Empathy is a vital skill for children to learn from a young age, and it’s more important now than ever. But what can you do to help your children practise kindness at school? We’ve gathered some ideas you can implement in your classroom.
Set up a kindness box in the classroom
Encourage children to post a note in the box when someone has done something kind. Share the notes at the end of the week to acknowledge these acts and model kind behaviour.
Establish a kindness bench in the playground
If someone feels lonely, left out or just a bit sad, sitting on the bench will send a signal to other children that they would like someone to come and play or talk.
Create a kindness display in your classroom
Allocate a wall space and draw flower stems along the bottom of the space. Place sun shapes and flower petals cut from coloured paper in two boxes beside the display. When someone does something kind for another member of the class, write it down on one of the sun shapes and stick it on the wall. For every three suns that appear, add a petal to one of the flowers. As the sunshine – representing kindness – builds up on the wall, the more the flowers will grow!
Display a poster of kindness tips for your class
A poster can serve as a daily reminder to be kind. Either make your own, or try the one we’ve created, available to download for free!
Do you have any ideas for teaching kindness? We’d love to hear them – leave a comment below or tag us on Twitter @OUPPrimary.
TreeTops Reflect is a thought provoking series of 15 new titles written by top children’s authors and developed by Literacy expert and Series Editor Nikki Gamble, to develop children’s reading and comprehension skills through stories with positive moral values and role-models.
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