7 Ways to Teach Kids about Kindness
These great activities will help teach kids about kindness from an early age. Enjoy seeing your little ones show kindness in different ways.
Why Teach Kids about Kindness
When kids learn about kindness and why to be kind from a young age, it becomes second nature. They will grow up seeking out opportunities to be kind because it makes them feel good. What a dream as a parent!
Kids that seek out opportunities to be kind tend to be more grateful for what they have because they have seen people in worse situations. Being kind makes kids feel better and like they are helping people–because they are! Although they are little, they are mighty and can still make a huge difference in this world!
Ways to Teach Kids about Kindness
Kindness Quotes
Teach your little ones some quotes about kindness. Talk about what the quotes mean and why it is important. You may even want to make kindness quote posters (decorated by your preschooler).
Here are a few kindness quotes:
“Kindness Matters”
“Kindness is a gift everyone can afford”
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, was ever wasted” — Aesop
Books about Kindness
Books are a great way to get a message across to your little learners. They are able to see how different actions change the character. Some great books about kindness are The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, K is for Kindness (Sesame Street) by Jodie Shepherd, and Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev.
We have complied a list of books all about kindness for you. Check it out here.
Kindness Rocks
Your littles will LOVE painting kindness rocks. After they dry, have your littles give them to their friends or leave them in public places to brighten a stranger’s day.
Kindness rock tutorial is found here.
Kindness Role Plays
While playing with your preschooler, drop something and see if your preschooler runs over to help. If she doesn’t, ask her for help. Tell her how helpful it was and that it made you feel good knowing that you could count on her to help. Some up with other ways that your little one can show kindness. Act out different situations, taking turns who is doing the kind act. Role play is an important (and safe) way to help kids see how to respond to different situations.
Kindness Videos
Have your littles watch videos to learn more about kindness. Teach kids about kindness with this short video explaining what kindness is. Daniel Tiger from PBS Kids has an episode called King for a Day where Daniel learns to be kind in different ways.
Kindness Songs
Encourage your little ones to sing and dance to songs that promote kindness. Here is a “You Can Choose to Be Kind” from Daniel Tiger. Another great song is Kindness by Juicebox Jukebox.
Kindness Games
Kind Kim
This game is similar to Simon Says except the person calling out the items doesn’t say “Simon Says”. Instead, if the person says something kind (smile, wave to a friend, give a high five, etc.) the group does the action. If the action isn’t something kind (roll your eyes, tell a secret, point and laugh at someone), the group does not do the action.
Kindness Charades
Have your little one act out something kind he can do. Try to guess what it is. Opening the door for someone, taking care of your plate at dinner, or cleaning up a mess are all great starting points for this game. You may want to talk with your kids about different kind acts before trying this game so they have some ideas.
Teach Kids about Kindness
Kindness can be found all around. Help teach kids about kindness by having them look for people being kind and by looking for opportunities to be kind. Even the smallest act of kindness is important.
