Kindness is one of the most important skills we can have when it comes to connecting to other human beings. Showing and practicing kindness builds community and spreads care and compassion through helpful, empathetic actions and words. But just like any important skill, kindness needs to be nurtured, cultivated and practiced. This happens best when modeled and encouraged by caregivers and educators starting from birth.
This page delves into the importance of fostering kindness, empathy, and compassion in young children during their early learning years. Together, we will explore strategies, approaches, and best practices for creating a culture of kindness within early childhood education settings, along with 10 kindness activities for preschoolers, a simple kindness curriculum in four weekly lessons, and how to build a classroom kindness contract. Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom to download the Free Kindness Kit!
Related: Get an entire month’s worth of Kindness Activities and Book Recommendations!
Table of Contents
- Why Nurturing Kindness Matters in Early Childhood Education
- Strategies and Approaches for Teaching Kindness
- Kindness Activities for Preschoolers
- A Simple Kindness Curriculum: 4 Weekly Lessons
- How to Cultivate a Kindness Culture in the Classroom
- How to Build a Classroom Kindness Contract
- Engaging Families in Promoting Kindness
- Overcoming Challenges in Promoting Kindness
- Conclusion
Why Nurturing Kindness Matters in Early Childhood Education
During their early years of life, children’s brains develop the fastest. It is during this critical period of development that their brains are most malleable and are shaped and informed by daily interactions and social experiences. This is the most opportune time to lay the foundation for kindness and other prosocial behaviors like empathy and compassion.
It is because of this that early childhood educators and caregivers play such an important role when it comes to children’s development of emotional skills. Children are like sponges; they learn by soaking up information from the actions, reactions, and expressions of trusted adults in their lives.
As children’s key socializers, how we show kindness, empathy, and compassion matters. Modeling acts of kindness in developmentally appropriate ways helps lay that strong foundation for positive relationships, healthy interactions, and the overall well-being of children, and plants seeds of opportunity to cultivate empathy, respect, and understanding towards others as they continue to grow.
Research shows that teaching children to be kind during their earliest years can have far-reaching positive effects on their emotional development, ultimately enhancing their academic performance and overall well-being. Fostering kindness contributes to the creation of a sense of community and belonging, promotes inclusive environments, and decreases instances of bullying and exclusion.
In fact, over the last couple of decades, kindness was considered so instrumental that World Kindness Day was established to educate and celebrate kindness. So, how exactly do we start fostering kindness in the classroom?
Strategies and Approaches for Teaching Kindness
There are a variety of strategies and approaches that early childhood educators can begin to use with children in the classroom that align with their developmental needs. These strategies can be adapted to fit the needs of any age group, from infants up through preschool and beyond.
Model Kindness:
Children learn best within the context of responsive relationships with trusted adults. They are constantly observing their caregivers and teachers, and what they learn from our actions and words will inform their own actions and words in the future. Educators can model the kind behaviors they want to see by demonstrating empathy, compassion, and fairness in their interactions with children and others.
Examples of Modeling Kindness for Infants & Toddlers:
Practice equality and encourage sharing. When sitting with children in a play space with different toys, say something like: “One for you, one for me.” This helps children understand the concept of sharing and fairness.
Narrate your actions and reactions out loud. This helps to support children’s understanding of kindness, sharing, and empathy. For example, you might say,
- “I noticed you didn’t have a puppet. Would you like one of mine? Here you go.”
- “Thank you for sharing the marker with me! That was so kind.”
- “Can we share this block with your friend? We have so many, and it looks like they want to join, too!”
Use emotional moments as learning opportunities. When you see a child who is feeling sad, angry, or frustrated, use this as an opportunity to model how to respond with kindness and compassion. For example, you might say,
- “I can see you are feeling so sad. Would you like a hug?” or
- “I noticed you threw the block. Are you feeling angry? Would you like some help building?”
Examples of Modeling Kindness for Preschool and Up:
Continue to model kind actions and narrate your observations like you would with younger children:
- “Thank you for helping your group clean up! That was so kind, and I love seeing my friends helping each other.”
- “We’re all playing a game on the meeting rug together. Would you like to join us?”
- “Of course you can draw with us at the art table! Here, we can all share the markers.”
You can also ask prompting questions to help older children think critically and practice perspective-taking to build empathy:
- “Your friend looks sad. What do you think you can do to help them feel better? What helps you feel better when you are sad?”
