Sometimes, the smallest act of kindness can make the biggest difference! This Sunday, November 13th, is World Kindness Day. With the following activities and worksheets, you can inspire kids to practice empathy and show kindness to others!
Encouraging kindness in the classroom
This World Kindness Day, teachers can follow several detailed lesson plans and utilize worksheets and activities that make it easy to promote goodwill in the classroom.
You can start out with a random acts of kindness lesson plan that includes group activities that show how kindness spreads through the classroom, as well as guided practice with an acts of kindness letter that students can address to a classmate or teacher. Implementing a sending kindness log is also a great option to encourage kids to recognize their own kind thoughts throughout the week.
Teachers can also follow a spreading kindness lesson plan that focuses on parts of the brain responsible for making decisions. This lesson plan is accompanied by a making healthy choices worksheet that has students reflect on what they would do in certain decision-making scenarios, such as when a classmate is sitting by themselves.
Partner activities are also a great way to prevent or resolve interpersonal conflicts in the classroom. Our heart to heart lesson plan first brings students together to explore the concept of “heartfulness,” or how their heart feels when they send kind thoughts to others.
Practicing kindness at home
Teach kindergarteners and first-graders that kindness matters with a kindness counts activity where they draw a picture of a kind act, act it out, and reflect on how generosity makes them feel with a random acts of kindness worksheet. They end the activity by making a heart ornament to take this physical reminder of kindness with them.
Older kids can benefit from exploring more complex concepts, such as empathy. For fourth and fifth-graders, try out a seeing and understanding empathy activity that includes a reaching out worksheet that helps them recognize those who may need support and reach out to them compassionately.
Additionally, teach kids about the mind-body connection with a kind thoughts activity that has them associate words like “bad” and “kind” with how their bodies feel, reminding them about the power of positive thinking.
Being kind to oneself is important as well! loving kindness notes are a simple way to remind kids of their own unique gifts and positive traits. Another great idea is to practice mindfulness by using a worksheet that helps kids practice bringing kindness and curiosity to everyday tasks.
