It’s November! Thanksgiving is just a little over a week away and everywhere I see pleas and reminders to share gratitude and kindness. Why is it that we need to have reminders to be kind and share gratitude with others?
In our current world of instant gratification, speed of knowledge at our fingertips, and technology that often takes the place of true connections, is there really any need for much else? We have everything we need to make us truly happy right? And if not, we can quickly get what we want to make us happy, as anything is readily available. Unfortunately, with this mindset of instant gratification comes disconnect and an overall unappreciative mentality. Without connection with others we fail to build trusted relationships or reach social and emotional development. A lack in social and emotional development leads to lack of empathy, gratitude, and, ultimately, kindness.
November 13th was named National Kindness Day with special tribute to Fred Rogers, the epitome of kindness. One of my favorite quotes from Mr. Rogers describes just how everyone should live their lives for success.
Three ways to achieve success: be kind, be kind, and be kind.
I’ve read a lot of articles and comments lately of some who believe we are making our children weak by promoting kindness versus punishment. Is it right to teach a child to scream at or hit friends when they do something to offend or hurt our child? No! Is it right to teach our children to think selfishly and live a life of self-assumed entitlement, thinking much should be done for them with little to no effort from them? No! So how do we foster a sense of kindness and gratitude in our children? As an Early Childhood Educator, following NAEYC (National Association of Education for Young Children) standards, experience has shown that modeling the behavior you wish to see in children is one of the best means of teaching. Instead of saying “give me that toy” I might say “may I please have that toy.” By a quick shift in my words not only am I modeling kindness, but I am teaching an appropriate behavior, a desired behavior.
Kindness is not an innate disposition – it is learned. By modeling desired behaviors, which can be done by parents being kind to their children in their requests and commands, children will learn appropriate developmental life skills.
10 Ways to Spread Kindness With Your Child
- Create/draw a card for a neighbor or friend
- Give someone special a hug (family member, friend, teacher, etc)
- Bake cookies
- Tell someone “Thank You”
- Offer to help clean a room or do an extra chore
- Make dinner together
- Take a walk through your neighborhood or beach and pick up trash
- Give a compliment
- Share a special toy with a friend
- Have a family game night
Kindness Jar
One way we recognize kindness and show gratitude in our house is a kindness jar. Any act of kindness – a compliment or act of kindness – is recorded on a strip of paper and put in the jar throughout the week. At our weekly Sunday family meetings we begin with the jar and read all of the notes. By starting family time with compliments and kindness, we set the tone for kind and gentle family discussions. Occasionally we ask the children how the words on the papers made them feel when hearing them. This gives children an opportunity to become aware of their feelings and learn to express them.
Here’s what you need:
One plastic jar
1″ pieces of paper (we like to use colorful paper)
Literacy is an essential part of young children’s lives, so why not read about kindness. Diane Alber’s book Kindness Snippet Jar, available on Amazon, is a great choice for getting the creative kindness juices flowing.
Check out popular Social-Emotional Books for children on Amazon.com.
Parenting is one of the toughest jobs given to man by the Lord Almighty. We must remember that we are not alone. God knows His plans for us and our children, it is our job to simply care for the little ones He has so graciously given us. His word says in Ephesians 4:32, Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
How have you shown kindness today?
Megan
❤️