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kindness

Today Is Giving Tuesday

by Diana Benner November 29, 2022

written by Diana Benner

Giving Tuesday is a day for people across the country to think about others and help those they don’t know. This year, Giving Tuesday falls on November 29, 2022 – that’s today! It started 10 years ago and has raised billions of dollars for many organizations. While a lot of people give money on Giving Tuesday, there are other ways to help. Let’s explore a few examples.

Give Time by Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community while also making a difference. It gives you the opportunity to meet new people and gain new skills while doing something good. Volunteering also can provide many rewards. For example, it reduces stress – focusing on someone other than yourself can help relieve tension you might be feeling.

If you don’t know where to start, try searching for volunteer opportunities near you on VolunteerMatch. Whether it’s helping at an animal shelter or visiting nursing homes, there are many opportunities to help out in your community.

Donate Items and Goods

There are so many ways you can donate on Giving Tuesday. A good place to start is donating canned goods to your local food bank. You can even call around to organizations you’re interested in helping in order to see what they need. Find food banks near you on Feeding America.

You can also go through your closet and donate clothes you no longer wear or donate items to the local animal shelters. Animal shelters are always in need of food, bowls, toys, and blankets for the animals. Women’s and children’s shelters are always in need of items like toiletries and clothing. In addition, you can even donate blood as there is always a shortage of blood.

Give Kindness

Giving Tuesday is the perfect day for an act of kindness. Acts of kindness can include paying for the person next in line’s coffee, giving a compliment, or just saying “thank you” to the people you appreciate. You could offer to help an elderly neighbor or leave a kind note for them. A simple act of kindness lets someone know they are cared for. For more ideas on how you can spread kindness, check out this blog post.

Remember, good deeds don’t have to cost money. Let us know how you are giving on Giving Tuesday by commenting below.

November 29, 2022 0 comment

25 Ideas for Doing Good During Kindness Week

by Diana Benner February 14, 2022

written by Diana Benner

Kindness activities in the classroom provide countless opportunities throughout the year to inspire compassion and create a positive environment. Whether it’s World Kindness Week celebrated the second week in November, or Random Acts of Kindness Week in February, there are many moments to celebrate kindness. It’s about choosing to do something that helps others or yourself, often by putting others’ needs before our own. In a world where we could all use a little more kindness, these observances serve as reminders that anytime is a great time to incorporate kindness activities into your classroom. Let’s make kindness the norm!

What Are the Benefits of Helping Others?

Evidence shows that helping others can also benefit our own mental health and well-being. For example, it can reduce stress and improve mood, self-esteem, and happiness. In fact, studies have found that acts of kindness are linked to increased feelings of well-being. Helping others can also improve our support networks and encourage us to be more active. This, in turn, can improve our self-esteem. In addition, there is some evidence to suggest that when we help others, it can promote changes in the brain that are linked with happiness.

How to Celebrate Kindness Week

There are so many ways we can spread kindness, and these good deeds don’t have to take a lot of time or cost a lot of money.  Here are a few simple ideas for celebrating Kindness Week:

Compliment the first three people you talk to today.
Buy coffee for the person behind you in line at the coffee shop.
Donate old towels, blankets, or food to an animal shelter.
Send a gratitude email or note to a coworker who deserves more recognition.
Practice self-kindness and spend 30 minutes doing something you love today.
Leave a box of snacks for your mail carrier or delivery driver.
Email or write to a former teacher who made a difference in your life.
Make and deliver a meal or care package to someone who is staying at home right now or going through a difficult time.
Write a positive comment on your favorite blog, website, or a friend’s social media account.
Support a local restaurant by ordering food for takeout or delivery, and give an extra-generous tip.
Think of someone who brings joy and happiness into your life. Call, text, or write them to let them know how they brighten your life.
Surprise a neighbor with freshly baked cookies or treats.
Write a thank you note to somebody who works in the school office, cafeteria, or maintenance department.
Let someone who only has a few items go in front of you in line at the store.
Donate blood.
Do you have a LinkedIn account? Write a recommendation for coworker or connection.
Do the dishes or another household chore unexpectedly.
Make a care bag for a homeless person (bottle of water, toothbrush, socks, snack…).
Visit a nursing home.
Leave a “Have a Great Day” note on someone’s car in a parking lot.
Compliment someone to their boss.
Offer to help an elderly person with a chore.
Make two lunches and give one to someone.
Make a list of your favorite things about each person in your family and hang it on the refrigerator.
Teach your students a lesson about kindness. Find lesson ideas at randomactsofkindness.org and on the TCEA blog.

Keep the Kindness Going

Please share your acts of kindness, big or small, with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using #TCEA. Your kindness may just inspire someone to keep the kindness going!

February 14, 2022 0 comment

Social-Emotional Learning

Six Activities to Promote Kindness with Your Students

by Diana Benner December 29, 2021

written by Diana Benner

Teaching students the value of kindness is so very important because it can have powerful effects. Not only does kindness bring joy to others, but it can also reduce our own anxiety. In fact, studies have shown being kind boosts your serotonin, eases anxiety, and can lower blood pressure, which is good for your heart. Some examples of kindness include a thoughtful gesture, a compliment, an offer of help, even something as simple as a smile. Encourage students to spread kindness wherever they go with these simple activities.

1. Start a Conversation about Kindness

In this activity by Centervention, you will help your students understand how kindness benefits everyone. In the first part of the activity, start a conversation with your students about kind words and why we should use them. Then have your student brainstorm kind words to use when communicating with others. In the second part, help students translate their ideas into action by brainstorming acts of kindness and creating notes to brighten someone’s day.

2. Set Up an Appreciation Station

In her blog post, Kerri Beauchesne writes about how she invited her students to write kind notes to school staff at an appreciation station. The appreciation station can be set up in the school cafeteria or other areas of the school where students can drop by to write notes. The notes can then be collected and distributed to staff members on special days like Teacher Appreciation Week, National Custodian Day, or School Bus Driver Appreciation Day.

3. Create a Kindess Collage

Creating a kindness collage is a part of Google’s Applied Digital Skills curriculum. This video walks students through how to create a collage using Google Drawings. The collage can be about a classmate, teacher, or something positive that shows kindness. The image can then be downloaded and shared.

4. Implement a Kindness Challenge

Empower your students to create a culture of kindness by challenging them to do kind things. They can do kind things for others, kind things for themselves, or kind things for the Earth. As mentioned in this blog post, students can list the kind things they have done on this Kindness Challenge Jamboard. They can also be given paper hearts to write down acts of kindness they performed. The hearts can then be used to create a tree of kindness display.

5. Incorporate Friendly Fridays

As stated in this article by Elizabeth Peterson, “Sometimes Fridays can be tough, especially in the afternoon when everyone is ready for the weekend.” After trying a few ideas over the years, from continuing with curriculum content to giving free time, she finally decided to incorporate Friendly Fridays. During Friendly Friday time, her students do something creative to promote kindness. Check out the video below for ways she promotes kindness through Friendly Fridays.

6. Encourage Positive Self-Talk

We can’t be kind to others if we aren’t first kind to ourselves. The words we speak or think to ourselves are self-talk. Positive self-talk encourages us and helps us fight negative emotions and thought patterns. This not only helps us build confidence, but it also shows us that caring about ourselves is important. Like the concept of a gratitude jar, students can create a jar of positive affirmations. With this activity, students put positive affirmations in a jar. Then they pull one out daily to be reminded of how truly special they are.

For more kindness activities that promote social-emotional learning, be sure to check out these blog posts.

December 29, 2021 0 comment