Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day

Kindness has a positive effect on our physical, mental and social health; it’s a springboard for creating a positive environment in our schools. If we put gratitude at the very heart of everything we do, it will benefit our own mental health and make the world around us more appreciative and kinder. Gratitude is only part of the process though; for us to be grateful there needs to be a moment of difficulty, an act of kindness and finally an expression of gratitude. Kindness is good for us as it increases our energy levels and reduces our stress. When an act of kindness takes place it marks a moment in time and splits our day into positive chunks. When we act kindly we create a shock-wave of positivity that encourages others to express appreciation launching a chain of gratitude!

The Dalai Lama once said: “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

Being kind isn’t difficult and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Random Acts of Kindness Day  provides a number of easy ways to implement suggestions such as paying for another person's meal in a drive-thru, buying extra at the supermarket and donating it to a food bank, buying flowers for someone, taking doughnuts to work or letting a car into the traffic ahead of you. One of the great aspects of kindness is that we can build up a store of positive emotions produced by kindness in experiencing a “gratitude narrative”.

Kindness can also be taught in the classroom which is great news for teachers and pupils alike. Read below to find our top ways to help teach kindness in the classroom.

Model kindness in the classroom

It’s important that children know what kindness looks like, and modelling it in the classroom is an easy way to achieve this. Teachers and other members of staff have the chance to make lasting impressions on children, and showing them what it looks like to be kind to others in day-to-day life can go a long way. Making sure that as adults, we’re kind to each other for children to see, shows them the right way to treat others.

Encourage pupils to be kind

Encouraging children to be kind in everyday life is a great way to ensure that they’re aware of the importance of being kind. It also helps to teach children about the different ways in which kindness can be shown. For example, activities such as collecting food for food banks, creating art for local care homes or sharing a message of gratitude with someone are great ways for children to get involved and learn about kindness and how it can be applied practically.

Praise pupils for their acts of kindness to one another

Praise is important when it comes to reinforcing positive behaviour in young children, so make sure that acts of kindness don’t go unnoticed! Many schools implement reward systems or certificates and stickers to help encourage children to be kind to one another and praise their kind acts.

Create an environment of gratitude

When we create an environment of gratitude, we make it easier to open up with the awareness of psychological safety, and give each individual the space to open up about the difficulties they are facing. Take time to practice gratitude in the classroom, for example, have pupils think about what they’re grateful for that week, to help foster a more positive and safe environment.

Encourage children to be kind to themselves!

Whilst teaching children about the importance of kindness in everyday life, it’s also really important to teach them about being kind to themselves, and treating themselves how they would treat other people. Being kind to yourself can look different for everyone, but for children, it’s important that they know not to be too hard on themselves, or to feel disappointed when they make mistakes.

So, let’s use Random Acts of Kindness Day as a springboard to create a chain of gratitude across all our schools; take a moment to do something for someone else and spread kindness throughout your school community.

TAP (Thank and Praise), supported by YPO, is a free-to-use social thanking platform providing an easy and secure way to share messages of gratitude with each other. If your school would like its own free digital thanking wall, please contact [email protected] 

To find out more about TAP, click here.