Kindness 101: A Guide for Teachers

Dear Kindness Educator,

Kids 4 Kids teaches kids they can change the world through their acts of kindness. You can incorporate this into your school day or an afterschool club.

Weekly Kindness Videos

At Kids For Kids Academy, part of the Elementary curriculum is using the 40 Steve Hartman Kindness 101 videos, one a week as part of the morning routine. Teachers school-wide use the same concepts each week, starting with #1 on Steve Hartman’s Kindness 101 YouTube Playlist.

Each video is only 5-6 minutes long, and the use of his children in the segments makes it relevant for Elementary kids. After the video, the class discusses the definition of each kindness concept.

Weekly Kindness Lessons at Kids For Kids Academy

generosity
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motivation
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courage
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Kindness Journal

After the video, the class discusses the definition of each kindness concept. The definitions are found in the journal I created, which can be found here.

The journal pages follow the order of the Kindness 101 playlist, making it easy to track student progress and reflection.

Throughout the week, students have a chance to write about the segment in the journal and draw pictures. If you do not wish to copy the journal, teachers can make one for themselves and write the Kindness concept with the definition of the word on the board, and students can transfer it to a dedicated Kindness Journal composition book.

Note that the 2 lessons on 9/11 were omitted for elementary students.

As a class or a kindness club, students can participate in activities such as:

  • Bringing in candy and filling bags for homeless kids for Halloween.
  • Making get-well cards for kids in local hospitals.
  • Filling shoeboxes with Dollar store snacks and toiletries to be sent to soldiers serving our country.
  • Making Valentine cards for senior citizens or foster kids.
  • Bringing in new toys for local holiday toy drives.
  • Designing kindness cards. (see sample in the bracelet project)
  • Make Get Well cards for kids in hospitals or print out these motivational coloring pages and put them together to make a banner for children’s hospitals.

More Ways to Spread Kindness

  • Holding a food drive or grocery gift card drive to provide meals for needy families.
  • Making crafts or rubber band bracelets and selling them for a cause that is near and dear to your class.
  • Collecting school supplies for kids in need.
  • Collecting needed items after a disaster.

Remember: Kindness is contagious! By incorporating kindness into your classroom, you are helping to create a more compassionate and empathetic generation of students.

Kindness Matters Bracelet

At Kids For Kids Academy, every child receives a kindness bracelet (see Kids 4 Kids Featured Project) on the first day of school. They wear them daily, and it is a constant reminder to be kind. If they are not kind, the teacher simply points to the bracelet and says…”Remember you made a promise to be kind.”

Teachers can purchase discounted class sets of bracelets. Class sets of bracelets also come with kindness card samples. Feel free to design your own.

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