"To care for others and take thoughtful actions."
Expanded Definition
Kindness is an attribute of a person who cares about and acts positively toward others, may they be a person, animal, or the environment. There is no one way to exhibit kindness — it can be shown through simple to grand acts of friendliness, generosity, and compassion. The most defining quality of a kind person, however, is the willingness to help others in times of need, regardless of what their relationship with them may be.
Etymology
The word “kindness” is a combination of the word “kind” and the nominative suffix “-ness.” It is derived from the Middle English word kinde, meaning “being nice to others.” This word is from the Old English cynde, which means “native,”
Classroom Strategies
Simple acts of kindness can significantly change the world for the better. As the architects of our future, children need to learn how to fill the world with kindness. Empower them to promote compassion and positive relationships, starting from the classroom. Not only will this benefit their future, but it can also help you reduce the instances of bullying and conflicts in school. Here are 10 effective classroom strategies that instill kindness in young students:
Host a classroom festival of positivity and kindness: Designate a fun day filled with engaging activities where acts of kindness can be practiced. Activities can include a role-play, a puppet show, and a dance. Plan the activity with your students and ensure that the activities promote kindness.
Play a kindness bingo game: Create bingo cards with acts of kindness for students to complete. Once they accomplish the activity, engage them in a class discussion on how showing kindness toward others makes them feel.
Conduct the “Pass the Kindness Board” activity: Have the students create a message board that they can pass along to their classmates. Each recipient writes a gratitude message to the board's owner about a kind action they witnessed. Ensure everyone participates by writing on each classmate's board.
Celebrate Kindness Awards: Students are encouraged to nominate and vote for a classmate to receive the "Kindness Award." To exercise fairness, ensure that every student receives an award for their unique acts of kindness, such as helping others or caring for the classroom plants.
Decorate the classroom with rocks of kindness: Have students paint rocks with positive messages and place them around the classroom. This activity not only brightens the classroom with positivity but also provides students with reminders to always help others.
Start every day with news of kindness: Make it a practice to start the day with news stories of kindness based on real life. You can do this by playing video stories or kindness podcasts in class. This activity teaches students moral lessons on the importance of helping others to the best of their abilities.
Play charades featuring acts of kindness: Play a game of charades using scenarios that involve acts of kindness. This activity helps students to recognize what actions exhibit goodness.
Play a role-playing game: Give students hypothetical situations, then ask them to enact what they would do in response to these situations. The goal of this activity is to help students practice kind behavior and help others in need.
Start a donation drive: Discuss with your students the importance of helping others and how small acts of giving can make a big difference. Introduce them to different organizations and guide them to select one that resonates with them.
Conduct a photography or videography contest: Encourage students to capture acts of kindness they observe in their community, at home, or in school through photographs or videos. Allow them to share their creations with the class and invite them to reflect on the lessons learned from these uplifting actions.
Kindness is the positive force that moves a positive world! Teach your students to be kind and create a harmonious, compassionate future together. Simply introduce the concept to your students and integrate these helpful classroom strategies into your lesson planning!
Resources
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