Teaching kids to be kind is important, not only for bringing up caring people, but for their own development and wellbeing. In this post, we’ll see why kindness is important, and discover lots of easy ways to teach children kindness, little things you can build into your everyday family life. Let’s take a look!
How can you define kindness to children?
Describing kindness to little ones can be tricky. Kindness is more than just being polite, more than just being nice. It’s about being considerate, helping out when someone needs a hand, and understanding how our actions affect others. So, while niceness is about manners, kindness is about opening up our hearts and making the world a better place.
This is one kid-friendly definition:
Kindness is when you are nice to others and show that you care about their feelings. It’s about being helpful, friendly, and doing good things for people without expecting anything in return.
You can tell them:
Kindness is like spreading happiness and making the world a better place by treating everyone with love and respect.
The key aspects of kindness that children can understand are: being nice, caring about others, helping, and treating everyone with love and respect. It’s important to use language and examples that resonate with a child’s level of comprehension and experience.
How do you teach children kindness?
How can you teach children kindness? Here are 10 great ways
- Model Kindness. The very first thing you can do is to model kind behaviour – show kindness in your words and actions, both within and outside the family.
- Help Children Identify Their Feelings. Helping children to identify emotions in themselves – if they are feeling sad, angry, frustrated or disappointed for example – will help them to identify them in other people.
- Teach Empathy. One way to help your child understand others’ feelings is by asking them to imagine how they would feel if they were in someone else’s shoes.
- Read Books and Share Stories. Besides teaching us a lot, books also give us a chance to connect and talk about how our day went and how we’re feeling. The Kids’ Book of Kindness: Emotions, Empathy and How to Be Kind, gives lots of practical examples of how children can show kindness on an everyday basis, and helps start conversations about feelings and the world around us.
- Practice Gratitude. Helping your child see and appreciate all the good things in their life is super important. It not only makes them happier but also makes them want to be kind to others. It’s like spreading happiness around!
- Volunteer Together. As a family, you can do things like helping out in your community or joining charity events. It’s a powerful way to show kindness in action and teach children how their actions can make a big difference for others.
- Set Clear Boundaries. Establish clear expectations for behaviour in the home or classroom, emphasising the importance of treating others with kindness, respect and fairness.
- Celebrate Differences. Talk to them about celebrating how each person is special and different in their own way, and it’s a good thing that we’re not all the same! When we have disagreements or conflicts, let’s try to use kindness and empathy to work things out and talk to each other nicely.
- Encourage Self-Kindness. Teach children that kindness starts with being nice to yourself and looking after yourself, thing like sleeping well, doing things you enjoy and being gentle with your feelings. Actually, this is something we should all do, and it’s good to show how it’s done by doing it yourself!
- The Ripple Effect. Children love to hear how when we do something nice for someone, it’s like dropping a pebble in a pond, and it makes ripples that spread out. Acts of kindness can make the world a better place, one small act at a time. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation shareas a great 2024 Random Acts of Kindness calendar with something little kids can do each day, among lots of other kindness ideas and resources.
Teaching kindness is an ongoing journey that accompanies children as they grow. It’s not about giving them a big lecture; instead, it’s about reminding them regularly about the importance of being kind. When kindness becomes a natural part of their home and school environments, children are more likely to develop into compassionate, understanding, and responsible individuals.
How can a child show kindness?
Children can show kindness in lots of ways. Here are some age-appropriate ways and ideas:
- Saying “please” and “thank you”: Teaching children basic manners and the importance of expressing gratitude is an early step in showing kindness.
- Sharing: Encourage children to share their toys, books, or snacks with siblings, friends, or classmates.
- Helping Others: Children can help out with tasks such as setting the table, cleaning up, or helping a family member with chores.
- Comforting: When someone is upset or hurt, teach children to offer comfort by offering a hug, kind words, or a tissue.
- Listening: Teach children the importance of active listening. Encourage them to pay attention when someone is speaking, ask questions, and show genuine interest in what others have to say.
- Including Others: Encourage children to include any classmates who may be feeling left out at playtime or in group activities.
- Making Art or Cards: Children can make artwork or handwritten cards to express their appreciation or to cheer someone up.
- Apologising: Teach children to apologize when they make a mistake or hurt someone’s feelings. Apologising is a way of showing you’re sorry and will try and do better.
- Being Polite: Remind children to be polite and respectful to adults, teachers, and peers. Kind words and gestures go a long way.
- Standing Up Against Bullying: Teach children to speak up and seek help if they see someone being bullied or mistreated. Kindness can also involve defending those in need.
- Volunteering: Depending on their age and abilities, children can participate in age-appropriate volunteer activities or community service events.
- Taking Care of Pets: If your family has pets, children can show kindness by feeding, grooming, and spending time with them. This teaches responsibility and empathy.
- Environmental Responsibility: Teach children about caring for the environment by picking up litter, recycling, trying to save water or electricity, and planting trees or flowers.
- Donating Unused Toys or Clothes: Encourage children to go through their belongings and donate items they no longer need to those in need.
- Being Patient: Remind children to be patient with others, especially when someone is struggling or learning something new.
- Resolving Conflicts Peacefully: Teach children conflict resolution skills, emphasizing the importance of using words and finding compromise rather than resorting to aggression or unkindness.
Try and reinforce and celebrate acts of kindness when children demonstrate them. By acknowledging their efforts, you encourage them to continue showing kindness and empathy towards other people.
Why is kindness important for children?
Kindness is like the secret sauce of life. It’s not just about being polite; it’s about creating a world where kids can grow into better versions of themselves.
- Building great relationships. Kindness is the glue that holds great relationships together. When kids are kind, they become the kind of friends others want to be around.
- Becoming mindful of others. Being kind helps kids develop empathy. So teaching kids to be kind means they start noticing the feelings and needs of others.
- Conflict resolution. Kids who’ve learned to be kind are more likely to solve problems without shouting matches or hurting others.
- Boosting confidence. Kindness isn’t just about making others feel good; it boosts a child’s self-esteem too. When they see how their kindness can brighten someone’s day, it builds their confidence and makes them feel positive too.
- Stopping bullying. Kindness programmes create spaces where bullies can’t thrive, and kids feel safe.
- Reduces stress. Acts of kindness can be stress-busters. Helping others or saying thanks can actually make kids feel less stressed or anxious.
- Mastering social skills. Kindness is very much a social skill. It helps kids understand their emotions better, talk to others more effectively, and become team players.
- Instils values. Kindness is connected to some important values, like compassion, generosity, and respect. Teaching kids kindness is like planting the seeds for a strong moral compass.
- Being a positive influence. Kind kids give off a positive vibration, and inspire others to be kind too, creating a world full of compassion and happiness.
- Getting ready for grown-up life. Kindness isn’t just for kids; it’s for life. Learning kindness early sets kids on the path to becoming caring and responsible adults. It’s the secret ingredient for success in all areas of life.
In a nutshell, kindness isn’t just a nice thing to do; it’s the stuff that makes the world a better place. By teaching our kids to be kind, we’re giving them the tools to build great relationships, handle life’s ups and downs, and make a positive mark on the world. Kindness isn’t just a gift we give them; it’s a gift they give back to the world. So let’s make kindness a priority in our kids’ lives, because it’s the key to a happier, kinder, and more harmonious world.
See Wooden House Books’ illustrated children’s book dedicated to kindness: The Kids’ Book of Kindness: Emotions, Empathy and How to Be Kind.