Practice Kindness
We know children’s mental health benefits from positive social connections. We also know that the opposite is true; children who experience bullying, exclusion and isolation are at risk for mental health concerns.
This is why encouraging kindness can be so important for children’s mental health. Kindness can help kids build empathy, create and maintain healthy relationships, and help develop a sense of community.
Research shows that kindness toward ourselves and others helps our mental health. It can:
- Help build friendships
- Increase feelings of happiness
- Reduce stress
- Improve self-esteem
Bonus tip: Make kindness a habit in your family to help with lasting mental health benefits. Start with our 5-day challenge and then come up with ways to keep it going!
Take the On Our Sleeves Kindness Challenge
Kindness Kits For Classroom
"My students were so excited to think about ways they could show kindness. They loved writing kind words to their peers using the postcards."
- 3rd Grade Teacher
You can deliver kindness to classrooms and schools across the country. For every $25 donation we will send a Kindness Kit to a classroom in the U.S.
These kits are best suited for elementary aged students.
The kit includes:
- Kindness Curriculum – to help teachers build a more inclusive and welcoming classroom community
- Classroom poster
- 30 On Our Sleeves pencils
- 30 Kindness Cards – to help children write kind notes to others because we know that expressing gratitude is good for mental health
Are you a teacher or employed by a school? Request Kindness Kits for your classroom or school provided by our generous donors.
References
https://www.apa.org/news/apa/kindness-mental-health
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/science-of-kindness.html
Curry, O. S., Rowland, L. A., Van Lissa, C. J., Zlotowitz, S., McAlaney, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2018). Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 320-329.
Hui, B. P., Ng, J. C., Berzaghi, E., Cunningham-Amos, L. A., & Kogan, A. (2020). Rewards of kindness? A meta-analysis of the link between prosociality and well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 146(12), 1084.
Marsh, I. C., Chan, S. W., & MacBeth, A. (2018). Self-compassion and psychological distress in adolescents—a meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 9(4), 1011-1027.