I feel like many kids are not being taught a fundamental value in life: kindness.
Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others. The quality of being friendly, generous and considerate.
My son started kindergarten this year which opened my eyes to just how unkind many kids are. As a parent, I have always put a huge emphasis on the importance of being kind and considerate of all types of people despite their differences. My son has already been bullied at age five. So now that I have seen the result of unkind behavior through the eyes of my own child, I am more passionate about making sure I teach kindness daily in our home. He will learn that kindness wins and will be able to share his kindness with others in ways that his peers may not receive at home. KINDNESS INSPIRES KINDNESS
How do you teach the importance of kindness to your children?
I go about teaching kindness many ways to my kids. Keep in mind my kids are currently 3 and 5 years old. The most important way is to show them how to be kind by being kind myself. After all, actions truly do speak louder than words. So I make sure to be a walking example for them. Secondly, we have detailed conversations about it. We talk about a situation we see (whether on the news or at a store, etc) that is not an example of kindness and reflect on how that person could have acted differently. Third, we use our love for art to create things for the purpose of giving them to people as a kind and thoughtful act.
Kindness Craft Kit Makes Spreading Kindness Fun and Interactive
I am now officially in love with Ann Williams Craft Products. My kids love crafts, so I came across a cool paper bowl craft kit at Target one day and we worked on it together. I had never heard of Craft-tastic before but after having so much creating these bowls I looked them up and saw that they offer a huge line of craft kits plus a monthly craft box! Since Valentine’s is a day of love it seemed appropriate to center our craft around kindness. And Craft-Tastic has a wonderful Kindness Kit that comes with 8 crafts that are perfect for giving to family and friends. Though the recommended age is 6+, my 5-year-old crafting expert rocked all the crafts. And his little sister managed to complete a few of the crafts too. We did almost all the Kindness Crafts in the kit in 2 days (my kids are craft crazy); read this to see all the crafts included in this Kindness Craft Kit by Ann Williams and how cute ours turned out.
Random Acts of Kindness Day
Did you know that this is random acts of kindness week? And Friday is National Random Act of Kindness Day. Kindness.org has so many ideas and opportunities for one to add a little piece of kindness to the world. Check out their website and spread some love.
We speak kindness and they do soak in what they hear
This picture is from last Spring after the tragedy in Orlando. The news story captured my son’s attention, so it opened up an opportunity to share with him how kindness wins and hatred harms. He requested this sign to show his love for our friends in Orlando. Proof that it is never too early to teach the importance of kindness.
What is a unique way your family spreads kindness?