Celebrate good deads and grow empathy muscles!
Research confirms that accountability is a key way to foster new habits and reach difficult goals. By letting your family know that kindness and helping others is a priority, you’re setting high expectations for follow-through.
This project pairs perfectly with The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. As you'll see in the book, taking time to focus on everyday acts of kindness makes us all strive to do more.
Create your own “kindness quilt” with DGT’s Kindness Quilt printable, or set up your own creative display of kindness.
Get creative! Your squares can become a quilt, a banner, a bulletin board, or a collage! Use them to inspire kids to notice the kindness they give and receive.
What you’ll need
Choose your printable:
Small “Kindness Is…” squares
Large “Kindness Is…” squares
Colored pencils, crayons, or pens
Scissors
Painter’s Tape
Colored paper and glue (optional)
Instructions
First, read the book The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. Watch what happens when Mrs. Cooper challenges her students to share acts of kindness and depict them in drawings! Don't let the cute, simple design of this book fool you. Children will be excited to make their own display!
Choose large squares for younger kids or art enthusiasts or small squares for large groups and older kids.
Cut apart the squares.
Place squares and drawing supplies where your kids can easily grab them.
Create space on your wall to display your quilt squares as you draw on them.
Choose a time of day to regularly spend a few minutes talking about kindness.
Try to answer the following questions:
· How did you share kindness today?
· How did your action make you feel?
· How do you think it made others feel?
· How did someone help you today?
If you’re feeling crafty, embellish your quilt squares. Like Minna in our story, gather scrap paper and glue to create backgrounds. Then tape them on your wall to create a quilt just like in the story.
Reflection Questions
After a few days of adding to your quilt, ask: Did you enjoy focusing on kindness? Should we continue adding to our quilt?
Do you find it easier to recognize (and be thankful for) the kindness others do for you when you know you'll be talking about kind acts later with your family?
Can we brainstorm a list of new kindness ideas you might want to try?
Resources
The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth
Based on a short story by Leo Tolstoy, The Three Questions is the story of a little boy’s quest to discover the secret to being a good person.I Can Make a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire Our Children by Margaret Wright Edelman
This collection is exceptional with a wonderful combination of stories, poetry, and art. The works in this treasury do not simply teach and inspire. They are literary jewels, beautiful in and of themselves, making them a delight savor with your children.
Take it Further
To keep a daily focus on kindness, print a stack of our Pithy Placemats, now in several new versions. They help bring big-hearted conversations to every family meal.
Commit to a monthly family act of kindness tailored to book lovers like you. Send books each month to a child in need of reading materials with our Feed Hungry Minds project.
Browse the projects in our Big-Hearted Families Tookit!
Disclaimer: Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.