It’s that time of year again โ kindness week! We celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week fromย February 14 to February 20 annually. This is a special week where we focus on promoting kindness and empathy in our classrooms and schools. As teachers, we have the unique opportunity to help shape the hearts and minds of the next generation; teaching kindness is an important part of that!
Even one small act of kindness can mean a great deal to somebody. Life is hard. Everyone guaranteed is struggling with something we know nothing about. The world can be selfish and cruel. Not everyone gets the kind of support they need. In a world where you can be anything, be kind! A small and random act of kindness can go a long way. Not sure where to start? This short list can get you started!
Kindness Bucket – Caught Doing Good!
One simple and fun activity to do with your students during Random Acts of Kindness Week is to have them create a class kindness bucket. (If you haven’t read the Carol McCloud book about being a bucket filler, I highly suggest doing that first.) Each day, have students write down kind things they did or saw someone else do. Put the slips of paper into the bucket. At the end of the week, you can read the slips of paper out loud together. Have students notice how they feel during this activity for a class discussion about the impact of kindness on our lives and relationships.
SEL Lessons – Morning Meetings
You can also use this week as an opportunity to talk to your students about empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. To help your students develop empathy, try doing role-playing activities where they can practice putting themselves in someone else’s shoes. For example, you could have students pretend to be a character from a book and act out a situation from that character’s perspective.
Kindness Cards – I See In You (ICNU) Notes
Another activity is to have students create kindness cards. Give each student a blank card and have them write or draw kind messages to give to their friends and classmates. This is a great way to encourage students to spread kindness and show their friends how much they care.
Random Acts of Kindness – Bingo Board Challenge
One final activity that can help promote kindness and empathy in your classroom is to do a random act of kindness challenge. For the entire week, challenge your students to do one kind thing for someone else each day. This could be as simple as helping a classmate with their homework, or as big as organizing a school-wide fundraiser for a charity. Encourage your students to come up with their own ideas and share their experiences with the class.
ACTIONABLE STEPS: Kindness week is a great opportunity to teach our students the importance of kindness and empathy. Lead by example! By doing activities like creating kindness buckets, sending cards, and doing random acts of kindness, we can help our students develop these important qualities and make our classrooms and schools kinder places.
