I’ve been trying to teach my kids to be kinder, but it’s not always easy to make it a habit. Anyone have tips on incorporating kindness into everyday activities? What works for you? Looking for practical ideas that don’t feel forced or preachy. Thanks!
In our house, we’ve found that making kindness part of our daily conversations really helps. At dinner, we often talk about nice things we did or saw others do that day.
We also started leaving little surprise notes for each other with compliments or thank yous. The kids love finding these and now make their own too.
Recently, we’ve been doing small acts of kindness in the neighborhood, like bringing in a neighbor’s trash cans or leaving flowers on a doorstep. The kids get excited about planning these ‘secret missions.’
It’s not perfect every day, but I’ve noticed the kids thinking more about others and looking for ways to be kind. It feels like it’s slowly becoming more natural for them.
We started small. A quick ‘thanks’ for helping with dishes. Asking about a friend’s day at school pickup.
Little things add up. Now the kids sometimes remind me to be kind. It’s becoming more natural for all of us.
We turned chores into a fun game called ‘Kindness Quest.’ My kid earns points for helping around the house and doing nice things for others. They can use these points for small rewards or donate them to a charity of their choice.
It’s been interesting to see how this has slowly changed their mindset. They’re starting to notice more opportunities to be kind, both at home and outside. The other day, they offered to help a classmate with homework without any prompting from me.
Not every day is perfect, but I’m seeing progress. It’s becoming more of a habit for them to think about others.
I hear you on wanting to make kindness a habit. With my kids, we started small and kept at it. One thing that worked well was our ‘catch them being kind’ game. Anytime we noticed one of the kids doing something nice, we’d call it out and give them a high five.
At first, it felt a bit forced, but after a while, the kids started pointing out kind acts too. It became a fun family thing. We’d share these moments at dinner, which led to some great conversations.
Another simple idea was having the kids help make care packages for a local shelter. They got to pick out items and write notes. It opened their eyes to how small gestures can make a big difference.
It took time, but eventually, kindness became more automatic for them. Now I often catch them being thoughtful without any prompting. 
Stick with it - you’ll see changes over time!
I’ve been thinking about this too with my 5-year-old. We started a ‘kindness jar’ where we put in a marble when we notice kind acts. It’s helping a bit, but some days are better than others.
I’m curious how other parents make kindness a natural part of the day? Do you have specific activities or is it more about pointing out kind moments? I’d love to hear what’s worked in your families.
We’re still figuring it out, but I’ve noticed my child seems more aware of kindness now. Yesterday they offered to share a toy with a friend without prompting. Small steps, I guess!