- “What would it make you feel if someone said you couldn’t join their game? Is there an idea you can play that includes everyone?”
Use Storytelling and Literature to Promote Kindness:
Reading stories and engaging children in literature that promote kindness and empathy helps children understand the value of compassionate behavior. Books, puppets, and role-playing activities can be used to explore different perspectives and discuss the emotions of characters.
Point out the kind actions, emotions, conflicts, and resolutions in stories to deepen their understanding. Here are some books we love for different ages to keep in your library center!
 | Kindness Makes Us Strong |
 | How Kind by Mary Murphy ✅ Ages 2-5 |
 | The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña ✅ Ages 3-5 |
 | Counting Kindness by Hollis Kurman ✅ Ages 3-6 |
 | All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold ✅ Ages 3-7 |
 | I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët ✅ Ages 4-8 |
Related: Making the Most of Storytime eLearning Course for Caregivers and Educators
Encourage Cooperative Learning and Group Activities:
Encouraging collaborative and cooperative learning experiences provides children with opportunities to practice kindness and develop essential social skills. Group projects, games, and problem-solving activities foster teamwork and empathy. Here are some of our favorite team-building activities to get you started!
Train Track Building (Infant)
Let’s work together on the railroad! Support children’s fine motor skills and teamwork by helping them work together and take turns adding tracks. Then, enjoy playing with the trains together on the track you all built! View full activity here.
Vehicle Rescue (Toddler)
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These vehicles are stuck and need your help! Encourage children’s problem-solving and work together to rescue the vehicles that are stuck around the classroom in different ways. View full activity here.
Teamwork Towers (Preschool)
Teamwork and collaboration are important skills to practice when helping children build empathy and strengthen their prosocial skills, and it’s not always easy! Support children in working together in groups to create something awesome with this collaborative building activity. View full activity here.
Team-Building Obstacle Course (Preschool+)
Boost children’s prosocial skills like listening and communicating with others, cooperation, and teamwork with this fun and challenging movement activity! View full activity here.
Teamwork Alphabet (Preschool +)
Let’s build the alphabet…with our bodies! This fun movement activity gives children opportunities to work together, communicate, and collaborate to create the different letters of the alphabet using their bodies. View full activity here.
Encourage Empathy: Teaching children to recognize and understand the feelings and perspectives of others helps cultivate empathy. Engaging children in discussions and activities that encourage them to put themselves in someone else’s shoes contributes to their empathetic growth. For younger children, adults can help children begin to identify the emotions of others by pointing out and narrating the feelings that arise throughout the day. For older children, teachers can ask prompting questions in group settings during story time, playtime, and emotional moments to help children connect to their own feelings and better understand the feelings of others.
Check out the Kindness Calendar for a full month of activity ideas.
Kindness Activities for Preschoolers
Teaching kindness to preschoolers means giving them many chances to do it, see it, and talk about how it feels. The ten activities below are simple, hands on, and easy to fold into routines you already have, like morning meeting, centers, snack, and outdoor time. Most of them come from our free Kindness Kit and our Kindness Calendar. Like the strategies above, they can be adapted for younger children: toddlers can join in with more help and modeling from you.
Whichever activity you choose, end with a feelings question, such as “What did you feel when you were kind to your friend?” or “How do you think your friend felt?” When children learn to identify and understand their own feelings and the feelings of others, they are more likely to respond with kindness.
1. Kindness Circle
Start the day with a circle where each child shares something kind about another child. Give everyone a turn, and offer a sentence starter to children who need one, such as “Thank you for…” or “I like playing with you because…”. This early practice of expressing kindness builds a culture of appreciation and empathy in your classroom.
2. Kindness Hunt
Turn kindness into a search. The Kindness Hunt page in our Kindness Kit lists kind acts for children to look for and try: sharing, taking turns, asking someone to play, helping someone calm down, drawing a picture for someone, helping someone, giving someone a high five, and helping an adult clean up, with a space to add their own idea. Check off each act as children spot it or do it. At the end of the day, add what they found to your class Kindness List, so everyone can see how much kindness happened.
3. Kindness Jar
On the Kindness Jar page, children write or draw a kind act they did or saw someone else do. Children who are not writing yet can tell you about it while you write down their words. Read the jar together at circle time and talk about how each act made someone feel.
4. Helping Hands
Children list the ways they can help others on the Helping Hands page (you can write their ideas for them), decorate the hand with markers or crayons, then cut it out and display it on the wall. Together, the hands become a reminder of all the ways your class can help each other.
