Positive Words + Positive Actions = KINDNESS

Preparation for World Kindness Week

World Kindness Week is set for November 11th-15th this year, and World Kindness Day will be held during that week on November 13th. Although kindness is something that should be demonstrated throughout the year, we are ultimately preparing our hearts and minds for World Kindness Week as we focus on this subject for our school. I hope you find this lesson helpful and useful to your counseling program. Thanks for letting me share!

Since most kids can identify with action figures or super heroes, I chose to show a familiar character to my students to open the lesson on kindness. We talked about the "Hulk's" appearance and some of the  characteristics he possessed. My intentions were to have the students discuss his muscles and strength, and then we talked about how we don't have to have muscles and super strengths to destroy or hurt people. Then, I asked the students to answer a couple of riddles for me. 

THE RIDDLES:

What is a part of our body that has no bones but can be broken?

What is a part of our body that contains muscles but has no bones and can be used to break something?

Review: 

To review, I reminded students of the lesson we had last year on speaking kindly to others. I used the book "Chrysanthemum" and also the "toothpaste lesson" to help students grasp this concept. You can find my lesson on speaking kindly, here. 

BOOK:

I chose to read, "The Giving Tree" to my students this year since it is one of my all time favorite books. It depicts the true spirit of giving. The tree gives and gives to the "boy", and never expects anything in return. After reading this book, we discuss TRUE acts of kindness and doing things to make others feel good and happy without expecting anything in return.

Best. Short Movie. EVER!

If you have not seen this video before now, YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT! I found it through that lovely word we call "Pinterest", and it's a keeper! Although it's only 5 minutes long and contains no words, the message is powerful! My students never took their eyes off of the video because they didn't want to miss what was going to happen next.

The Boomerang Effect

I talked with the class about a boomerang and the cool part of it coming back to you after you throw it. Ultimately that is what happened in the video. The acts of kindness the man showed at the beginning of the video cam be back to him full circle at the end. Isn't it great when that happens?!? 

GROUP ACTIVITY:

PAT ON THE BACK

To practice our kind actions and words of encouragement, we gave a classmate a "Pat on the Back"! (I used a piece of contact paper and cut out a hand print and wrote the kind words from the students on each finger.) This idea was modified from Mrs. Giglio's Kindergarten Class Blog Spot. Thanks for the great idea! The kids loved it - especially the student who was receiving the "Pat on the Back"! 

Mary Elizabeth said that all of the responses that were given by her classmates made her feel great and special. Mary Elizabeth was given the choice of either wearing the "Pat on the Back" around school or having it put on a piece of paper as a keepsake. She chose to put it on a piece of paper. ;-)

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY:

Each student had the opportunity to do the same thing for another classmate, except we called it giving each other "High Fives". I gave each student a piece of paper and asked the class to trace their hand on to the piece of paper I gave them, and then I came around to each person and secretly gave them the name of a student in their class. Their job was to write the student's name in the palm of the hand they had drawn and then write 5 kind things about that person on each finger. When they were done, they gave their paper to the person they wrote about, and all I can say is there were smiles all over the room.

 HIGH FIVES

Examples of some of my students' work

For more information and ideas on kindness, please visit THIS AWESOME SITE!