Research shows us that people who intentionally take time to reflect on their feelings of gratitude are actually happier and experience less depression. Additionally, and even more importantly, gratitude instills kindness, compassion, and a caring heart, in our little ones.
Parting Words: Lessons I’ve Learned about Kindness and Kids
I am deeply grateful to all of you for understanding the profound impact that raising thoughtful, compassionate, engaged children has for their well-being – and that of our families and communities. Under MiaLisa’s leadership, we will continue to add tools and resources to make this practice integral to your lives.
Inviting Kindness and Joy to Dinner
Celebrate Summer with Guerilla Kindness!
Celebrate this almost-back-to-normal summer by savoring our togetherness and bringing a little joy to others. Choose one of the simple projects below to have some creative fun, while contributing to a community culture of encouragement and compassion. You never know how far these simple ripples of kindness will travel.
Put Your Child in Someone Else’s Shoes
Sliding into someone else’s shoes helps us understand another person’s motives and emotions. And it’s a critical skill: research suggests that those with this ability are better at making friends and forming social relationships. Not surprisingly, perspective-taking also makes us more inclined to help and to act with compassion. Fortunately, this is a skill that can be taught.
The Magic of Music
Music can be magic: it can make us healthier and happier, reduce stress, and connect people across cultures. At home, music can not only calm and soothe children, it can also improve memory, increase academic skills, and encourage creativity. Plus, there’s evidence that regularly playing music together can increase empathy. Here’s how to use music to bring more joy, compassion, and hope into your family’s life and the lives of others.
In Praise of Boredom
At this point in the pandemic, boredom is inevitable. But researchers insist that occasional boredom is an opportunity we should embrace because it comes with important benefits: It sparks creativity, nurtures imagination and problem solving, and opens up much-needed opportunities for quiet and reflection.
Why Stories Matter and How to Use Them to Make a Difference
Stories are powerful – and innately human. They help us understand one another, provide windows into different cultures and time periods, and increase our capacity for empathy. Because they hold great power, the stories kids hear make a difference in how they perceive the world. Here are some ways to amplify the power of storytelling within your family.
Take Your Child on a Kindness Date!
Use Art to Learn Empathy and Create Social Change
Art offers powerful opportunities to express our common humanity, challenge assumptions, spark conversation, connect diverse people, inspire wonder, imagine new solutions, and promote action for positive change. Music, dance, the visual arts, film, theater, and writing can also inspire empathy, which is why they have always played a role in social justice movements; art shifts the way people think about the world.
Help Create a Culture of Kindness This School Year
We implore our kids to study hard, to get good grades – and we spend considerable time and money to assure they're enjoying their lives. But we don't talk nearly as much about what caring and compassion mean to us – or help them strengthen those empathy muscles by performing acts of kindness and service with them. Luckily, with a few simple changes, your family can help make this school year one that is focused not just on academics, but also on concern for others.
Beyond "I'm Sorry": Teaching Children to Apologize and to Forgive
Children as young as four feel better when they receive a sincere apology from a playmate after being hurt. The key word: sincere. Coercing children into offering apologies fails to comfort the victim -- and the wrongdoer learns little more than how to feign remorse. Here are a few tips for getting beyond the begrudging "I'm sorry." This approach can cultivate empathy, help children learn to manage emotions, and improve behavior.
How Consumerism Undermines Your Child's Well-Being – and How to Fix It
Think of all the ways our homes reflect consumer culture: overflowing toy boxes, jam-packed drawers, gadget-filled garages. Unfortunately, too much focus on material possessions damages our well-being – and that of our children. … The message being delivered to our kids is that consumer goods bring happiness. As parents, we have the power to counter and control this. Here's how…
Take Valentine's Day To Heart
6 Myths to Help Your Kids Understand -- and Bust
Myths and stereotypes about groups of people can be enormously damaging — both to individuals and to society. They can make us wary of others, and cause us to make inaccurate and destructive judgments about people's capabilities. If we are stereotyped, it can undermine our belief in ourselves. Here are a few of those damaging (and erroneous) assumptions -- with tips on how to provide children with a counter narrative.
Raising Our Children to be Earth's Stewards
Teaching our children to care for the earth is integral to teaching compassion. And as future generations work to combat climate change, the planet's health will be front and center in our children's lives. How to get started? We offer some small, fun ways your family can learn to become earth advocates.
Biased Babies? Start Early to Educate about Diversity
Some parents choose not to acknowledge what their children are noticing, wanting to signal that they are "colorblind" or don't "see" disabilities. These parents worry that acknowledging differences will make their children more biased. Research suggests just the opposite, however. If you are silent about differences, children are left to assume that the stereotypical (mis)representations in our culture are accurate.
So how do you discuss human variety, acknowledge discrimination and bias -- and celebrate our commonalities and our differences? Here are some important tips.
SHOP KIND! Top Gifts That Promote Kindness
Any parent would agree: The top lessons we can teach our kids include generosity, kindness and sharing. Now we have another way for you to share the joy of kindness with your children -- a collection of products that make "giving back" fun.
You'll find ideas below and on our newly launched Shop Kind page.
How To Move Beyond Gratitude
Feeling gratitude is great medicine. It can inspire optimism, improve health and increase happiness. But according to Adam Grant, author of Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, feelings of gratitude are often fleeting. What's more powerful is actually taking time to help others out. "Gratitude is a temporary emotion," says Grant, "but giving is a lasting value." Here are some ways to move from gratitude to giving this Thanksgiving. Because when we think of ourselves as givers, we are inspired to do more.
Treat Someone Else This Halloween
Halloween can conjure the same spirit of giving as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Below are six fabulous projects that let your family give back this Halloween. Any one of them can become a new family tradition that puts more meaning – and more funinto your festivities. Plus, your feeling of satisfaction will remain long after your stash of candy corn is gone.