With the holidays each year, our minds turn to thoughts of gratitude and thankfulness, family, friends and relationships new and old. Our values as a society are formed by parents and others who are the center of our youngest students’ world. As teachers, we can work hand in hand with parents to help children develop traits of kindness, friendship, gratitude, helpfulness and attitude that will serve them well as they grow into adulthood.
In my last post as a blogger for Mailbox Gold, I want to share a couple of ideas using seasonal resources from the printable resource area that are perfect for sparking an attitude of kindness and respect in your students.
Students love being special helpers to adults or other students, so one project we will have running all December is our Random Acts of Kindness “Smile” Basket. It is a basket with easy tasks that students can complete for chosen recipients. Students are encouraged to be original, but they can draw from the basket for easy ideas. These can range from:
Sharpen pencils for a teacher.
Clean a friend’s table area after a project.
Give a compliment card to a friend.
Draw a picture or a card for a teacher.
Draw a picture or a card for the principal.
Draw a picture or card for the lunch staff.
Dust vac the floor.
Sort the crayons.
Make a cookie delivery to a special teacher.
Make a candy cane delivery to a special teacher.
The above statements look so perfect on the holiday name badge templates from Mailbox Gold. Love this activity!
Another activity we will participate in is the Candy Cane Express. After acquiring a list of senior citizens who reside at the assisted living home in our community, we will make cards and special candy cane deliveries to some very sweet recipients who happen to be at the opposite end of the age spectrum. There is something magical about kindergarten kids and seniors. The candy canes we give them will have sweet notes from each student. This is such a meaningful way to connect the generations. We will keep the spirit of kindness alive by creating cards and paper flower art for our senior friends in the Spring. The lesson learned with both activities is: acts of kindness should happen all year, every year for a lifetime. It’s what helps us show we value those around us. To do something without expecting something in return…just because…is an important lesson for a five year old!
You are sure to find other great printables that can be adapted to your plans for fostering kindness and respect in your classroom with a Mailbox Gold subscription.
I am grateful to The Mailbox for allowing me to take part in the #bethedifference campaign.
And now, as part of this final #bethedifference post, the kind folks at The Mailbox have provided a $100 Visa Gift Card for one lucky reader on my blog!!! Just leave a comment and share how you promote kindness and respect in your classroom. A winner will be selected soon!
The 12 days before Christmas Break, we participate in RAK. I hang 12 bags with an idea for an act of kindness in each. Each day my helper gets the appropriate day’s bag and my class does that activity. The activities are things like making thank you cards for our custodians, giving compliments to others, picking up trash on the playground. My kids LOVE it!
Love these ideas! My kiddos try to be kind to our custodial staff by cleaning up after themselves and others – if they see trash on the floor they pick it up, wipe up spills themselves etc. They also try to be kind to their friends and our classroom pets. I am blessed with a very kind class this year – it seems to come naturally to this bunch!
Our class slogan is Be Kind, Be helpful. We use our daily blog to write thank you notes. Here are a few: First responders on 9-11, Valentine notes to a favorite staff member, nurse appreciation day, etc. We also use video blogs from http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots to start the dialog.
I love using a video featuring a pet that saved someone, is helpful, etc. Love your ideas!
We use CARES cards to show kids using their CARES vaulues ( Cooperation, Assertion, Respect, Empathy, and Self Control. Thanks for the giveaway!
We adopt the local Veterans Hospital for the entire year. We make cards and decorations for every major holiday. Sometimes, we even get letters back. We do not get to visit the hospital but the director of Veterans Affairs drops by to pick up our goodies and tells the students stories of the men and women our kindness helps.