How to Teach Kindness to Kids

Kindness, it’s not as common as you think. We say so much has changed since we were kids, but has it?

According to Stopbullying.gov 1 in 4 student say they have been bullied at school. In one large study, about 49% of children in grades 4–12 reported being bullied by other students at school. Out of that, only about 20 to 30% of students who are bullied notify adults about the bullying.

Can we let that sink in? 1 in 4. I don’t think the times have changed much, the difference now, because of social media, it follows you. Instead of home being a safe place, you’re followed by mean comments when you open social media.

How do we change this? How can we teach our kids to do better, to BE better?

My thoughts are…

It starts at home. It starts with us as parents, most importantly, more is caught than taught. It’s how we drive; how we respond when someone cuts us off, or how we react when we don’t get our way.

I can tell Jadyn many things like, how to spread kindness, or how to display love and gentleness to his classmates. BUT, if I don’t do them myself then what’s the point?

A few things we do at home with our boys are, we teach and talk about quality characteristics. Quality traits for us are self-control, patience, kindness, joy, generosity to name a few.

We sit down and talk about how to practice these qualities, and what they look like in the everyday. And the nail doesn’t hit the head the first time. This is an ongoing talk with them.

The other thing we also teach is to know when you’re at fault, to seek forgiveness and to mean it. We humans are not perfect, and we will make mistakes, but knowing when you did something wrong is also important. Same goes for forgiving others.

Kindness starts at home, but it doesn’t have to end at home.

I’m excited to partner with Abercrombie Kids today for World Kindness Day. “World Kindness Day is to highlight good deeds in your community by focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us. Kindness is a fundamental part of the human condition which bridges the divides of race religion, politics, gender and zip codes”.

All sales from the Choose Kind tee (the one that Jadyn is wearing) will benefit PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. Also, if you purchase from the Abercrombie Kids Gift Guide a portion of proceeds supports SeriousFun Children’s Network. Jadyn’s flannel shirt and puffer jacket are included in the gift guide.

Join me today, and spread kindness today. Practice patience, pay for someone’s coffee, or simply stop to say hi to someone. Most importantly, let’s teach our kids to be kind, and not just on World Kindness Day, but every day.

What can you do today to spread a little kindness? Share some ideas below!

outfit details: (on me) dress 
(on Jadyn): jeans  All BOGO 50% off! / choose kind t-shirt / button up / puffer jacket

Thank you so much for stopping by, have a great day!

xoxo,