January 15, 2022

Quote of the Week

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."--Dalai Lama

6 Ways To Teach Kids To Be Kind

When you think about what it means to instill kindness in your kids you may envision a variety of examples including showing compassion, generosity, empathy, championing justice, and alleviating suffering. Each of these involves an underlying consideration for others, rather than acting only out of self-interest.

Kindness is the most fundamental expression of what it means to be a human being. Kindness is about "seeing with your heart," explains Angela C. Santomero, author of Radical Kindness: The Life-Changing Power of Giving and Receiving and cocreator of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. For our littlest kids, this might mean patting the back of a worried friend, waving to an elderly neighbor, or breaking a cookie in half to share with a younger brother. For older kids, kindness might be inviting a lonely classmate to join their lunch table, comforting someone who's sad or scared, or donating some of their allowance to a cause they care about.

In this week's featured article from Parents magazine, read more on how to help kids understand what kindness is, inspire their imaginations, cultivate their kindness habit and help them notice its impacts. This short video by kids also shares a great practice on how to "train your brain to be kinder".  You can also check out these 7 Random Acts of Kindness Ideas for Kids to kick off the New Year!

Reading Corner

Title: I Walk With Vanessa
By: Kerascoet
Ages: 4-8

"Named by Parents Magazine as the "Best Book that Champions Kindness"! This simple yet powerful picture book--from a New York Times bestselling husband-and-wife team--tells the story of one girl who inspires a community to stand up to bullying. Inspired by real events, I Walk with Vanessa explores the feelings of helplessness and anger that arise in the wake of seeing a classmate treated badly, and shows how a single act of kindness can lead to an entire community joining in to help. By choosing only pictures to tell their story, the creators underscore the idea that someone can be an ally without having to say a word. With themes of acceptance, kindness, and strength in numbers, this timeless and profound feel-good story will resonate with readers young and old." --Publishers

Be the Change

As the pandemic continues and many of us are still in isolation, here are 16 ways kids can give back to the community without leaving the house! Try out some of these ideas with your family this week.