We think kindness is ALWAYS cool! And showing your kindness to the world is an important part of a child’s social/emotional development. We want to share some ideas for easy kindness activities the whole family can be a part of!
When we talk to our kids about showing kindness to others, it’s more than just doing a nice thing for someone else. The act of being kind teaches children important skills – empathy for others, understanding different situations and recognizing when others are in need and how they can help.
Kindness is also a skill that can be practiced just like math facts or reading fluency so when you and your family are regularly doing things that show kindness to others, those skills are being reinforced!
We’ve got 10 fun and easy ways to show kindness to others and practice kindness every day!
1. Decorate the sidewalk with positive and kind messages!
Break out the sidewalk chalk and share your kindness with the whole neighborhood!
Let’s kids choose positive images and words that they would like to share with others. Ask them to think of things that would make them feel happy if they saw or words that would fill up their bucket.
2. Paint kindness rocks to share with others!
Find a few smooth rocks that kid’s can paint with positive words or pictures, just like your sidewalk art!
Share these small pieces of kindness with neighbors and leave one as a surprise on their front porch or keep a few in your bag so your kids can give them to people you meet throughout the day!
There are lots of ways to share your kindness rocks!
3. Create a kindness rock garden!
Create a bunch of kindness rocks of various shapes and sizes and build a rock garden in a place where lots of people will see it!
Place a sign encouraging people to add their own kindness rocks or take one from the garden that feels special to them.
4. Leave a quarter in your Aldi cart!
Showing kindness can be a small, seemingly insignificant act. If you are shopping at Aldi, instead of taking the quarter with you when you put your cart back, leave it in the cart for the next person.
Talk with your kids about why this is an act of kindness – it’s a small thing that may make someone smile and help them out. Kindness can be little things too!
5. Write kindness mail!
Everyone loves getting mail so make it even better with a kind note or card!
Have your kids write kind notes and put them into the mailboxes of your friend’s and neighbors. These notes can be written words (great handwriting practice, too!) or drawings, pictures or collages.
6. Make friendship bracelets!
A fun downtime activity, and a great way to practice fine motor skills, is to have your kiddos make friendship bracelets to pass out to friends and family.
There are so many ways to make them, some more advanced and others very basic, so everyone will be able to participate!
Here’s a great video tutorial to get you started! Click here to watch!
7. Create a kindness jar for your home!
Kindness really does begin at home! Start a kindness jar in your home where everyone in the family can write something kind about another family member, share a happy memory or just say “I love you” to each other. You can sign your name or keep it anonymous.
Keep a pad of paper next to the jar so a kind note can be written at any time! Once a week, maybe after a family dinner, go through the jar and read the notes and see the kindness spread!
8. Make helper bags!
A great way to teach kindness is to help kids see the world beyond themselves and how they can be a part of making someone else’s life a bit better!
Create “helper bags” with basic toiletries, non-perishable snacks, first aid items and a kind note. These bags can be taken to homeless shelters, local churches or other charity organizations.
They are a great way for our kids to learn that showing kindness to those we don’t know personally is also a wonderful thing!
9. Volunteer in your community!
Along the same lines as creating helper bags, volunteering in your community builds awareness for kids that while other people’s lives may look different from their own, everyone deserves kindness!
Check out local churches, hospitals or food pantries to see what volunteer opportunities the whole family could take part in.
10. Bake treats for family and friends and include a kind note!
Lots of kids love to bake AND gift gifts so combine the two and make some treats to give to family and friends. Have your kiddos include a kind note or drawing and set aside a day to deliver all your baked gifts!
The best way for our kids to learn kindness is to see it at home and pracitice it regularly! There are so many times and opportunities for kiddos to see kindness in action and spread kindness themselves.
What are some of your favorite kindness activities!? Comment below!
And, as always, if you have any questions or concerns that we can help with, reach out to us! Beyond Speech is ready to help!