Time
5-10 minutes
Level
Primary / Junior / Intermediate
Material
Coloured markers, chart paper, Post-it Notes
Purpose
To help students practice acts of kindness
Discuss:
- The goal of creating a kinder classroom/school by being kinder people.
- Why should we spread positivity and kindness at our school?
- What do acts of kindness look like, and why are they important?
Instruct:
- On chart paper, brainstorm kind acts students have seen or would like to see in the class/school (e.g., saying something kind to a peer, making a new friend, sitting with someone who is alone).
- Tape the chart paper up in a visible place in the class.
- Provide all students with Post-it Notes.
- Write down the kind acts that students have witnessed others perform.
- Review and repeat.
In a virtual learning environment, this can be done using a whiteboard platform (such as Jamboard).
- This could be an opportunity to support social skill development through modelling.
- Brainstorming ideas will allow students to practise thinking about what is of value to others.
Encouraging students to notice kind actions and appreciate their peers contributes to an emotionally positive and safe climate in the classroom, which allows students to stay connected to school (Blum & Libbey, 2004), regulate emotions, and effectively focus on academics (Eisenberg, Fabes, Guthrie, & Reiser, 2000).
Blum, R. W., & Libbey, H. P. (2004). School connectedness – strengthening health and education outcomes for teenagers. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 231-232. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2004.tb08278.x
Eisenberg, N., Fabes, R. A., Guthrie, I. K., & Reiser, M. (2000). Dispositional Emotionality and Regulation: Their Role in Predicting Quality of Social Functioning. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(1), 136-157. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.78.1.136
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