If you want happiness for a lifetime, be kind and helpful to others. – Chinese Proverb
Childhood is the best age to learn the lessons of value and joy induced by helping others. Building a character is more important than having good grades. But how can you encourage kindness among children as a teacher? How to improve kids’ behavior and attitude towards other and create a pleasant classroom environment?
Importance of teaching Kindness
Teaching compassion is as important as teaching other subjects. It’s one of the most basic lessons of life. Kids learn good behavior from several methods. The primary method of teaching anything is a direct instructional way.
But many students don’t see kindness in their homes and are not taught it regularly. So you can look around and seize the opportunity for teaching kindness to your students. It will not only improve classroom climate but also boost students’ as well as your own morale.
Some Great Ideas To Encourage Kindness Among Students
Brainstorming Ideas
Not all students have a clear understanding of acts of kindness. So, you should start from the very beginning to teach them what kindness in the classroom is?
You can use brainstorming ideas like large group brainstorming or independent acknowledgment. In a large group, you can ask open-ended kindness, like “what act of kindness you did for someone needy?” In separate acknowledgment ideas, ask students to write their kindness act on a note card. This way students will listen to their educators carefully.
Random Kindness Acts
The simplest way is to find the opportunity to show kindness in the classroom in unexpected ways. You can use complimentary notes on which students write a compliment to another student and post on him or her desk. Use thank-you notes to write “Thank You” for school faculty, student, sweeper or even driver and hand it to them.
Challenges
Challenges motivate students to create a positive habit. Give them a goal, 5-6 tasks per week, with a checklist. When the checklist is done, you could give them a star as a reward. Alternatively, ask the students compliment each other without making the other children noticing it.
Reading Books
You can expand the topic in an engaging manner by utilizing literature units. Use a creative book to teach the students act of kindness. Some of the best books include “Have you filled a bucket today?” and “The Kindness Quilt.” You can book any of your favorite books to teach the lessons of morality to your students.
Classroom Lessons
Use mini-lessons or discussion to introduce kindness in the classroom. Use inspirational words, literature-based lessons, or celebrate all kindness related events with your students. These short lessons are quite helpful to students to understand kindness and easily apply it to real-life situations.
Rewards
A cheerful award for an act of kindness can easily reinforce good behavior in the classroom. Praise students or offer things like a mason jar full of candies, certificates, brag tags or anything you think kids will like to win.
Encourage your students to show the kindness to each other in the classroom and see the difference they make.
