Top tips: Kindness every day
World Kindness Day is a brilliant way to help nurture empathy, friendship and positive behaviour in your nursery. Keep it simple, model it clearly and make kindness visible to children every day. Here are some top tips to support you.
Top tips for showing kindness every day
- Start each day with a smile ritual. Greet each child with eye contact and a warm smile saying something like, “I’m glad you’re here”
- Model the language of kindness. Use phrases like, “Thanks for helping me”, “How can we make it better?”
- Create a kindness tree. Children add a leaf/heart whenever they spot or carry out a kind act
- Rotate kindness job roles, for example, plant carer, book buddy, snack helper etc.
- During circle time, invite one kind sentence. “I liked it when … shared the blocks”
- Use puppets to act out tricky moments, for example, turn-taking. Practise kind solutions
- Choose and read books that focus on friendship and inclusion
- Catch children being kind and point it out, “That’s kind of you Yasmin, helping Alison with her zip”
- Send home a one-line challenge: “Do one kind thing tonight and tell us about it tomorrow.” Share responses at circle time
- End the day by asking, “What kind thing did you do or see today?” Celebrate people and actions, not just outcomes.
NDNA products to help you with this tip
Developing self-regulation and supporting well-being – Face to face training
Disclaimer: Activities with children must always be risk assessed, including for allergies or choking. Children must always have adequate supervision. Resources and materials must always be appropriate for children’s age and stage of development.
- MyNDNA
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