Promoting Kindness

Kids are hard-wired to have empathy for others and they want to help out...but in this digital age, they sometimes see people saying anything they want on social media without thinking of the hurt it may cause. Taking the time to teach kids about kindness and the implications of their words and actions--on social media and in real life--can go a long way. Parents, caregivers, teachers and other adults can encourage the natural instincts that kids have to think about other people’s feelings before they act. 

Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness is best learned by feeling it. The good feelings that we experience when being kind are produced by endorphins. They activate areas of the brain that are associated with pleasure, social connection and trust. These feelings of joyfulness are proven to be contagious, encouraging more kind behavior by the giver and recipient.  So let's start a chain reaction of kindness in our community! 

Acts of kindness help us form strong, meaningful connections with others, which can be a key factor in building up our own happiness. Show young people that acts of kindness--no matter how big or small--can have a positive impact on both their lives and the lives of others.  Check out this great list of 100 acts of kindness for kids.