Whether you’re parenting little ones or have a class full of little ones, days are full of ups and downs. You want them to be on track with letter recognition and counting. But you want them to know how to interact with others respectfully. In my honest opinion, teaching kindness and respect is so important for little ones. All the other learning will fall into place. Modeling acts of kindness is an absolute must because it helps mold them into the person they will become.
Invest in Books!
If you know me, you know my obsession with books. I use a book for every lesson I teach. And acts of kindness are featured in more books than anyone can count. I came across Try a Little Kindness by Henry Cole. I found myself glued to this wonderful story!
The rhyming and rhythm of this book keeps little ones fully engaged throughout the entire book. And of course, kids love animals at this age so that is another plus to this book.
This book describes creative ways to show acts of kindness like putting yourself at the end of the line. What a wonderful example because if you’ve been a in class you know that being line leader is a huge deal!
The Four W’s
What a great way to teach retelling without really teaching it! The four W’s-who, what, when, where- is the beginnings of story retelling, but this activity is more about how our learners can brainstorm ways to show acts of kindness.
Use these cards during whole group instruction. After reading Try a Little Kindness, model the 4 W’s using examples from the book. Pull your favorite acts of kindness books to continue modeling the rest of the week.
Small Group Activity
To get ready for Valentine’s Day and a rest from all things small groups, move this activity to your small groups. What a great way to help your students plan a special treat for that special person in their life.
As a mom, yes, the flowers and candy are great. But when my kids really put thought into a gift for me, it means so much to me.
Teach your little ones that acts of kindness are always better than monetary gifts!
To grab the chart cards and printable, click on the download button below!
