an angry cat for Cat Pose.

Once they master this fluid motion, incorporate the breath, encouraging them to breathe in with each Cow, and out with each Cat.

2. Puppy Pose

This variation of Child's Pose where the tailbone is raised high above the heels is a wonderful stretch for the back and shoulders, but also a good opportunity for introspection.

While looking down at their mat and not at the other children in the room, or any other distractions around, it's easier for kids to turn inward and settle down.

3. Tree Pose

Teaching Tree Pose to children has a beautiful way of showing them their own inner strength and focus.

As we describe the deep roots of a tree, we help kids to stand tall and proud, reminding them that they are each strong, wonderful individuals. As we lead them through the balancing portion by pressing the sole of one foot into the inside of the standing leg, we show them how focus and determination bring great rewards.

4. Airplane Pose (Warrior III)

What kid doesn't want to fly? This challenging pose keeps kids engaged as they use all the muscles in their body to steady their airplane.

Balancing on one leg, kicking the other behind them, and extending both arms like wings, kids can imagine they are flying high over their city, or wherever they can dream to be.

5. Lizard on a Rock (Partner Pose)

This pose has it all: an animal name, a wonderful stretch, and a partner to play with. Partner poses are an great way for kids to learn together, build trust, and get creative.

For this pose, have the partners sit on their knees, back to back. Have one come to Child's Pose on the mat with their tailbone on their heels, forehead on the mat, and arms extended beside their head. The second child comes into a high squat, then raising up to sit on the other's tailbone before leaning back and draping themselves over their friend.

The result is a wonderful heart opener, but also a silly pose that bring lightness to the practice.

6. Boat Pose

With a number of variations, this pose is a great offering for children of all ages and levels. Sitting on their mat with their feet a foot or so in front of them, have the kids place their hands behind them and point their toes they barely touch the mat. Then, they can play with lifting their feet off the mat and raising their arms to reach out in front of them.

From here, you can tap one foot to the mat and then the other, straighten both legs, or even twist the upper body from side to side. The challenge here is to keep breathing - just as we need to learn to breathe through difficult situations.

7. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

While many kids are resistant to napping and can find it hard to lay still, especially when their friends are near by, this pose is so important for everyone to incorporate into their yoga practice.

From this relaxing position, laying on their backs, it is the perfect time to introduce breathing exercises to children. Just like the names of the poses themselves, there are plenty of kid friendly breathing games that help them slow down, connect with themselves, and help them learn to listen to their bodies.

These poses are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sharing yoga with children. Kids bring a special lightness to the practice, an uninhibited joy that makes them eager to try new things and get into funny positions.

As yoga teachers, or parents, we can take advantage of this enthusiasm to integrate the invaluable lessons that yoga has to offer. After all, yoga is really a mirror for life, what we cultivate on the mat, we use in our daily reality.

Encouraging kids to find balance, calm, and strength makes for healthier, happier children, and what more could we wish for them?

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It's no secret that yoga is a popular activity these days. From gyms, to studios, to schools, the practice is becoming all the more mainstream and taking on new and varied forms. One of the wonderful things to come out of the yoga craze is the accessibility for children.

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Kindness quotes and famous remarks about empathy, compassion, forgiveness, and peace help engage children in meaningful conversations about themselves. Through these discussions, we teach kids about the true essence of the human spirit.
Empathy is the ability to recognize, feel, and respond to the needs and suffering of others. It facilitates the expression of caring, compassion, and kindness. Empathy helps youth see the outward impact of their actions in developing a just and sustainable world for everyone.

Parents and teachers influence young people's abilities to care for others beyond themselves by creating meaningful relationships with them-by ensuring youth are seen, felt, and understood. When adults expose young people to different worldviews and encourage them to do meaningful community service, youth develop higher levels of empathy and compassion.

