Teaching Kids Life Skills: What is Kindness?

What is Kindness?   The job of raising and teaching kids includes more than just how to dress oneself and do well in school.   A parent needs to also help their children learn important life skills such as kindness to others.

What is Kindness?  Thoughtfulness?  How do we teach it?

Kindness is such a difficult life skill to teach because, in all honesty, I am still learning what it is to be truly kind. I once worked in a 5^th grade classroom for a term. Along a white wall of the classroom were colorful spots of paper. These spots proudly recorded acts of kindness by students. We invited Mark to play with us at lunchtime, read a bright orange spot; Mark was a new student to the school. A blue spot read, I helped a little kid. She fell down, so I helped her up and asked if she was okay . Another read,   I was polite to Mrs. Jones . It was third term, so the wall was filled with spots of acts of kindness. True kindness is borne out of love. True kindness requires a heart of service. True kindness is constant and does not show favoritism. There are many ways to encourage kindness in our children. Related: Teaching the Life Skill of How to Be a Good Friend for Kids

Teaching Kids

Model kindness to our children.  Strive to be friendly, generous and loving to all people, all the time. Remember to be kind to our children. The saying, Children must also be wooed with kindness if their attention is ever to be won, really resonates with me. They learn to be kind because they have been shown kindness. Talk about kindness with our children. We are kind when we:

1. Speak the truth because we love;
2. Share because we love;
3. Are polite because we love;
4. Are friendly because we love;
5. Forgive because we love.

Practice, Praise & Love. True kindness does not come naturally. It needs to be talked about, practiced and praised. For those moments when we fail to be kind, what a comfort it is to know we are still loved. When your kids fail, make sure they know that they are still loved too.

More Kids Activities

We hope these ideas will help answer your child’s questions about “What is kindness?”   Teaching kids important life skills can be challenging but it is so rewarding when you watch your child apply what they have learned.   For more great ideas for teaching life skills to children, check out these creative kids activities:

• Teaching Kids Generosity
• Learning Life Skills: How to Get Along
• Kindness: Make Bags of Joy
• 50 Life Skills kids should know