| Teaching Kindness by Melissa Bogdany With all the gift giving of the holidays, a greater way to make a lasting impression on your little one is by setting a good example doing random acts of kindness. Here are some ideas for you and your preschooler to do together:
• Bake cookies for neighbors. Add some candy to the cookie tray to dress it up. Let your kids help build the trays and hand them out to others. This can be a very exciting time for kids, and they will notice the joy you get from giving.
• Make Christmas cards, or cards to just brighten up a day, for neighbors or nursing home residents. This can be a fun craft for your little one as well as one that touches the hearts of those who receive them.
• Participate in an adopt-a-family program and bless a family with gifts. Wrap the gifts together with your kids and others who are adopting the family with you.
• Bring food to a local food pantry.
• Donate clothing that your kids no longer wear.
Here are some “kindness” ideas that you can model for your preschooler:
• Buy lunch for someone who’s hungry.
• Pay for groceries for the person in line in front of you at the store.
• Pay for someone’s gas at the pump.
• Clean out your closet of sweaters and jackets that you no longer wear, and give them to an organization or group that collects them for the needy.
• Pay a compliment to or show appreciation for someone you encounter in your day.
• Leave an extra tip for a waitress.
Everything we do just because we care about people will help our children learn to do the same. For additional ideas, visit www.actsofkindness.org/ideas, look elsewhere online, or come up with your own ways to bless someone. The possibilities are endless for creating a warm holiday season and making others feel loved all year long.
Melissa Bogdany, a freelance editor and writer, is the mother of Emily, 10, and Aubry, 4. www.actsofkindness.org/ideas Share Your Thoughts... Be the first to comment on this article! |
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