Unfortunately, empathy is on the decline. Research shows that today's teens are 40 percent less empathetic than they were 30 years ago. This lack of empathy goes hand-in-hand with bullying, self-absorption, and less resilience.

Kindness quotes can help children understand empathy in new ways - to discover how generosity, patience, forgiveness, tolerance, civic-mindedness, caring, and compassion are vital to peace and human understanding. Wise people throughout history have talked about the importance of empathy, from the Classical Greek philosopher Plato to modern TV personalities like Ellen DeGeneres. Research shows that empathy is one of eight core abilities that drive successful kids.

This article is the last of a nine-part series on how adults can promote learning and development using inspiring quotes for kids. You may wish to read the introductory article to learn how the collection of 200 quotes are related to The Compass Advantage, a framework for positive youth development.

The following kindness quotes are short, simple, and memorable. Children from elementary through high school will find meaning in these quotes appropriate to their level of development and understanding.

25 Kid-Friendly Kindness Quotes to Inspire Empathy

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up.

Jesse Jackson

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Mother Teresa

Learning to stand in somebody else's shoes, to see through their eyes, that's how peace begins.

Barack Obama

If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.

Dolly Parton

The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.

Albert Schweitzer

I learned compassion from being discriminated against. Everything bad that's ever happened to me has taught me compassion.

Ellen DeGeneres

When a good man is hurt, all who would be called good must suffer with him.

Euripides

If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from his angle as well as your own.

Henry Ford

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.

Albert Einstein

Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.

Margaret Mead

You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.

John Steinbeck

Empathy may be the single most important quality that must be nurtured to give peace a fighting chance.

Arundhati Ray

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.

Plato

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

Dalai Lama

If you want to lift yourself up, lift someone else up.

Booker T. Washington

Always stop to think whether your fun may be the cause of another's unhappiness.

Aesop

The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other.

Meryl Streep

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Leo Buscaglia

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Dalai Lama

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.

Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.

A.A. Milne

We may have all come on different ships, but we're all in the same boat now.

Martin Luther King Jr.

It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive.

Maya Angelou

If you want to lift yourself up, lift someone else up. --Booker T. Washington #QuotesForKids #quote #empathy #kindness #parenting Click To Tweet

Kindness Quotes: Discussion Starters

The following discussion starters are just a few of many that can be used by parents, teachers, and after-school program leaders to engage children with quotes about kindness and empathy.

How would you define empathy?

What are your favorite empathy and kindness quotes from the list? Why?

Share a story about a time someone was kind and caring to you. What do you remember? How did you feel? If you could thank that person right now for their kindness, what would you say?

Do you see yourself as a kind, caring person? Why or why not?

What are some of the many ways people express empathy in their everyday lives?

What are the positives and negatives of being empathetic?

How do people learn to develop empathy?

Empathy in Action

In what ways could your empathy and kindness help others?

What problems in the world, such as those related to racism or bullying, would empathy help contribute to solutions?

Your Favorite Empathy and Kindness Quotes?

Do you have any favorite quotes about kindness and empathy that engage children and teens in dialogue about caring, civic-mindedness, forgiveness, stewardship, tolerance, compassion, or generosity? We'd love to add to our collection by inviting you to share your quotes in the comments section below.

Articles in the "Quotes for Kids" Series

Quotes for Kids That Promote Healthy Development ( Series Introduction)

Quotes About Curiosity That Inspire Kids' Life-Long Learning ( Curiosity)

Motivational Quotes for Kids That Help Build Positive Relationships ( Sociability)

Quotes About Resilience That Foster Children's Determination and Self-Confidence ( Resilience)

Self-Awareness Quotes That Help Kids Explore Their Inner Selves ( Self-Awareness)

Integrity Quotes That Teach Kids the Importance of Character ( Integrity)

Quotes about Goals That Motivate Kids Toward Success ( Resourcefulness)

Creativity Quotes That Inspire Kids' Inner Genius ( Creativity)

Kindness Quotes That Teach Kids to Care ( Empathy)

Published: October 17, 2018

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Kindness Quotes That Teach Kids to Care | Roots of Action

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Kindness quotes and famous remarks about empathy, compassion, forgiveness, and peace help engage children in meaningful conversations about themselves. Through these discussions, we teach kids about the true essence of the human spirit. Empathy is the ability to recognize, feel, and respond to the needs and suffering of others.

