While we are still on the topic of kids, from my last post on Roald Dahl, it got me thinking about my own role as a parent. As a mother, I am often confronted with questions? Am I raising a caring and a kind individual? And I feel, I am.
However, the data says otherwise. Kids certainly seem to be learning the message that what matters most in life is coming out on top. In one 2014 survey, more than 80% of kids said their parents care more about how they perform and achieve at something than how caring they are — even though their parents said they didn’t actually feel that way.
“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.”
Winnie the Pooh
Perhaps as parents, we are not giving the correct message to our children. Very often, I find myself asking my child questions that are always related to accomplishments. Did your team win? How did the test go?
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, then, that kindness appears to be in decline.
The good news? Children really do take cue on how to be kind and caring from what they see and hear from the adults in their lives. So parents can have a huge impact on how they conduct themselves in company of others.
Here are 5 books that help teach young kids about kindness and compassion — for others and themselves.
1. What does it mean to be Kind?
This is a beautifully illustrated book with a beautiful message. This book shows how easy it is to be kind in simple and easy ways. It teaches kindness in an accessible and understandable way.
2.Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler
Mrs. Ruler’s class occasionally misbehave. When five of them transgress on a single day, she holds them back from recess and asks them to consider changing their behavior. With one exception, they comply and find that being kind is so rewarding that soon the whole class pitches in.
3.Have you filled your bucket, today?
“Children are not the only ones that need to learn how to be truly happy. It’s all in the bucket, that invisible bucket that follows you everywhere… teaches young readers valuable lessons about giving, sharing, and caring. This guide to daily happiness, though, is not just for kids. We all need reminders of the benefits of positive thinking and positive behavior. It’s an important lesson to teach and remind us all . . . that showing kindness and appreciation of others goes a long way to making this world a happier place for everyone, including ourselves. A classic tale, beautifully told and beautifully shared.” –Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews
4.Be Kind
Each act, big or small, can make a difference – or at least help a friend.
What does it mean to be kind? When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate contemplates how to make her feel better and what it means to be kind. From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving and thoughtful story explores what a child can do to be kind.
5.Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed
Can one good deed from an ordinary girl change the world?
It can when she’s Ordinary Mary—an ordinary girl from an ordinary school, on her way to her ordinary house— who stumbles upon ordinary blueberries. When she decides to pick them for her neighbor, Mrs. Bishop, she starts a chain reaction of kindness that multiplies around the world.
6.The Golden Acorn
Winning isn’t everything in this energetic picture book about friendship, teamwork and forgiveness. There is more to just winning: the importance of teamwork and cooperation — even if sometimes it means not coming in first place.
“Promise me you’ll always remember that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
Winnie the Pooh
Disclaimer: All recommendations are impartial and based on user experience, with no bias to the products or the brand. The products in this post may contain affiliate links.
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