Raising a Kind Hearted Kid | 12 Kindness Activities for All Ages

Kindness counts.

Learning to be kind is something that we can teach children through a variety of kindness activities. We can perform acts of kindness with our young children, do random acts of kindness for both friends and strangers, and even celebrate those kind gestures through crafts.

Raising a Kind Hearted Kid

Most of what we teach our children begins with us, as adults, and how we treat others around us.  As a parent, I often wonder if I am modeling kindness and a grateful heart? When my kids look at me – do they see a kind heart? Am I modeling kindness towards my spouse and family members at all times?

These self questionings and reflections help me regroup from any negative feelings or bad mood I’m in and get out of a funk in a jiffy.  Focusing on kindness and compassion helps me to bring sunshine into my own life as well as the lives of others.

So how do I raise a kind hearted kid?

What activities can I do with my children to model and teach gratitude?

This month, it all started with a few books that Lee and Low sent to us:

Affiliate Links:

Lend a Hand: Poems About Giving
Gracias ~ Thanks and
Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message 

    

I LOVE that they helped my kids see what kindness and gratitude looks like for other children.  Too often, they may not see all the good there is in the world.  Kindness makes a difference, but it is not always as “media worthy,” as all the negativity.

Although my family is very generous in nature to begin with, this collection of books really inspired my children to do more. We made a list of things that we could do to show kindness towards others.

Images reprinted with permission from Lee and Low Press.

12 Kindness Activities for Kids of All Ages

1. Write a letter to a service member thanking them for their service.

• Operation Gratitude
• Adopt a US Soldier

2. Donate money to your families favorite charity.

• Capes for a Cause
• Craft Hope
• ConKerr Cancer – Pillow Cases
• Quilts of Valor 

4. Let another person go first in line.

5. Share a toy with a friend.

6. Volunteer to walk a neighbors dog or feed their cat while they are away.

7. Cheer for the underdog in a game.

8. Share the love of reading with others! Read to or with a younger child.

9. Pick up liter in your neighborhood or local park.

10. Get a group of children together and sing at an assisted living center.

11.Make and bring home-made cookies to a friend.

12. Go through your clothes and toys that you no longer use.  Donate the ones in great shape to a family in need, shelter for children, or church that collects items for families.

Organizing and Celebrating Kindness Activities for Young Children

We made a giving tree. Because my children a young (2, 5, and 8 years old) I want to give them choices. This gives them ownership over how they can be kind to others while providing them with age-appropriate ideas.

1. I wrote our list of the possibilities on leaves for our gratitude tree.
2. The children choose the activity to do that day.
3. We do the activity and add the leaf to our tree.