Acts of Kindness to Do with Your Child
December 22, 2021
Children grow up to imitate the attitudes and values of those around them. Like any other attribute, showing empathy, kindness, and compassion is a skill that can and should be practiced daily. To help your child develop prosocial skills, consider the following daily actions to add more kindness to your household, your community, and the world.
Make Time for Kindness
Make compliments a daily part of your family mealtime routine. Take a moment to take turns going around the dinner table, giving a compliment to each member of the family. This ritual can also help your child’s developing brain begin to highlight positive traits and interactions. As your child has more practice identifying positive experiences, their brain is more likely to notice when those experiences occur. This can create a lasting effect of increased optimism in your child.
Share Stories of Kindness
Children grasp concepts more quickly when ideas are introduced through narrative. Instead of reminding your kids to be kind, show them the impact of kindness through story telling. Children’s books written about influential people is a great way to show your child how individuals can impact the world by showing compassion to others.
Make Doing Good Deeds a Habit
Children’s focus naturally centers around their family and the people they encounter daily. Expand your child’s circle by reaching out to others in your neighborhood or community. Many kids have a natural draw towards helping others, so they may have a few ideas about how they want to reach out. Baking cookies, painting pictures, and writing letters are all great ways to show kindness through good deeds.
Teach Kids to Be Kind to All Living Beings
When parents think about teaching kindness, they usually focus on actions taken towards humans. However, kindness to other living beings is just as important. Volunteering at your local animal shelter, helping a turtle cross a busy road, watering your indoor or outdoor plants, and putting out a bird feeder are all great examples of being kind.
The impact of kindness is limitless, and individual acts of kindness inspire others, creating a ripple effect. Les Enfants understands the value of providing ways for children to develop empathy by connecting with others. Here we are committed to helping you raise compassionate kids who care for each other and the world.
