Making The World A Kinder Place

"What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?" -- Jean Jacques Rousseau

Today is World Kindness Day, a day that "encourages individuals to overlook boundaries, race and religion". The Day was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Coalition, a group of kindness NGOs from around the globe.

Kindness is an intrinsic trait in children, but it is the responsibility of parents and educators to nurture and encourage the inclination to be kind. The best way to do this is to act as a good role model--children learn to be kind and helpful by watching the adults in their lives. 

There are a lot of ways that adults can demonstrate kindness and helpfulness to children. An article in Parents Magazine Online lists some of the ways you can be a kindness role model for your children. A blog post from My Life And Kids provides a list of links of random acts of kindness that kids can do. 

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Be sure to check out the articles posted above. Here are some quick ideas of some acts of kindness that children will love doing:

• Leave a letter and/or small gift thanking the postman
• Leave a quarter in a candy machine for the next child to use
• Make your teacher a Supply Box filled with classroom resources
• Write a happy or encouraging message on the sidewalk or driveway
• Make a Kindness Cootie Catcher
• Ask a grocery store cashier what their favorite candy is and buy it for them.

These small acts of kindness are fun for children and they help demonstrate that being kind is not only the right thing to do, but it feels good too! Go out and perform a random act of kindness with your child today, and help make every day World Kindness Day!