5. How Can I Help?
Walk around the classroom or your home with children and notice what others are doing. Model questions like “Do you need help?” and “How can we help?” throughout the day, and encourage small helpful acts, such as cleaning up, setting the table, or putting toys away. Acts of kindness never have to be grand gestures; it is in the quiet, small things where the kindness magic happens.
6. Hug or High Five?
Hugs can help us feel better when we are down, and giving them can feel great too. But not everyone likes hugs, so kindness starts with asking. Invite each child to ask at least one person, “Would you like a hug or a high five?”, accept the answer, and then notice how it feels to give and receive this simple kindness.
7. Kindness Walk
Take a walk around your school, neighborhood, or park and keep a lookout for ways to be kind, like holding hands to cross the street or picking up trash. Then look for kindness in others: can children find the helpers? When you get back, talk about the kind things you saw and did.
8. Sharing & Caring
Sharing can be challenging for young children, so start small and model the words first: “Can you please pass me the blue marker? Thank you so much for sharing!” Then set out a limited number of materials, such as a few markers for the whole table, and encourage children to use their words to ask for a turn. Point out each kind moment as it happens. To finish, ask each child to find one thing to share with a friend today: a toy, a snack, a story, a joke, or a seat next to them.
9. “Are You Okay?”
Noticing when someone is feeling sad, mad, or upset is the first step toward empathy. When a friend looks upset, pause with the children and ask, “How do you think your friend is feeling? What could help?” Then practice checking in: “Are you okay?” Toddlers can begin learning this too, and it is fun to explore how to ask “Are you okay?” in different languages. In begin to ECSEL classrooms, Our Emotions Board and Our Emotions Cards give children pictures and words for the feelings they notice.
10. Friendship Bracelets
Set out string and large beads, and ask each child who they want to make a bracelet for, and why. Questions like “What is your friend’s favorite color?” or “How many beads do you think they would want?” help children practice empathy and perspective taking while they make something kind to give away.
Want the printable pages? Download the free Kindness Kit: a Kindness Hunt, a Kindness List, a Kindness Jar, Helping Hands, and an “I Am Kind” coloring sheet featuring Ella the Elephant, plus the same kit in Spanish (Kit de la Amabilidad).
A Simple Kindness Curriculum: 4 Weekly Lessons
Like any important skill, kindness needs to be practiced, and consistency is key. This simple kindness curriculum follows our free Kindness Calendar: four weeks, each with its own theme, and for every weekday a question of the day, a related story, and a short activity. Use it as a month of kindness lesson plans for preschool, in the classroom or at home. It fits naturally in November, around World Kindness Day on November 13, but kindness matters every day, not just in November.
A simple daily rhythm:
- Ask the question of the day at morning meeting, and listen to every answer.
- Read the related story together, pointing out the kind actions, emotions, conflicts, and resolutions.
- Do the activity, and talk about how it felt to be kind.
- Close the day by inviting everyone to share a kind thing they noticed or experienced, and add it to your class Kindness List.
Week 1: Kindness
Start the week with the question, “What does kindness mean to you?” This week, children notice what kindness looks like and how it feels to give and receive it.
- Monday: Compliment Jar, collecting kind words and phrases to say to others. Story: Finding Kindness by Deborah Underwood.
- Tuesday: Kindness Cake, whispering kind words into the mixing bowl as you bake together. Story: Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller.
- Wednesday: Hug or High Five? (activity 6 above). Story: Kindness Makes Us Strong by Sophie Beer.
- Thursday: How Can I Help? (activity 5 above). Story: Tomorrow I’ll Be Kind by Jessica Hische.
- Friday: Kindness Walk (activity 7 above). Story: Counting Kindness by Hollis Kurman.
Week 2: Friendship
Start the week with, “What can you do to be a good friend to others?” This week, children practice caring for their friends, noticing what they have in common, and appreciating what makes each of them different.
- Monday: Friendship Painting Swap, painting a picture of friendship to give to a friend. Story: My Friends by Taro Gomi.
- Tuesday: Friendship Venn Diagram, sorting what friends like to find what is the same and what is different. Story: Can I Play Too? by Samantha Cotterill.
- Wednesday: Gentle Hands, learning why we use gentle hands with friends, animals, and materials. Story: You Are Friendly by Todd Snow.
- Thursday: Friendship Bracelets (activity 10 above). Story: The Heart of a Whale by Anna Pignataro.
