Being Kind: Making A Difference
World Kindness Day, which falls on November 13th, promotes the importance of being kind to one another, to yourself, and the world. It is a celebration that exemplifies what binds us together as people, what bridges the gap between nations, and what solves almost all societal issues. With kindness, we can overcome the divides of any issue of politics, race, religion, and so much more.
Introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, the organization was founded at a Tokyo conference involving multiple kindness organizations from across the world, emphasizing the importance and necessity of a global kindness movement. Currently, there are over twenty-eight countries that take part in the World Kindness Movement Group, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy, and Australia.
On World Kindness Day, people are encouraged, as both individuals and groups, to go out of their way to be kind, show compassion, and dedicate time to kind acts. This can mean different things for different folks. You can celebrate this day at home, at work, at school, or even in public. It is also an excellent opportunity to teach children about kindness! When you encourage kindness in your child, they will feel a deeper connection to not only the world that they live in but also feel a better connection to themselves. Kindness will not only lift up your child and the others around them, it will help them grow to be a happy and loving person!
This day is meant to also celebrate and encourage any good deed that is already being done by yourself and others. On World Kindness Day, be sure to acknowledge and appreciate the kindness and generosity that others do around you and involve your child in the process. For example, when out at the grocery store, ask your child to show gratitude and kindness to the store bagger or cashier. Sometimes saying “thank you” is one of the kindest things you can do for others, as it may not be heard by others as frequently as you might think.
Being kind does not need to be excessive, extravagant, or loud. It can be as uncomplicated as you want it to be, as some of the simplest things can make the most significant difference to others. Looking for ways to infuse kindness into someone’s day? Here are a few ways you can show your child how to contribute in school, public, and at home this World Kindness Day:
- Have your child call a relative or friend your child has not spoken to in a while
- Write positive messages on notes and leave them for people to find
- Tidy up around your house together
- Throw away trash that you see together on the ground outside
- Hold the door open for someone
- Send an encouraging message to five people in your contacts
- Surprise someone you care about with a thoughtful gift
- Plant a tree or start a garden together
- Volunteer your time
- Practice gratitude
- Surprise neighbors and/or friends with cookies or treats that you and your child baked together
- Have your child bring flowers to a loved one
The Nest Schools involves kindness as much as we can in our day-to-day. In fact, Kindness is so important that we emphasize this quality in our core values. Kindness can change the world, and we want to be at the forefront of this movement by involving the next generation by encouraging compassion and empathy in children from the early years. This World Kindness Day, we had our children make “Postcards for Kindness”. Each child made individual postcards with kind messages on them. These postcards were then mailed to our other school locations across the country to share the wealth of kindness between all of our staff and families. This activity allowed children the opportunity to discuss kindness and the feelings that it evokes: what does it mean to be kind, how do we show and share kindness with others, how does it feel to be kind to others, and how does it make us feel when people are kind to us?
Join us and others across the world in celebrating by showing more kindness to those around us this World Kindness Day. The world is full of kind people, and if you cannot find them, help your family in being the difference for others to find! s