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The 2021 Great Kindness Challenge Kickoff - KINDNESS UNITES!

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Kindness Rocks by Sonica Ellis | Kids Books Read Aloud

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Kindness is My Superpower | Read Aloud by Reading Pioneers Academy

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Kindness Snippet Jar by Diane Alber - Videobook For Kids

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Kid President + Glad to Give present How Good Spreads

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Be Kind | A Children's Story about things that matter

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Read Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z on Epic

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Author - Irene Latham, Charles Waters , Illustrator - Mehrdokht Amini

Illustrator - Mehrdokht Amini

Create an Epic account to start reading!

Organized as a dictionary, each entry presents a word and poem related to creating a better world, such as ally, empathy, or respect.

Read this Book on Epic!

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Read Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z on Epic

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Author - Irene Latham, Charles Waters , Illustrator - Mehrdokht Amini Illustrator - Mehrdokht Amini Create an Epic account to start reading! Organized as a dictionary, each entry presents a word and poem related to creating a better world, such as ally, empathy, or respect. Read this Book on Epic!

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Scribble Stones by Diane Alber - Videobook For Kids

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Great Kindness Challenge Checklist of Ideas

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Great Kindness Challenge Checklist of Ideas

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Kids are naturally selfish - me, me, me and mine, mine, mine. Not surprising: in the early months and years, it is all about them. So how do we teach our kids to think of others and to treat other people with kindness and compassion?

Kindness and compassion are rooted in empathy and stem from the golden rule of treating others how we wish to be treated ourselves.

Some days, though, I can spout the golden rule 'til the cows come home and yet it feels like it never sinks in. You encourage compassion, you support acts of kindness, and you try your best to demonstrate empathy, and yet five minutes later the kids are arguing over who sets the table more often and wrestling over the Xbox controllers.

"Be nice to your sister!" you say. "Don't talk that way to your brother!"

"Blah, blah, blah," is what they hear.

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Once, when they were younger, my daughter broke a plastic ladle over my son's head. They'd been playing nicely in the other room when the wailing began. Between reprimanding the one and consoling the other and trying to get to the root of the problem ("he was mean!" "no, she was!") we were all finally reduced to tears. (There should be a course in complex mediation skills for all parents, but that's a whole other topic...)

Anyway, that morning we spent some time talking and processing the emotions: how did it make you feel when he did that? Was hitting the proper response? How would you feel if someone did that to you?

Kindness can be taught. From their earliest days, kids learn by seeing and copying the people around them. Kids can learn kindness by watching and doing. We can lecture our kids about kindness until we're blue in the face, but practicing kindness has a far greater impact than simply talking about it.

Art and craft activities that have kindness and compassion at their root are fantastic to get kids thinking about kindness and compassion and making concrete steps in that direction.

Below are five kindness activities for kids that encourage them to spread kindness and act with compassion.

#1: Random Acts of Kindness Presents

Asking kids to be randomly kind is like asking them to clean their rooms "when they get a chance." Not going to happen. Sitting down to make a fun craft specifically for someone for no particular reason, however, gives kindness a subtle direction, and makes the giver feel great.

Two great projects for random acts of kindness presents are pet rocks and paperweights and bookmarks.

What you need: rocks; acrylic paint; paper; scissors; pencils, crayons, or markers; googly eyes; stick-on gems.
What to do:

For pet rocks and paperweights:

Find nice smooth rocks. This can involve a fun trip to the beach, the park, or your local building supply store.

Paint the rock. This will involve some drying time, but you can also leave the rocks in their natural state and write on them with a marker if you are short on time.

Attach googly eyes if making a pet rock. If you are making a paperweight, decorate the rock with stick-on gems and write messages: 'I love you,' 'You are beautiful,' 'You make me smile,' 'I love your laughter,' 'You are fun!'

Give the rock to a neighbor or friend. Or, treat them as kindness rocks that you hide around neighborhoods, stores, schools, and other places for people to find! There's no greater feeling that knowing you have added some positivity in the life of a complete stranger.

For bookmarks:

Cut paper into strips. 2" x 8" is a great size for bookmarks.

Decorate the bookmarks with pictures or messages as shown.

While you are making the present, talk about the person you're going to give it to. A grandmother who reads a lot, maybe, or a favorite neighbor.

#2: Random Acts of Kindness Bingo

Kids understand the concept of being kind, but sometimes they have difficulty knowing how to put the concept into action. Play this ongoing game around the house so they have easy options at hand all the time.

What you need: paper, pencils, crayons or markers; bingo stampers or highlighters.
What to do:

Make a grid on a piece of paper. Make as many squares as you wish but sixteen or twenty-five work well. For very small children, nine squares help to achieve a "Bingo" a little more quickly.

