Best Random Acts of Kindness Activities, Games & Lesson Plans for Teachers

Random Acts of Kindness Week, held every February, is a time to celebrate kindness and promote empathy and compassion. During this week, people around the world perform random acts of kindness for others with the goal of making the world a better place. You can use this week to teach children kindness lessons and encourage them to practice it.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the best Random Acts of Kindness activities and games that you can use to teach children about empathy, kindness and compassion. We’ll also discuss how NIMCO’s selection of curriculum products can help you build a lesson plan around kindness and compassion.

Four Kindness Activities for Kids

There are a number of kindness games and activities that can be used to help teach students the importance of compassion. Let’s take a look at four simple kindness activities for kids that you can incorporate into your kindness lesson plans.

1. Story Time

Story time is a powerful tool for teaching children about empathy, kindness and compassion. When children listen to stories, they are transported to different worlds and get to experience the lives of different characters. This kindness activity can help them develop empathy and learn to understand and appreciate others.

There are many great books about kindness that you can read to children during Random Acts of Kindness Week. For example, “Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed” by Emily Pearson is a heartwarming story about a little girl who performs a random act of kindness that sets off a chain reaction of kindness in her community. “The Invisible Boy” by Trudy Ludwig is another great book about kindness that teaches children the importance of including and valuing others.

When reading books about kindness, it’s important to have a discussion with children about the message of the story. You can ask questions such as “How did the character feel when they received the act of kindness?” or “What do you think motivated the character to perform the act of kindness?” You can also encourage children to share their own experiences of kindness and how it made them feel.

After the discussion, you can engage children in follow-up activities to reinforce the message of the story. For example, you can ask children to draw pictures of their own acts of kindness, write letters of appreciation to people in their lives or create a kindness poster for the classroom. These activities can help children understand the power of kindness and encourage them to practice it in their daily lives.

2. The Toothpaste Experiment

If you’re looking for a fun and interactive kindness lesson that can be used to teach children about the power of their words and actions, try the toothpaste experiment. To perform this experiment, you’ll need a tube of toothpaste and a plate.

Start by squeezing a large amount of toothpaste onto the plate. Then, ask a child to try and put the toothpaste back in the tube. As expected, the child will find it impossible to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Next, explain that our words and actions are like the toothpaste. Once we say or do something hurtful, we can’t take it back. The toothpaste experiment is a great way to show children that their words and actions have consequences and can hurt others.

To reinforce the lesson of the toothpaste experiment, you can have a discussion with children about ways they can use their words and actions to be kind and helpful. You can also encourage children to apologize when they say or do something hurtful and make an effort to make amends.

3. Kindness Jar

The kindness jar is a simple and effective way to encourage children to perform random acts of kindness. To create a kindness jar, you’ll need a jar, strips of paper and a pen.

Start by having a discussion with children about what kindness means and how they can practice it. Then, ask the children to write down acts of kindness they would like to perform on the strips of paper. For example, they could write “give a compliment,” “help a friend” or “pick up litter.”

Once the children have written their acts of kindness, they can fold them up and place them in the kindness jar. Throughout the week, encourage children to pick a random act of kindness from the jar and perform it. This can be a fun and engaging way to promote kindness and compassion and can also help children develop their creativity and problem-solving skills.

Discuss with students the acts of kindness they performed and how it made them feel. You can also encourage children to share their experiences with the class or group to inspire others to perform acts of kindness.

4. Kindness Bingo

Kindness Bingo is a fun, interactive activity that encourages children to perform acts of kindness. The game is played by providing players with bingo cards that contain different acts of kindness instead of numbers. When a player completes an act of kindness, they can mark off that square on their bingo card. The game continues until a player has completed a row of acts of kindness, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

Kindness Bingo cards may include simple acts of kindness like holding the door open for someone, complimenting a friend or cleaning up trash. More challenging acts may include volunteering at a local charity or making a donation to a nonprofit organization.

Kindness Bingo can be used in a variety of settings, including schools, community groups and even within families. It’s an excellent tool for teaching children about the importance of kindness and how even small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

Ideas for how to use Kindness Bingo in the classroom include incorporating it into a lesson on empathy or as part of a service project. Students can work together to complete a bingo card, encouraging teamwork and collaboration. Teachers can also provide incentives for completing a bingo card.

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