Games are an effective way to teach kids the importance of kindness. Just like adults, kids can experience the rewarding feeling that comes with helping others. A few ideas to help kids learn kindness include volunteering at an animal shelter, helping their peers with homework or creating cards for the elderly.
The Kindness Box
Compliments and kind words makes people feel good. Demonstrate this by letting the kids decorate a box with kind words and heart stickers. Give each child a sheet of paper with everyone's name on it and have them write down something nice about that person beside his name. Place the papers into the kindness box and read them aloud.
Secret Helper
The secret helper game lets children perform random acts of kindness without taking credit for it. This game is useful for teaching kids that receiving credit for their good deeds is not as important as the deed itself. Assign each child a person for whom they will secretly do something nice that day. Encourage the kids to play this game every day at home by helping their parents, siblings or neighbors.
Torn Heart Game
Many kids are not aware of how damaging hurtful words can be to others. The torn heart game shows how hard it is to repair the damage once hurtful words have been spoken. Have the kids sit in a circle and pass around a paper heart. Each child makes a mark or cut on the heart. At the end of the game, pass the heart around again and have each child try to repair the heart by erasing the marks and using tape to repair the cuts. After the game, talk to the kids about how even though they tried to repair the heart, it still shows signs of damage, which is why it is important to speak kind words.
Good Deed Coin Jar
The good deed coin jar not only teaches kids to do something kind for someone else, it builds teamwork. Have the kids decorate the jar with stickers and place loose change into the jar. When the jar is full, count the money and let them decide what they want to do with the money to help someone else. Perhaps they could bake cookies for a homeless shelter and deliver them.
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Writer Bio
Zee Kay began her writing career in 2005. She is the author of "The No-Sew Dog Sweater Kit" book and writes and develops online recipes. Kay has also appeared in national television commercials. She holds a degree in medical assisting from South College and hopes to pursue an Associate of Arts in early childhood education in the fall.
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