The kids can decorate the Bingo sheet with images that come to mind when they think about kindness (hearts, rainbows, helping hands).

In each Bingo square, write an act of kindness. Get your kids involved and encourage them to think up ways to be kind: say hi to a neighbor down the street, help younger sibling pour the milk, set the table without being asked, etc. Leave a square or two blanks for spontaneous acts of kindness that aren't specified on the Bingo sheet.

Make, decorate and cut out small hearts. Then, stick the hearts to the bingo board when the kids complete the acts of kindness. You could also stamp the square with a Bingo stamper or highlight it if you prefer.

When the Bingo square is complete have some way to celebrate: a special dessert, or a half-hour later bedtime, for example.

# 3: Paper Chain of Kindness

This is a great idea from the blog Sugar Spice and Glitter.

This craft is fabulous for encouraging kids to reflect on the kind things people have done for them and to make them think of the kind things they can do for others. It's a lovely way to encourage kids to think about paying it forward.

What you need: construction paper; pencils, crayons or markers; scissors, glue or tape.
What to do:

Cut colorful construction paper into strips. Have a pile of strips ready and waiting.

Encourage your kids to think about times when someone has been kind to them: when a sibling shared a toy, when the babysitter brought them some candy.

Have the kids write (or help the younger ones write) the act of kindness on a strip of paper, and then bend it into a circle and tape or glue. Take the second one and loop it through the first and tape or glue, eventually making a long chain.

Subtly (or not so!) remind your kids that the kind acts they perform can be added to the chain.

Make it a challenge to see how long the chain can be.

#4: A Long Distance Hug

If someone you know is going through a hard time, whether they've lost a family member or a pet, or are dealing with an illness, sending a long distance hug is a great way to talk to your kids about what the person is dealing with and emphasize how kindness can make others feel better. This is a great way to encourage thoughts of kindness toward friends and family far away, or even someone in the same city who might need a hug.

What you need: construction paper; crayons or markers; yarn or string; glue; scissors. Envelopes and stamps.
What to do:

Have the kids trace their hands and cut out the shapes.

Cut a length of string or yarn and glue one end to each hand cut-out.

Write a message on each hand, or decorate the hands. A add a small card telling the recipient that they are receiving a long distance hug.

Mail the hug.

#5: Kindness in the Mail

With email, text, Skype, and FaceTime, it is rare that people receive anything other than flyers and bills in the mail. This is a great craft to encourage kids to connect to loved ones who live far away, to send them kind thoughts, and to foster positive good feelings towards others.

What you need: card stock or thick paper or blank postcards; pencils, crayons or markers. Stamps.
What to do:

Cut thick paper or cardstock into rectangles. The standard size for postcards is A6 size, 148 x 105 mm, or 5.8 x 4.1 inches. (However, a 4×6" card is not going to be rejected.)

Decorate one side of the postcard with a picture or words or collage.

Draw a line down the middle of the back of the paper, write the address of the recipient on the right side, and add a message on the left side. Messages can be: thinking of you! Or Can't wait to see you soon! Or Remember when we caught that fish last summer... Emphasize messages of kindness and good feelings.

Mail the postcards to cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and long-distance friends.

Teaching our kids to be kind and compassionate sometimes feels like an uphill battle, but taking the time to create something that reflects kind thoughts helps to embed a little compassion into our busy, self-centered lives. I hope you found this list of kindness activities for kids useful!

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2-Minute Action Plan for Fine Parents

Arts and crafts don't have to take up a lot of time. Find half an hour in your weekly schedule, write it in your calendar and commit to it. You'll find you start looking forward to that time.

Pick one of the crafts described above, or choose your own.

Use daily news or life events to talk about kindness, and involve the kids in discussions about what you can do or make to help spread kindness and compassion.

Try loving kindness meditation.

Ongoing Action Plan for Fine Parents

Make craft time a recurring fun time - the crafts don't always have to be about kindness - art for art sake is always an excellent idea.

Encourage kids to come up with other things to make for people

Be a role model! Kids learn by example. The more kindness and compassion we show in our words and actions, the more it rubs off on the kids. We could all send more thank you cards and practice random acts of kindness!

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Five activities to teach kids about kindness and compassion | A Fine Parent

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Kids are naturally selfish - me, me, me and mine, mine, mine. Not surprising: in the early months and years, it is all about them. So how do we teach our kids to think of others and to treat other people with kindness and compassion?

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55+ Kindness Activities... write a note to our troops.

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55+ Kindness Activities... write a note to our troops.

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We love using these fun and playful kindness activities to teach our kids. It's so important to begin teaching them about being kind to others and how little things can make a big difference. What is great about these kindness activities, is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to do something nice.

We love these ideas!

