16 Free Kindness Day Resources to Teach Kids to Give
Inside: If you want to know how to teach kids about kindness, these ideas and free printables will set you up for Kindness Day and beyond!
If you're wondering how to teach kindness in your classroom, you have a wonderful opportunity to start teaching students to be kind during Kindness Day. Read on to find out how easy it can be to transform your class community.
While researching kindness many years ago, I came across the work of Maurice J. Elias, a Professor of Psychology. His view about kindness being a teachable quality mirrors my own and like me, he's a huge advocate for teaching kindness to kids at school.
We both believe that children have an emotional response to kindness, and that emotionally intelligent kids have a better understanding of the feelings they're experiencing.
Kindness depends also on possessing certain learnable skills, and these are included in most evidence-based efforts to promote children's social-emotional and character development.
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Maurice isn't the only one who believes you can teach kids kindness. Over the years, I've discovered more teachers wanting to use kindness lessons and noted that apart from being a trait that can be learned, kindness is also contagious! So, spreading kindness in a school community really isn't that hard (grab my free kindness activities for elementary students below).
There are three yearly kindness days where you can introduce kindness activities for kids that teach important social and emotional skills in a fun and heartfelt way.
The neuroscience and social science research is clear: kindness changes the brain by the experience of kindness. Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness is best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it.
The warm, fuzzy feelings kindness produces can have a major impact on people. Kindness can reach even the most troubled kids.
Anti-social or bullying behavior is often caused by a need that hasn't been met (lack of love, support, guidance, etc.) or is learned in homes where children are exposed to unkind words and actions.
It's essential for kids whose mental health or wellbeing is compromised to participate in kindness lessons and be exposed to altruism at school.
We need to be prepared to teach kindness, because it can be delayed due to maltreatment early in life. It can be smothered under the weight of poverty, and it can be derailed by victimization later in life.
There are many simple ways to nurture kindness and giving within homes and schools and I encourage you to share the free kindness activities for kids below with parents to take kindness outside the school gate. If you're looking for more comprehensive kindness lesson plans, head on over to my store.
Free Printables for Kindness Day
1. FREE Kindness Ideas Posters for Students and Teachers
My kid's poster makes it easy to start group discussions around kindness and giving. Use them to inspire students to come up with their own ideas of how they can make a difference or brainstorm a poster of your own with your grade. Super helpful for Kindness Day!
Pop an adult poster in the staff room to encourage teachers to start a kindness initiative among staff. There are some ideas of what teachers have done below.
One teacher left money for the vending machine.
A staff member purchased special coffee sachets.
Acts of kindness were called out and documented.
2. FREE Kindness Day Checklists for Students and Teachers
My checklists are loved by kids and adults alike and make it easy to participate in kindness days at school, home and in the community.
If you'd like for students to create their own checklists for Kindness Day or you want to customize one for your grade, my digital version has you covered!
3. FREE Kindness Coloring Pages
Teach your students that they all possess a superpower called kindness.
These free coloring pages will help you to start a discussion about how they use this power and the kindness they can share each and every day.
Finished posters are fabulous throughout the school as reminders of the behavior you expect to create a kind and inclusive community to be kind to one another.
You may like to ask older students to work in groups to design and create their own posters.
If you'd like others, you can see a preview of my popular kindness coloring pages HERE.
► FREE Kindness Coloring Pages!
4. FREE Hug Coupons
There really is nothing quite like a hug to show you care or help make amends. Print my coupons or have your kids make their own. They can be taken home to share with family and friends or used in the yard.
Free Classroom Activities for Kindness Day
1. Classroom Friendship Activity - Build 'Em Up Hot Seat
This is a powerful activity to use in the classroom anytime a student is in need of some extra love and care or as a focus activity during Kindness Day or International Day of Friendship. It can have such an incredibly positive impact on children who are being acknowledged and complimented.
The activity can be exceptionally moving for children who have trouble connecting with others or suffer from low self-esteem as it helps them discover a sense of community.
It can also help to nurture social skills and more positive relationships as it encourages children to think about and highlight the endearing qualities of their peers.
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2. Kindness Coupons
These fun coupons are one of my favorite kindness resources because they can be tailored to suit so many situations. During Kindness Day, you can have your students brainstorm ideas for sharing kindness at home with their family and get them to make their own coupon poster to take home.
You can also use coupons to show love and kindness during Mother's and Father's Day, to celebrate Gratitude Day, to cheer up a sick friend or to pop in the staffroom. You're really only limited by your imagination!
