You Can’t Teach Kids Empathy, but These Picture Books Inspire It
I'd like to say a public THANK YOU to that Secret Agent of Good.
Little Blue Bunny and I are trying to think of SAOG activities for the Fall. Our friend, Scootaloo, picks litter up in her neighborhood. She wears gloves and has one of those long handled grabbers. Scoot is almost six year old.
The kids in First Day School bake cookies for Young Friends who are attending college away from home and for other Friends in the hospital or Assisted Living Centers.
LBB made a list of stuff to do in a classroom or at home. And I collected book lists and activity websites to spread the word.
Secret Agent of Good Activity List
2. Hold the door for someone.
3. Ask someone to play with you.
3. Share a crayon, marker or pencil.
4. If someone is upset, say something nice, "Do you need someone to sit with you?" "Do you need help?"
5. Tell someone something nice about themselves. "You have good ideas." "You are funny." "You are a great climber." "I like the way you twirl."
6. Give someone a high five when they get the answer right. This is especially important for kids who work harder at getting right answers.
7. Don't let anyone sit by themselves at lunch or in the playground.
8. School Activity - Ask someone you don't know very well what they like to do after school. They might do something that's so cool.
9. Smile at someone. Smile at grown-ups. (Don't talk to them much, though, unless you know them OR your grown-up is with you.)
10. Offer to carry something for someone - especially if they have several things to carry.
11. Let someone else go first in line or at the playground.
12. Make someone a picture, a card, a friendship bracelet...
13. Fist bump someone and smile while you do it.
14. Pick things up from the floor.
15. Help straighten up after crafts.
Brightly's list of kindness picture books.
Candlewick's Classroom for August. Great books (all from Candlewick) about Social Emotional Learning (self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision making, relationship skills and self-management) or SEL.
Activity Websites for Craft Ideas and More
Kindness Rocks are everywhere. Look for them during your morning walks. Here is Mod Podge's take on this cool craft idea.
Cootie catchers used to be a playground torture device - or a game to see what we'd be when we grew up. Now you can use these folded paper toys to suggest kind things to do. From Coffee Cups and Crayons, here are ideas on making a Kindness Cootie Catcher (or Fortune Teller, if you prefer).
Playworks offers 12 activities to encourage kindness in children.
List My Five - an educator's blog - offers five classroom activities that promote an atmosphere of kindness.
Random Acts of Kindness is a world wide effort to make everyone's life smoother by urging people to just do kind things. They have a Kids' Activity Page. Check it out.
Little Blue Bunny and his friends remind you to be kind and to become Secret Agents of Good.
So wonderful! So Worthwhile! So valuable to remind us how much kindness matters....
ReplyDeleteAnd remember it is also kindness to accept gracefully as it is to give gracefully.