55+ Kindness Activities for Kids

Can you fit acts of kindness into your family schedule? Love this from Moments A Day

Take the abstract idea of "filling your bucket" and make it real by using an actual bucket and kind words on paper. at Kids Activities Blog

Make a family kindness jar so that kind acts are acknowledged. Add beans to a jar for kind acts done and when it's full it can magically turn into candy! at Kids Activities Blog

Cotton words or sandpaper words? This is an incredible hands on lesson for kids. From The School Counselor Kind

Print these free smile it forward cards and place them around your city for people to find. This is so fun! at Kids Activities Blog

Here are some simple ways to help teach your child about being a good friend. at Kids Activities Blog
kindness activities
Remember cootie catchers? These are kindness catchers! Kids can play them with friends to discuss nice things they can do for each other like give high fives! From Coffee Cups and Crayons

Teach your kids about generosity by getting a list of food needed for a local food bank and take them shopping. at Kids Activities Blog

These bags of joy are nice little things to make for people who may need a pick me up. at Kids Activities Blog

Brighten someone's day by sending them a box of sunshine. This is so sweet! From Love and Marriage Blog

This hands on activity shows kids how hard it can be to undo harsh words. All you need is tissue paper. From First Grade Wow

Here are a few of our favorite books about kindness.

Here are the rest of the kindness activities. You can even add your own! By linking up, you give other blogs permission to link back to your site and use one photo in a roundup post. Family friendly links only, please.

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We love using these fun and playful kindness activities to teach our kids. It's so important to begin teaching them about being kind to others and how little things can make a big difference. What is great about these kindness activities, is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to do something nice.

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Having compassion for others and treating those around us with kindness doesn't have to be taught. It's often learned through model behavior and comes naturally to many kids. But there are many activities for kids that further encourage a 'kindness mindset'. In bringing awareness to situations that require compassion and empathy, children will begin to view others with a more understanding lens.

These activities and acts of kindness will help children interact and engage with the world around them in a compassionate and empathetic way:

1. Play a cooperative, team-building game with friends.

Playworks is a non-profit organization that supports learning and physical health among children. It's a great resource with a number of examples of team-based games for kids.

2. Volunteer at an animal shelter.

Teaching compassion for animals is a great way to practice empathy, kids are naturally drawn to animals and love to help them.

3. Visit the elderly.

Your children can sing songs, perform a short skit, or play an instrument.

4. Join a family fun run that donates money to a charitable cause.

Discuss and research the cause with your children beforehand.

5. Volunteer at a food bank.

This is an excellent hands-on way for kids to help out and also get a better sense of the struggles that some face.

6. Make a family Kindness Jar.

The Kindness Jar is a simple system of positive reinforcement that promotes kind behavior and acknowledges the effects of unkind behaviors.

7. Write a kind note for a family member.

Having your child take a moment for positive considerations and then articulate it in a note does well to foster kindness.

8. Make a homemade bird feeder to put in your yard.

Check out some interesting ways to create your own bird feeder from everyday recycled materials.

9. Bring your teacher a drawing or small gift.

It will show how much your child appreciates their hard work and dedication!

10. Sponsor a child from another country.

You can help children living in underprivileged communities through organizations like World Vision.

11. Read stories from the Make-a-Wish website or watch some of their YouTube videos.

Make-a-Wish has a collection of touching stories for you and your children to read through on their website.

12. Read books about friendship.

Here are a number of books about friendship and love - perfect for children of toddler-to-preschool age.

13. Host a lemonade stand.

Donate the earnings to a worthy organization you and your children have picked together.

14. Write a letter to a soldier.

Operation Gratitude is a great organization to check out to thank soldiers for their commitment and bravery.

15. Bake treats for local firefighters or police officers.

These banana breakfast cookies are a healthy and delicious recipe to go with.

16. Donate pre-loved items to those in need.

Old clothing and toys are two great places to start!

17. Act it out!

Here are 10 scenarios that help kids develop compassion.

These activities will help children gain a deeper understanding for others while teaching them to spread kindness and compassion. Plus, they will feel really good while doing them!

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17 Activities for Kids to Practice Kindness and Compassion - Nature's Path

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Having compassion for others and treating those around us with kindness doesn't have to be taught. It's often learned through model behavior and comes naturally to many kids. But there are many activities for kids that further encourage a 'kindness mindset'.

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Joely Richardson for Save with Stories reading A Little Bit Brave by Nicola Kinnear

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'Please Please the Bees' read by Rashida Jones

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Martin's Big Words  w/ EFX & Music Read Aloud

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Can I Be Your Dog?  Read Aloud Book Family

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Micheal Ward for Save with Stories reading "Riley Can Be Anything" by Davina Hamilton

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Russell Tovey for Save with Stories reading "Love Monster" by Rachel Bright

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📚 Kids Book Read Aloud: I'M NOT JUST A SCRIBBLE... by Diane Alber