Great Posts About Kindness
1. 10 Reasons Teaching Kindness in Schools Is Essential to Reduce Bullying
Phrases like "random acts of kindness" and "pay it forward" have become popular terms in modern society. There are even special days dedicated to performing good deeds and organizations who specialize in altruism.
But why has kindness become so popular? Perhaps it's best explained by those who have identified a deficit in their lives that can only be filled by giving.
Science proves there are good reasons why so many of us can't get enough of those addictive, feel-good emotions and explains why kindness is important with evidence of many physical, emotional, and mental health benefits. But of great significance for schools, it's a powerful and free resource to reduce anti-social and bullying behavior.
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2. Teach Students That Kindness is Their Superpower!
When I teach Kindergarten or first-grade children, I always teach my students a little song called “Five Little Bluebirds”. I developed some motions for the song, and always end this subtraction-type song by making a very sad face and saying, “No little bluebirds in the nest.” The kids find this hysterical!
We sing the song through a second time with them joining in with more enthusiasm, and I can see in their mischievous eyes that they cannot wait until we get to the last line and they get to see my sad face AND make a sad face of their own.
They laugh with their entire bodies, as 5 and 6-year olds are prone to do - and yes, that means some of them end up “prone” as they fall over on the carpet with laughter.
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3. Free Loving Kindness Meditation Script and Recording
Have you tried guided meditation for students in your classroom? If not, your kids are missing out!
Imagine taking some time away from the chaos and noise of the school day when students are struggling to focus. A guided meditation leads them on a magical journey to relax and de-stress.
These calming moments are amazing for grounding both you and your students. Even just a few minutes can help everyone calm down so they can regain focus.
Experiencing those peaceful moments isn't difficult. A calming voice gently guiding the way with a loving kindness meditation is like a mini-vacation for the mind and body. It's a wonderful way to create calm, focused, and happy students...
4. Classroom Circles to Build Community
The power of classroom circles for fostering emotional intelligence, improving well-being and creating a culture of kindness is well documented. Circles are important tools for nurturing relationships and feelings of community and can be used in any classroom.
Schools with a focus on social and emotional learning (SEL) often use circles to help build a positive culture to reduce bullying.
Circles work because they help all children to feel loved and encouraged while creating bonds between peers. They are especially important for nurturing feelings of belonging, acceptance, and stability in troubled children.
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5. Free Kindness Club Ideas Checklist
Want to change the culture at your school? Then I have a treat for you with these 37 kindness club ideas with an editable checklist to download!
The benefits of teaching kindness in the classroom are proven and so is being part of a group for a stronger sense of belonging.
Coming together with others in a social setting to participate in acts of service can improve emotional wellbeing. A kindness club is a fantastic way to combine both of these mental health superpowers and create a warm, inclusive community...
6. Using Kindness Capes to Teach Courage, Compassion and Connection
I am crazy about kindness. Sharing it, spreading it, promoting it, talking about it, practicing it, blogging about it, teaching it, quoting it, buying t-shirts about it… crazy. about. kindness.
I am SO crazy about it that I felt the need to come up with a unique way to share this passion with my students and to practice kindness in a way that they would remember forever.
I wanted to not only read cutesy little books about being kind or practice kindness within the four walls of our classroom or watch videos about examples of kindness. I wanted to LIVE kindness in our community.
I wanted people to think about kindness and associate it with my kiddos and be hopeful that a bunch of 4, 5 and 6-year-olds could change the world.
I wanted my learners to know that there are some lessons that aren’t in the curriculum but that will be important to them for the rest of their lives. From that place, Kindness Capes (#kindnesscapes) was born...
7. How to Use a Paper Quilt to Teach Kindness
Looking for an engaging kindness bulletin board idea for elementary students? This collaborative Kindness Quilt is more than a Kindness Day challenge. It's a multi-faceted learning experience wrapped up in a stunning display your students will be proud of!
Teaching kindness in schools has never been more important. In a world that sometimes feels divided, we must empower kids with tools to practice empathy. This is where the Kindness Quilt's combination of learning and doing is so effective.
But first, let's talk about some important reasons kindness should be made a priority in the classroom.
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Updated 25/10/23
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AUTHOR: Lisa Currie - Ripple Kindness Project
For over a decade, I've focused on promoting kindness and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in elementary classrooms. Through hands-on experience supporting students, I've seen how empathy and respect are vital for creating harmonious, inclusive environments. I'm passionate about helping students understand the impact of their emotions and actions on their relationships. I believe kindness is fundamental to fostering self-confidence and happiness while building inclusive, safe classroom communities that discourage bullying and exclusion.