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Matthew loves to play games with his friends and share his toys with them. But most of all he loves to share the special treasures that r...

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Our mission is to inspire measurable acts of Kindness in schools and communities around the world. What We Do We spark Kindness Movements in schools and communities across the United States. We have gathered a team of dynamic and inspirational speakers and thought leaders to create programs that not only talk about being Kind but inspire people to take action.

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Grade 4 and up

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Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful-and very awkward-hearing aid.

The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear-sometimes things she shouldn't-but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become "El Deafo, Listener for All." And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she's longed for.

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid-but his new classmates can't get past Auggie's extraordinary face. Wonder, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie's point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community's struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

3. Fish In A Tree

The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who's ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn't fit in. "Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid."

4. 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Precepts

In Wonder, readers were introduced to memorable English teacher Mr. Browne and his love of precepts. This companion book features conversations between Mr. Browne and Auggie, Julian, Summer, Jack Will, and others, giving readers a special peek at their lives after Wonder ends. Mr. Browne's essays and correspondence are rounded out by a precept for each day of the year-drawn from popular songs to children's books to inscriptions on Egyptian tombstones to fortune cookies.

5. The One and Only Ivan

Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.

6. Same Sun Here

With honesty and humor, the main characters bridge the miles between them, creating a friendship that inspires bravery and defeats cultural misconceptions. Narrated in two voices, each voice distinctly articulated by a separate gifted author, this chronicle of two lives powerfully conveys the great value of being and having a friend and the joys of opening our lives to others who live beneath the same sun.

7. Inside Out and Back Again

Inside Out and Back Again is a New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and a winner of the National Book Award! Inspired by the author's childhood experience of fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama, this coming-of-age debut novel told in verse has been celebrated for its touching child's-eye view of family and immigration.

8. Sunborn Rising: Beneath the Fall

Cerulean is on the brink of collapse. The decay wasn't fast, it wasn't obvious, but now the world stands on the precipice. Woven forests floating on an ocean around a star, Cerulean's once vibrant treescape has grown dim over generations of arboreal life, and the creatures of the forest have forgotten the light.

9. The Family Under the Bridge

This is the delightfully warm and enjoyable story of an old Parisian named Armand, who relished his solitary life. Children, he said, were like starlings, and one was better off without them. But the children who lived under the bridge recognized a true friend when they met one, even if the friend seemed a trifle unwilling at the start. And it did not take Armand very long to realize that he had gotten himself ready-made family; one that he loved with all his heart, and one for whom he would have to find a better home than the bridge.

10. Hannah Coulter

Life carried on for the community of Port William, Kentucky, as some boys returned from the war and the lives of others were mourned. In her seventies, Nathan's wife, Hannah, has time now to tell of the years since the war. In Wendell Berry's unforgettable prose, we learn of the Coulter's children, of the Feltners and Branches, and how survivors "live right on."

11. Brown Girl Dreaming

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world.

12. Island of the Blue Dolphins

'Island of the Blue Dolphins' is an adventure of the spirit that will haunt the reader long after the book has been put down. Karana's quiet courage, her Indian self-reliance and acceptance of fate, transform what to many would have been a devastating ordeal into an uplifting experience. From loneliness and terror come strength and serenity in this Newbery Medal-winning classic.

13. Jayber Crow

Jayber Crow, born in Goforth, Kentucky, orphaned at age ten, began his search as a "pre-ministerial student" at Pigeonville College. "You have been given questions to which you cannot be given answers. You will have to live them out-perhaps a little at a time."

