There are many reasons to encourage kindness in the classroom. It’s an important strategy for preventing bullying, it fosters connection and belonging, it improves self-esteem, and it reduces stress and depression. If you’re wondering how to promote kindness at school, here are some simple ideas to get you started.
Foster Empathy
Children are the centers of their own universe and while most eventually figure out empathy on their own, you can promote kindness by teaching students the importance of seeing things from the perspectives of others. In a conflict between students, mediate by asking each side to explain the other’s perspective; when reading books, talk about what the characters might be feeling. Being able to think outside oneself lays the foundation for treating others with kindness and sensitivity.
Be a Good Role Model
Your actions as a teacher, administrator, or parent matter. Even when you don’t know it, children are carefully watching the adults around them and picking up cues on how to treat other people and how to interact in social situations. Speak to others with kindness and show gratitude, which teaches students to do the same.
Reward Kindness
Rewarding good behavior is a great way to reinforce and recognize acts of kindness. Use a certificate of kindness for individual efforts or, if you’re trying to create a culture of kindness in your classroom, create a rewards jar and have students add a gem or slip of paper to the jar each time they do something kind for someone else. Once the jar is full, provide them with a fun reward like a pajama day or pizza party.
Create Visual Reminders
Related to this last point, having a visual reminder of your school culture of kindness can motivate students and make them feel proud of their collective efforts to treat each other with respect. Have children paint a picture representing their kind act on a rock and add them to a rock garden; write kind acts on leaves and tape them to a kindness tree on the wall.
Focus on Giving, Not Getting
Particularly during the holidays, students can become wrapped up in thoughts about what they want and what they’re getting. Start a classroom effort to help someone who needs it or donate to a worthy cause your students care about to reframe the season from being about getting to one about the joy of giving.
Add a Buddy Bench to the Playground
Recess is a time when kids often feel left out, but a buddy bench lets students who are looking for playmates connect with each other in a way that’s easier than asking. These benches have been implemented in many schools across the country with great success.
Learn More About GEDDES School Supplies
Do you want to motivate your students and reward them for their acts of kindness? GEDDES is your go-to resource for fun school supplies, rewards, and novelties that kids love. Contact us today at 888-431-1722 or request a school supply catalog on our website to learn more and see our full lineup of products.