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- Help Them Understand What Kindness Means. Even before your kids are old enough to act kindly, you can start talking about it. Empathy is hardwired in us from birth through what's known as the mirror-neuron system, and we intuitively feel what others feel, explains psychiatrist Kelli Harding, M.D., author of The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier With the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness.
- Inspire Their Imagination. Thinking "What would that feel like?" is one of the most powerful habits we can instill in our children. "You can't be a compassionate person unless you have an active imagination—you have to be able to step into someone else's shoes," says Katherine Applegate, author of award-winning children's books, including The One and Only Ivan and Wishtree.
- Model Kindness Everywhere You Go. When it comes to raising thoughtful kids, this is the most important thing we can do, says Dr. Harding. "We can't control their behavior, but we can look for ways to demonstrate kind behavior ourselves."
- Encourage Kind Habits. Help your children match the somewhat abstract concept of kindness with the many concrete verbs that enact it: sharing, volunteering, giving, including, comforting, supporting, championing, compromising, listening, and noticing when someone could use help—a classmate with a math problem, a family member with a chore, an older person who needs a seat on the bus.
- A home environment filled with kindness. Kindness begins at home. Kind character traits don’t appear spontaneously in children without being exposed to nurturing adults.
- Teach them empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand, feel, and share another person’s feelings. It is essential for the development of kindness in children.
- Practice and form considerate habits. Encourage children to perform little acts of kindness for others on a regular basis. These powerful habits can help develop thoughtful kids and compassionate people.
- Teach the spirit of kindness. Kindness is a selfless act that should be a clear manifestation of virtue, not a manipulation. Helping others for the sake of receiving rewards or praises in return does not qualify as genuine kindness.
Jul 3, 2023 · Start with these strategies: Think, and then talk, often about kindness, positioning it as something that can be done every day. What does kindness look like in someone else? How does it feel to...
- Be a good role model. Role modeling is probably the first step in teaching kindness to kids. If they see you being kind, it normalizes it for them. Hold doors open for people.
- Teach them to be helpers. Helping is a form of kindness. Kids as young as two or three can learn how to be helpful. Ask for their assistance. Acts such as carrying groceries into the house or clearing the dishes can encourage kids to see that they, too, can make a difference in other people’s lives.
- Be specific when expressing gratitude. When we express gratitude to our kids, we’re helping them realize that their actions have helped someone else. But it’s important to be specific so that they connect it to the act of kindness.
- Consider safety. It may seem obvious, but it’s worth noting that for kids to develop a sense of kindness for others, they must feel safe – both physically and emotionally.
Apr 11, 2021 · Practicing Kindness: An Age-by-Age Guide. If you’ve been following DGT™ for a while, you know how critical it is to practice kindness with your children. This month we want to share kindness skills by age – which skills are best practiced when.
- Jenny Friedman
Mar 15, 2022 · 6 Strategies to Help Kids Become Kind. 1. Manage your own emotions/reactions. It is distressing to most parents to see or hear about their child being unkind.
May 2, 2018 · 1. Use the language of kindness in your family. This will help to convey kindness as an important family value and expectation. For example: “Would you be kind enough to help your...