14. Paperboy

Little Man throws the meanest fastball in town. But talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering-not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July, he's not exactly looking forward to interacting with the customers. But it's the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, who stirs up real trouble in Little Man's life.

15. The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible

This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler's list child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow.

16. Night (Night)

Night is Elie Wiesel's masterpiece, a candid, horrific, and deeply poignant autobiographical account of his survival as a teenager in the Nazi death camps. This new translation by Marion Wiesel, Elie's wife and frequent translator, presents this seminal memoir in the language and spirit truest to the author's original intent. And in a substantive new preface, Elie reflects on the enduring importance of Night and his lifelong, passionate dedication to ensuring that the world never forgets man's capacity for inhumanity to man.

17. One Came Home

In the town of Placid, Wisconsin, in 1871, Georgie Burkhardt is known for two things: her uncanny aim with a rifle and her habit of speaking her mind plainly. But when Georgie blurts out something she shouldn't, her older sister Agatha flees, running off with a pack of "pigeoners" trailing the passenger pigeon migration. And when the sheriff returns to town with an unidentifiable body-wearing Agatha's blue-green ball gown-everyone assumes the worst. Except Georgie.

18. Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of life as a Palestinian refugee.

19. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Pantheon Graphic Novels)

Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

20. Where the Red Fern Grows

Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when he's finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own, he's ecstatic. It doesn't matter that times are tough; together they'll roam the hills of the Ozarks. Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region. But tragedy awaits these determined hunters-now friends-and Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair, and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past

21. My Side of the Mountain (Puffin Modern Classics)

Terribly unhappy in his family's crowded New York City apartment, Sam Gribley runs away to the solitude-and danger-of the mountains, where he finds a side of himself he never knew.

22. I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This

Twelve-year-old Marie is a leader among the popular black girls in Chauncey, Ohio, a prosperous black suburb. She isn't looking for a friend when Lena Bright, a white girl, appears in school. Yet they are drawn to each other because both have lost their mothers. And they know how to keep a secret. For Lena has a secret that is terrifying, and she's desperate to protect herself and her younger sister from their father. Marie must decide whether she can help Lena by keeping her secret-or by telling it.

23. The Breadwinner

The first book in Deborah Ellis's riveting Breadwinner series is an award-winning novel about loyalty, survival, families, and friendship under extraordinary circumstances during the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan.

24. Out of My Mind

Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom-the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged, because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it-somehow.

25. Moon Over Manifest

Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.

26. A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story

The New York Times bestseller A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours' walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya's in an astonishing and moving way.

27. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan

They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky is the three boys' account of that unimaginable journey. With the candor and the purity of their child's-eye-vision, Alephonsian, Benjamin, and Benson recall by turns: how they endured the hunger and strength-sapping illnesses-dysentery, malaria, and yellow fever; how they dodged the life-threatening predators-lions, snakes, crocodiles and soldiers alike-that dogged their footsteps; and how they grappled with a war that threatened continually to overwhelm them.

28. The Wall (Reading Rainbow Books)

A boy and his father have come to the Vietnam War Memorial to look for the boy's grandfather's name among those who were killed in the war. They find his name surrounded, but far from lost, in the rows of print that "march side by side, like rows of soldiers." "I'm proud that your grandfather's name is on this wall," says the boy's father. The boy agrees, adding, "but I'd rather have my grandpa here."

29. Bridge to Terabithia

Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

30. Charlotte's Web

E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. It contains illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E.B. White's Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, among many other books.

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30 Of The Best Books To Teach Children Empathy -

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30 Of The Best Books To Teach Children Empathy by TeachThought Staff Often confused with sympathy and compassion, empathy is, put simply, the ability to feel what another person is feeling. Unlike sympathy or compassion, empathy doesn't require you to feel for them, though it can lead to those emotions.

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A World of Kindness book. Read 13 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. There are many ways children can show kindness to others - huma...