- Friday: Sharing & Caring (activity 8 above). Story: Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller.
Week 3: Empathy & Inclusion
Start the week with, “What feelings do you have when someone asks you to play with them? What feelings do you have when someone says you can’t play with them?” This week, children practice noticing how others feel and making sure everyone is included.
- Monday: “Are You Okay?” (activity 9 above). Story: Theo’s Deliciously Different Dumplings by Dr. Donna Housman.
- Tuesday: The obstacle course from the teamwork activities above, practicing listening, communication, and cooperation. Story: Just Ask! by Sonia Sotomayor.
- Wednesday: Teamwork Towers, building something awesome together. Story: All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold.
- Thursday: Cozy Family Portrait Collage, a family art project that builds a connection between home and school. Story: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña.
- Friday: Our Superhero Selves, talking about what makes a superhero and creating their own superhero selves. Story: How to Be a Lion by Ed Vere.
Week 4: Gratitude
Start the week with, “What do you think gratitude or being grateful means?” This week, children notice the kindness they receive and practice saying thank you.
- Monday: Community Helper Thank You Cards for the many helpers in your community. Story: The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera.
- Tuesday: Giving Back to Schools Around the World, comparing schools and collecting school supplies to send to a school in another country. Story: We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell.
- Wednesday: My Five Favorite Things, sharing favorite things and listening to the favorites of others. Story: Thanks a Lot by Raffi.
- Thursday: Positive Thinking Paper Chain, linking together the things that make us feel happy, excited, loved, and proud. Story: Look and Be Grateful by Tomie dePaola.
- Friday: Gratitude Stones, decorating a rock to give to someone you are grateful for. Story: Otis Gives Thanks by Loren Long.
The calendar adds a fifth week on mindfulness, with calming activities like Dinosaur Yoga and a Big Feelings Jar. It is a good way to round out the month, because being kind is harder when our emotions and bodies are dysregulated.
Get every day of these lessons in one place: download the free Kindness Calendar PDF, with a printable page for each day, or preview the whole month in our Kindness Calendar post.
How to Cultivate a Kindness Culture in the Classroom
We’ve covered some great ways for you to start teaching children about kindness in the classroom, but how do you establish and maintain a culture of kindness each and every day? Consistency is key to learning, which means finding ways to incorporate kindness into your classroom routines, structure, and everyday practices will make this matter most. But where do we start?
Establish Classroom Rules and Expectations. What does kindness mean to you? What would this look like in your classroom? Develop clear and age-appropriate rules that promote kindness, respect, and inclusion, and include children in the brainstorming process! Creating a Classroom Charter is a great way to make sure children’s voices are heard, feelings are acknowledged, and mutual respect is experienced in your classroom. Reinforce these expectations consistently by acknowledging and praising acts of kindness you notice throughout the day.
Promote Inclusion and Respect. Our differences are what make us…us! Each child and community member brings their own perspective and experiences to the table, and fostering an inclusive environment where each child feels valued and respected is crucial. Encourage children to appreciate and celebrate each other’s differences and create opportunities for cross-cultural exploration and learning.
Celebrate Acts of Kindness. Remember, your actions and reactions matter! Model and praise the behavior you want to see more of. Regularly acknowledge and celebrate acts of kindness in the classroom and find ways to make this fun! Acknowledge kindness as soon as it happens or come together at the end of the day and support everyone in sharing a kind thing they noticed or experienced.
Let Kids Take Charge! Give children agency and control by allowing them to be a leading part of creating a kindness culture in the classroom. By allowing kids to research, create their own questions, and brainstorm their own ideas on how to increase acts of kindness, you can empower them to be the boss of their emotions.
How to Build a Classroom Kindness Contract
A kindness contract is a short set of promises your class writes together about how everyone wants to feel and be treated. Some classrooms call it a kindness agreement. Creating one together sets the tone for the year, and because children help make the decisions, it gives them a sense of responsibility and belonging. It builds directly on the classroom rules and expectations above.
Here is how to build one in eight steps:
- Introduce the idea. Begin with a group discussion about how everyone wants to feel in the classroom, using simple words to talk about respect, kindness, and safety.
- Brainstorm together. Ask children which behaviors help them feel good and safe in the classroom, and guide them toward actions that are respectful and kind to others.
- Draft the contract. Write down the children’s ideas in short, clear sentences, and add pictures so every child can “read” them.
