Kindness Activities for Elementary Students, Preschoolers, & Middle Schoolers
A few of these activities are listed and described below.
Temperature Check
This is one of the simplest activities described in this article, but its potential to encourage a positive emotional state should not be underestimated.
The Temperature Check is as easy as asking a single question at the beginning of class:
“How are you feeling today?”
Not only will this let the students know that someone cares about how they are feeling, it also signals that sometimes they will be feeling something negative – and that’s okay.
We can all use this reminder that we are human, which means that we are all occasionally subject to emotions and feelings that we’d rather not have; however, this reminder can be especially helpful for teenagers, who are likely dealing with more intense and varied emotions than anyone else.
After asking this question, you can instruct students to turn and talk to their neighbor, share with the whole class, or both.
Starting the day with this activity can get students in the right frame of mind to be more kind and empathetic towards one another, and it can alert you to any potential problems with specific students.
Community Circle
Another good activity to encourage good listening skills and empathy is the Community Circle.
Before beginning this activity, choose a “talking piece” – this is an object that will be passed around the group, and signals that the holder has exclusive speaking rights. You can use a stuffed animal, a small beach ball, or any object with special significance to the classroom that is easy to hold and pass around.
If you can, remove the desks or tables from the classroom. If this is not possible, either push them to the outer perimeter of the room. Arrange the chairs in a circle or sit on the floor with the whole class.
Tell your students that in the Community Circle, only one person may talk at a time and everyone must listen quietly and respectfully to whoever is speaking. Show the class the talking piece you have chosen, and explain that only the individual holding the talking piece may speak.
Buddy Up
This fun and easy activity will encourage your students to help one another.
It’s as simple as assigning each student a buddy – you can let the students pick their own buddy, you can partner them up yourself, or you can alternate between the two methods of pairing up .
If you have any cliquey students in your class, assigning a buddy rather than letting them choose may be more effective.
To make sure students get a chance to work on their relationship skills with a wide range of people and personalities, have them switch buddies regularly. They can find a new buddy each week, every other week, every month, or any other period of time that works for your class.
This activity will give your students ample opportunity to build their communication skills, practice accountability, and be kind to one another.
How to Teach Empathy
There are also many ways to teach empathy to children, a very similar but distinct construct from kindness.
While kindness involves acts of goodwill, smiles, and positive words, empathy is about earnest listening, relating to one another, and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.
You could also take some concrete steps to inject your classroom with a culture of empathy,like :
Visit : handling emotions
Reference : positive psychology program
A few of these activities are listed and described below.
Temperature Check
This is one of the simplest activities described in this article, but its potential to encourage a positive emotional state should not be underestimated.
The Temperature Check is as easy as asking a single question at the beginning of class:
“How are you feeling today?”
Not only will this let the students know that someone cares about how they are feeling, it also signals that sometimes they will be feeling something negative – and that’s okay.
We can all use this reminder that we are human, which means that we are all occasionally subject to emotions and feelings that we’d rather not have; however, this reminder can be especially helpful for teenagers, who are likely dealing with more intense and varied emotions than anyone else.
After asking this question, you can instruct students to turn and talk to their neighbor, share with the whole class, or both.
Starting the day with this activity can get students in the right frame of mind to be more kind and empathetic towards one another, and it can alert you to any potential problems with specific students.
Another good activity to encourage good listening skills and empathy is the Community Circle.
Before beginning this activity, choose a “talking piece” – this is an object that will be passed around the group, and signals that the holder has exclusive speaking rights. You can use a stuffed animal, a small beach ball, or any object with special significance to the classroom that is easy to hold and pass around.
If you can, remove the desks or tables from the classroom. If this is not possible, either push them to the outer perimeter of the room. Arrange the chairs in a circle or sit on the floor with the whole class.
Tell your students that in the Community Circle, only one person may talk at a time and everyone must listen quietly and respectfully to whoever is speaking. Show the class the talking piece you have chosen, and explain that only the individual holding the talking piece may speak.
Buddy Up
This fun and easy activity will encourage your students to help one another.
It’s as simple as assigning each student a buddy – you can let the students pick their own buddy, you can partner them up yourself, or you can alternate between the two methods of pairing up .
If you have any cliquey students in your class, assigning a buddy rather than letting them choose may be more effective.
To make sure students get a chance to work on their relationship skills with a wide range of people and personalities, have them switch buddies regularly. They can find a new buddy each week, every other week, every month, or any other period of time that works for your class.
This activity will give your students ample opportunity to build their communication skills, practice accountability, and be kind to one another.
How to Teach Empathy
There are also many ways to teach empathy to children, a very similar but distinct construct from kindness.
While kindness involves acts of goodwill, smiles, and positive words, empathy is about earnest listening, relating to one another, and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.
You could also take some concrete steps to inject your classroom with a culture of empathy,like :
- Reading stores from the perspective of characters similar to your students.
- Following a student schedule for a day.
- Surveying students frequently to help students understand what is in the minds of their peers
Visit : handling emotions
Reference : positive psychology program
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