"You never know what
light you might spark in others just through your kindness and your
example" Jennifer Rockwood.
As a parent of 5 children and founder
of a program that teaches kids about giving to others through
crafting, one of my parenting/teaching goals is to help build a
foundation for kids to be kind, respectful, and show compassion for
others. Like other things you want to teach your children, it takes
time, patience, and understanding. Books have become so important
because they help explain the concepts and also ignite our kids
desires to take action. Through the years of running our program, we
have found a great collection of books that teach children about
being kind, showing compassion and being empathetic. These books
have been excellent in starting the conversation about why it is
essential to be kind. Here is a list of some of our favorite books.
A Sick Day for Amos McGee
by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead, is a story about Amos, a
zookeeper who spends his day caring for the animals at the zoo.
However, when he gets sick, he gets a pleasant surprise and is
visited by his zoo friends. This book is a warm and sweet story that
shows kindness comes in all different shapes and forms.
Age Range 2-6
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A
Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCloud and David
Messing
A great book that helps children
understand the effects of being kind to one another. Everyone has a
bucket. Positive affirmations and actions fill the bucket. However,
negative behavior and words can empty the bucket. Everyone has the
opportunity to be a bucket filler and bucket receiver. Using this
concept provides an excellent opportunity for children to understand
how their kind and thoughtful actions (bucket filler) makes other
people feel (bucket receiver).
Ages 4-9
How Kind!
Ages 3-5
Miles of Smiles by Karen
Kaufman Orloff and Luciano Lozano
How far can a smile travel? This book
shares the journey of a smile that begins with a baby smiling at her
mother. The mother then passes on the smile to someone else, and it
continues a chain reaction, brightening each person's day that
receives the smile.
Ages 3-7
What Does it Mean to Be Kind?
by Rana DiOrio is a wonderfully illustrated book that shows what it
means to be kind. From complimenting someone to forgiving someone
who has hurt you, this book gives several examples that children can
understand about acts of kindness. The last page best summarizes
this book "And spread the word - if we can all be kind to each
other, our world will be more loving, caring, and harmonious.
Ages 4-8
The Mitten Tree by
Candace Christiansen and Greenstein Elaine is a sweet
intergenerational story about an elderly woman, Sara, who notices a
little boy at a bus stop who doesn't have mittens. One night, she
knits a pair of mittens and hangs them on a tree for the little boy
to find. It soon becomes a game where children are finding mittens
on this tree and Sara knitting a new pair of mittens each evening.
Ages 3-6
If You Plant a Seed by
Kadir Nelson is a simple and beautifully illustrated book that shows
children the benefits of being kind. The story begins with a rabbit
and mouse planting vegetable seeds. Then birds appear, and the
question is asked ~ "what happens if you plant a seed of
selfishness?". However, how does the situation change if you
plant a seed of kindness? Kadir Nelson does a beautiful job
differentiating the two scenarios so children can see the impact of
being kind.
Sitinee Sheffert is a wife, mom of
five, and a social entrepreneur. She is the founder of Giving
Artfully Kids, a curriculum teaching children the importance of
kindness and giving through crafting and Giving Artfully, a platform
connecting crafters and organizations needing handcrafted items.
Lovely book ideas - will have to try some of these. I think it's so important to teach children about the importance of being kind. x
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Absolutely, especially in this day and age.
DeleteI haven't heard any of these books. I must have a read of them all. Thank you very much for the suggestion. I shall share and pin this also. x
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for linking up with us on #FabFridayPost
What a fantastic project first of all, I think it sounds really interesting and am off to read more about it! Thank you also for sharing all of these ideas about books which encourage kindness. What a wondeful world it would be if everyone practiced kindness with their children from the start! #FabFridayPost
ReplyDeleteIt DOES sound like a great project, doesn't it?! I've been meaning to read up more on it myself, but things have been crazy since having our most recent baby. Thanks for stopping by!
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