- Discuss and finalize. Review each promise together to make sure everyone understands and agrees. Talking it through gives children a sense of ownership.
- Make it visual. Turn the final list into a colorful poster, with illustrations or drawings from the children.
- Sign it. Hold a special signing ceremony where each child signs with their name or a thumbprint, which makes their commitment feel real.
- Revisit it often. Refer to the contract in everyday moments, praise children when you see them following it, and gently remind them of it when needed.
- Share it with families. Send the contract home so families can reinforce the same values, and children experience consistency between home and school.
Keep the promises short and positive, so they tell children what to do, like “We use gentle hands” or “We ask friends to play.” When a promise is broken, treat it as a learning moment, not a punishment: help the child understand how their friend felt, and make a plan together for what to do next time.
Engaging Families in Promoting Kindness
Kindness doesn’t stop once kids leave the classroom! Kindness is contagious, and when given the opportunity, it will spread to the farthest reaches of your community. This begins with one crucial step: involving families! Use the following strategies to guide you in engaging families and continuing to promote kindness in your school community and beyond:
Focus on Communication and Collaboration. Maintain open lines of communication with families by sharing information with them about your classroom’s focus on kindness. Be sure to connect with families during drop-off and pick-up times to share kind moments as well as areas of growth so they feel involved, and children’s behavior is consistently supported and acknowledged. Collaborate with parents and caregivers on ways to reinforce kind behaviors at home and establish consistency between home and school.
Home-School Partnerships: Organize family engagement activities focused on kindness, such as family workshops, potluck meals, or kindness challenges. Involve families in discussions about the importance of kindness and encourage them to model kind behaviors at home.
Community Involvement: Engage the local community in promoting kindness by organizing community service projects, inviting guest speakers, or partnering with local organizations that promote kindness and compassion. You can also focus on your school community by practicing acts of kindness with other classrooms!
Overcoming Challenges in Promoting Kindness
As children continue to grow and develop their emotional and prosocial skills, educators may encounter developmentally appropriate (but nevertheless, challenging) behaviors. Children will naturally seek out ways to push boundaries with teachers and peers, and it is our job to hold those boundaries and open the door for kind behaviors instead. Here are strategies for addressing some common challenges you may experience:
Dealing with Bullying and Conflict. Exclusion, bullying, and social conflicts may arise in your classroom, and it is never easy to witness. It can also be difficult to know how to be proactive in these moments. Reading stories about these difficult challenges and ways to be kind to others can help teach children conflict-resolution skills, encourage peaceful problem-solving, and provide guidance on assertiveness and empathy.
Addressing Bias and Stereotypes. Remember, children are like sponges soaking up information from what they observe others saying and doing. In order to create an inclusive environment that promotes empathy and inclusion regardless of differences, we also need to do the uncomfortable work of addressing and unlearning our own biases. From there, we can support children in doing the same by including diverse materials, learning opportunities, and experiences in the classroom that help children develop a positive view of themselves and others.
Teaching Emotional Regulation. Everything is more difficult when our emotions and bodies are dysregulated, including being kind to others. Help children recognize and manage their emotions through age-appropriate activities and strategies such as breathing exercises, storytelling, and relaxation techniques. Practice these strategies during calm moments to set children up for success.
Keeping a Kindness List. Creating an ongoing, collective list of everyday acts where children help others or do something to brighten a friend’s day lets us highlight and point children toward spreading kindness. A Kindness List allows children to recognize examples of what acts of kindness may look like while celebrating and validating instances of kindness seen throughout the day. See details on how to create a Kindness List and conduct Kindness Hunts.
Conclusion
Kindness is an important skill that should be nurtured and taught starting from birth. By creating a culture of kindness in early childhood classrooms, engaging and connecting with families, and proactively addressing challenges, educators can foster an environment where young children develop kindness, empathy, respect, and compassion for others. Promoting kindness not only enhances emotional skills but also contributes to a more inclusive, harmonious, and supportive early learning environment.
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About the Main Contributor: Lauren Sturtz is a begin to ECSEL educator who has worked in the field of early childhood education for eight years. She was a preschool and Pre-K teacher for five years, where she developed curricula and activities focused on children’s emotional development. For the past few years, she has been working at Housman Institute developing ECSEL curriculum, educator training course content and resources, and blogs about content she is passionate about, including equity and inclusion, trauma-informed teaching, and process-based, child-led learning opportunities.
