Kindness ideas and kindness activities are easier to incorporate into your daily lesson than you might think. When you want to teach your students an academic skill, like addition or using figurative language, you probably follow a standard approach:
Believe it or not, this same basic approach also works to cultivate social-emotional skills, such as kindness toward others.
If you want your students to spread kindness this holiday season (and beyond), start by modeling the positive behaviors you’d like to see. Then, try some of these fun, heartfelt, and hands-on kindness ideas and kindness activities!
All children have probably heard that kindness is important, or that being kind is the right thing to do. But most children don’t understand the true power of a simple act of kindness.
Kindness stimulates the production of chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. These feel-good chemicals increase happiness and help with sleep, health, relaxation, appetite, energy, and memory. For younger children, you can describe kindness as a “superpower” that makes people happier and healthier.
And it’s not just the person receiving the kind act who experiences these benefits. Research shows the effect in the brain is the same for the person who offers kindness, the person who receives it, and all witnesses to the kind act.
In turn, everyone who feels these effects may be inspired to offer kind acts of their own, spreading kindness in a domino effect. To illustrate this point to children, have them knock down a line of dominoes or drop pebbles into a container of water and observe the ripples it creates. Even the smallest acts of kindness aren’t so small after all! Let’s look at some kindness activities for kids.
This kindness activity is a great way to bring the concept of “the science of kindness” to life by having students fill out Kindness Cards. Pass out index cards and ask students to write down something kind that someone did for them recently. Then have them reflect on how it made them feel.
Lastly, collect the Kindness Cards and read them aloud to the class. Discuss how all these acts of kindness, whether big or small, spread happiness and made a difference. Hand your students’ index cards back to them. Now ask them to brainstorm a list of kind acts they would like to do for others.
Spread even more kindness by challenging your students to practice random acts of kindness. Remind them that when they treat someone with kindness, that person is more likely to be kind to someone else. This idea of kindness helps bring the ripple effect to life.
Of course, it’s helpful to provide children with specific goals. I’ve created a challenge called 12 Days of Kindness, featuring 30 acts of kindness across three categories: kindness to self, kindness to others, and kindness to Earth. Students can complete four acts of kindness in each category during the 12 days. Or you can simply encourage them to complete as many kind acts as possible. These kindness activities for kids are simple and easy to complete.
Students will enjoy completing the Kindness Challenge activity and seeing the positive effects of their actions. This will encourage them to continue spreading kindness in the future.
Similarly, you can create a kindness calendar for your students. Each day of the month would feature a simple act of kindness to be completed. As each act of kindness is completed, students color in the square for that date.
You want these kindness activities to be doable, so keep it simple: giving high-fives to six classmates, leaving a nice note in a library book, helping a parent without being asked, giving a compliment, holding a door open, etc.
Giving back through volunteering is an excellent idea to help foster kindness and share it with others.
Start small by talking to children about how they can “give back” in the classroom or at home. What special gifts do they have that can help others? How can they encourage classmates or family members when they feel lonely, sad, or frustrated?
Next, discuss ways to be helpful in their communities. This may include picking up litter, donating clothes, filling backpacks with school supplies for children in need, welcoming new neighbors, and making Valentine’s cards for senior citizens.
And finally, how can children make a difference on a global scale? For instance, they can donate items to places affected by natural disasters, write letters to elected officials on important issues, send thank-you cards to the military, and raise money for charities around the world.
As a class, choose a cause you’d like to support at the school, local, national, or even global level. Regularly journal about what you’re doing, how it’s helping others, and how it feels to offer kindness. These ABCs of Kindness posters are perfect for helping students come up with ideas for showing small acts of kindness each day.
To celebrate and encourage kind and helpful acts, students can interpret and analyze quotes about kindness. This is particularly fun and engaging for students when sticky notes are used as the teaching vehicle.
Another idea to foster kindness in your students is to read and discuss stories focused on kindness. While there are many such stories, a few suggestions include:
If you can get your students excited about academics, you can definitely get them excited about spreading kindness with these activities. And imagine the impact a classroom full of kind, caring kids can have on their community!
Before you go, grab FREE Growth Mindset Bell Ringers for 2nd-3rd Grade or Growth Mindset Bell Ringers for 4th Grade and Up.
I am Kirsten Tulsian, an elementary educator with 18 years of experience as a teacher and counselor. My passion lies in empowering students to discover their inherent brilliance through the use of engaging, rigorous, and meaningful activities. I look forward to connecting with you!
