Building a culture of kindness and acceptance is important from day one in the classroom. I wanted my students to be kind and respect those who run our school; especially our custodians, cafeteria workers, and secretaries. They are the ones who have selfless jobs and deserve to know we are thankful for what they do for us and our school. In this blog post, I'm sharing 5 Days of Kindness activities that can be implemented at the beginning of the year or for the month of February.
INTRODUCING THE UNIT:
I love introducing my Project Based Learning units by reading topic-related books to my students. Besides getting students excited about the project and laying a foundation for the project, essential reading skills can be covered.
Three books I recommend are:
- Kindness is my Superpower by Alicia Ortega (part of a series)
- The Power of Kindness Through the Eyes of a Child by Ruth Maille
- Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud and David Messing
Day 1 - Words of Love are a way to express kindness, friendship, appreciation, and love for others.
- Write a thank you note to someone who is always helpful.
- Write a note to a friend or loved one.
- Write a note to someone who may need encouragement.
- Write a note to a school staff member who doesn't always receive recognition
- Using the apps PicCollage, Typorama, Adobe Spark Post, or Canva to design a poster for the school.
Day 2 - Gifts from the Heart with a Mug of Warmth and Kindness
These mugs with cocoa mix can be shared with the Recipe of Kindness card. Give the mugs to parent volunteers, staff, special friends of the school, etc. Your class can serve hot cocoa on a cold day.
Day 3 - Reaching Out to Others by Sharing the Love
Bake cookies to raise money for a local charity. Students can research charities to select the best place to give. The money can also be used to purchase school supplies, pet supplies for a shelter, and items for the homeless. The ideas are endless. This includes a math activity in which students calculate multiple amounts of a recipe.
Day 4 - Loving Yourself by focusing on growth mindset and your body
- Involve your school counselor in practicing mindfulness activities.
- Ask your PE teacher to share activities in taking care of their physical well-being.
- Ask a nutritionist to speak to your students about a healthy diet.
Day 5 - Loving Our Earth with the Seeds of Love
This is a day to appreciate our earth and environment.
- Volunteer at your school to clean the playground or volunteer in your local community.
- Make recycle bags for groceries or purchases.
- Make heart-shaped bird seeds to hang from a tree.
- Weed the school garden.
- Visit a nature center or have a representative visit your school.
I recommend reading my blog post "Random Apps of Kindness" for additional ideas.
To purchase the 5 Days of Kindness Activities unit, just visit my store.
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