About kindness…

World Kindness Day is November 13. I did a little presentation about kindness for our August coalition meeting, not knowing that there was a world kindness day and was happy to discover it. Given the state of our world/nation at this time, it is clear that anything we can do to foster kindness can make a difference, one interaction at a time. So, what exactly is kindness? Isn't it the same as being "nice"? No actually it is not. Nice is more about manners, culture, and general expectations of decent behavior to others, being polite. From the Cambridge Dictionary: Kindness is the quality of being generous, helpful, and caring about other people. Kindness is about having our hearts in the right place. It's about wanting the best for others and for ourselves. It has nothing to do with being liked. It's about coming to ROR-KC fundraisers, volunteering, and donating to allow us to bring the gift of a book and the prescription to read to thousands of Kansas City kids and families.

Watch this short reel to see an act of kindness - watch the little boy and his tender concern for the man struggling on the moving stairway. Clearly, his grownups have modeled kindness. Kindness is something that can be fostered in our children. So how does one do that?

Model acts of kindness: Children should see you being kind - letting that person into the line without being annoyed!; helping at the food pantry; paying it forward in the fast-food line.

Help children recognize kindness when they see it: “Look Sam, the sacker is helping us put the groceries away – that is so kind! Let’s tell them thank you.”

Encourage kindness: “Look, your friend can’t reach her toy, do you want to help her? Thank you for being a helper!”

Notice children when they are being kind: “Juan, thank you so much for helping Maria with her chores today.”

Being kind makes kids happy! Experiments suggest that 22-month-old babies feel happy when they give to others (Aknin et al 2012). Given a choice between sharing and hoarding, preschoolers show greater happiness when they share (Wu et al 2017). And by the age of 3 to 6 years, kids are aware that sharing makes them feel good. They anticipate positive feelings, and this prompts them to be generous (Paulus and Moore 2017).

So on this World Kindness Day, 2023, do what you can to be kind, model kindness for the children in your sphere, and see how good you feel, making the world better, one interaction at a time. Check out the books that Stefanie Estes has recommended! Remember the various children who have sponsored book collections for Reach Out and Read KC – being kind to kids they don't even know!!

For more information, here's a list of resources

Helpful info re supporting prosocial attitudes/behavior in children

https://parentingscience.com/helpful-kids-and-rewards/

Kindness books for kids

• Cool to Be Kind: Children’s Books That Champion Kindness
• 35 Children's Books That Teach Empathy And Kindness
• Resources to recognize World Kindness Day (Nov. 13)