It seems that kindness is often more common around the winter holidays. There are reminders everywhere from signs for season’s greetings and peace on Earth, traditions of gift giving, goodwill boxes and charity promotions. Whether it be various religions reflecting on the good in the world or on the winter solstice shifting from longer nights to increasingly longer stretches of …
Kill Them With Kindness
I recently did a school talk to a group of 4th graders in honor of October being National Anti-Bully Awareness month. I have taught hundreds of children over the years and it never ceases to amaze me how the kids think I am there to show them how to fight a bully. But, in fact, it’s the total opposite. I say, “Kill …
Kindness is Contagious: Ideas for Teachers and the Rest of Us
Kindness is contagious. You see it all around with an act of kindness spreading at a coffee shop or with children on a mission for random acts of kindness at school. People like to be seen as good people. We like to feel like a good person. And very little can make us feel as good as performing acts of …
Sticky Note Kindness
I’m just going to come out and say it– sticky notes are best invention ever. Period. My life would spiral out of control without the help of colorful little pieces of paper decorating my office space at home. Believe it or not, sticky notes can be used to create a culture change right in the classroom. I preface this blog …
Rocking Kindness in the Classroom and Beyond
When celebrities “rock” the latest fashions, they look good. When rocks are dropped into water, they create ripples that extend outward from their point of entry. What do these two observations have to do with one another? By merging these two concepts, and encouraging our children to start “rocking kindness,” by doing good deeds and including others whenever they see …
The Kindness Experiment
When my brother was about three, my Dad found him pouring water from one cup to another with careful and deliberate concentration. He looked up at my Dad and said, “Careful Dad! I’m doing an experience.” We still laugh about that to this day. Even my six-year-old often confuses the terms experience and experiment interchangeably. And if you think about …
Kindness in the Classroom Activity: String Theory
School is just over a month in and you may see friendships and cliques beginning to form. Some kids have settled in, others have not. One kindness in the classroom idea I suggest you try is what I like to call String Theory. This activity is easy to follow and implement with your students. The main idea of the String Theory …
A Creative Way to Encourage Kindness
On the last day of school, my daughter, who just completed second grade, came home with a Compliment Rainbow. She proudly and tenderly carried it home on the bus and it was the first thing she wanted to show me on her last day of school for the year. Each child had colored popsicle sticks glued to a ribbon, with …