Time icon
Frequency icon
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Time

5 minutes

Frequency

Weekly

Material

Markers, flip chart paper, recipe card (or other writing materials)

Purpose

Purpose To practise acts of kindness and develop positive relationships by cooperating and interacting with others

Discuss and record responses:

  • Why is it important to spread positivity and kindness at school and in life?
  • What are the benefits of creating a kinder classroom/school by being kinder people?

Invite:

  • students to share examples of when they were kind to others, or when others were kind to them, and what the outcomes of these interactions were
  • each student and staff identify an act(s) of kindness that they will practice daily (write on a recipe card or other material)

Check in weekly and reflect/discuss how they feel/think when being kind.

  • This activity can also be captured in a journal.
  • Students can videotape themselves “paying it forward”.
  • Link to school wide initiatives such as anti-bullying, pay it forward days, etc.
  • Can be done in the first few days of classes to establish classroom norms.

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, regulate emotions, and effectively focus on academics (Blum & Libbey, 2004).

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