I’ve been trying to teach my kids about being kind, but it’s not always easy to get them to do nice things for others at home. Does anyone have any tips or strategies that have worked for them? I’m looking for practical ways to encourage kindness in everyday situations. Thanks!
I remember when my kids were younger, we stumbled upon a fun way to encourage kindness. We started a ‘Secret Kindness Ninja’ game. Each week, we’d draw names and become that person’s secret helper. The kids loved sneaking around doing nice things without getting caught.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing. Sometimes they’d forget or lose interest. But we kept it going by sharing our ‘ninja stories’ at dinner. Hearing about the smiles and surprises they created got them excited again.
As they got older, we adapted the game. They started planning bigger acts of kindness, like making care packages for elderly neighbors. It’s been amazing to see how this simple game grew into a real desire to help others.
One thing I learned? Keep it light and fun. When kindness feels like a chore, kids tend to resist. But make it an adventure, and they’ll jump right in! 
One thing that’s been working for us is turning kindness into a game. We have a weekly ‘kindness challenge’ where we all try to do as many nice things as we can. My kid loves the competition aspect and gets really creative with ways to be kind.
We also started a family ‘kindness board’ in the kitchen. Whenever someone does something nice, we write it on a sticky note and put it up. It’s fun to see the board fill up and it encourages everyone to keep the kindness going.
We set up a chore board with regular tasks and bonus ‘kindness acts.’ Kids earn points for both.
Made it competitive but fun. They started looking for ways to help out more.
Took a while, but now it’s part of our routine.
We’ve been trying something new at home with my 5-year-old. I got this idea from a friend to make a ‘kindness basket.’ We put little slips of paper in it with simple acts of kindness written on them.
Every morning, we pull out a slip and try to do that kind thing during the day. It’s been fun to see what we pick! Sometimes it’s ‘give someone a compliment’ or ‘help set the table without being asked.’
My kid seems to enjoy the surprise element. But I’m curious - has anyone else tried something like this? Did it work long-term? I worry about keeping the excitement going as time passes.
In our house, we’ve found that modeling kindness goes a long way. When the kids see us doing nice things for each other, they often follow suit.
We also started a ‘kindness jar’ where we put in a marble each time someone does something kind. It’s become a fun family activity to fill it up together.
Another thing that’s worked well is praising specific acts of kindness when we see them. Like if one of the kids shares a toy or helps with a chore without being asked, we make sure to notice and appreciate it.
These little things have really helped create a culture of kindness in our home. It’s not perfect, but we’ve seen a big difference over time.