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Our Tricky Little Elf on the Shelf! (Wordless Wednesday)
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Category Archives: Encouraging Kindness
SUMMER FUN! 25 Acts of Kindness Ideas…
? make a meal for someone ? give a family member/friend an extra big hug ? buy food to donate ? walk a neighbor’s dog ? help in a homeless shelter ? create a blessings jar ? write a card ? make a gift ? copy old photographs and handout to family members/friends ? help clean someone’s room/house/yard ? share a favorite book or toy with a friend ? leave a fun craft/activity for another child on his/her door step ? take out someone’s trash ? spend time with someone who is lonely ? free lemonade stand on a hot day ? give someone a compliment ? donate toys, clothes,… ? ask someone what you can do to be nice to him/her ? invite someone you have never had over for a play date ? pick up litter ? babysit for a friend ? call someone to say “I love you!” ? bake cookies for teachers, police officers, trash collectors… ? bring flowers to a neighbor ? put coins in expired meters ? help at a nursing home
SUMMER FUN! Play Date Ideas…
Incorporate a couple special activity (see list below) into the social/play date blocks a week in your summer calendar. Sometimes children will get really into activities and take it in their own direction–lasting the entire play date –and other times they might just explore it for a little while and then move on to something entirely different. It is important that the majority of these social blocks are unstructured play, play, play time.
? have a car wash with super cool sponges ? make & play with milk jug catchers ? make a hungry caterpillar ? play a board game ? play, play, play (unstructured time is so important) ? make fabric bowls ? lemonade stand ? take funny pictures ? water balloon toss ? build a fort ? make egg carton flowers ? make animal bookmarks ? make & play paper plate ring toss ? have a tea party ? make paper bag hats ? splash in puddles ? make snake bubbles ? make a house out of cards ? watch old videos with friends/family ? play tag ? make salt paintings ? have a pillow fight ? fly a kite ? make s’mores ? build a block tower as high as you can ? make a crab hat ? water bottle bowling ? make watermelon sun catchers ? giant paintings ? make a favorite recipe ? juice box boats ? make a tin foil river ? make a sponge tower ? play with ballon ice ? make moon sand ? container stacking & bowling
Count Your Blessings!
Random acts of kindness inspire. In celebration of random acts of kindness week, we wanted to share some tips to inspire your kids and help instill the value of giving without expecting anything in return.
Our aunt had a Blessings Jar for her two boys when they were little. She put a bowl of coins next to an empty jar and encouraged them to become aware of every time they felt blessed (when they got to go on a special play date, if hugged & told “I love you,” while playing with a toy, eating a home cooked meal, etc.). Each time they felt grateful, a coin (or coins) went in the blessing jar. When the jar was filled they would bring it to church and donate it to those in need.
This week we started a blessing jar in my home. When our jar gets filled I plan to present my oldest daughter with a few options and have her decide where the money should go–who needs some extra blessing (whether it is church donations, buying something with the money to donate to someone in need, or purchasing groceries and make a meal for someone who is sick, etc.). As my girls get older I hope they will generate new ideas about where the money should go.
We decided to keep a notebook next to our jar in case someone wants to write down what they are grateful for, although it is not a “required” step before putting money into the blessings jar. (We wanted to make sure this didn’t discourage anyone from recognizing a blessing even when in a rush or he/she would rather keep something private). I am eager to read the blessings from the notebook with my children on Sunday nights at bedtime. I think this will be a great and positive way to wrap up our week.
I truly believe that instilling in my girls from a young age the joy that comes from giving, as well as being thankful for all the blessings in their lives is important.
Want to start a blessings jar in your home? Try starting with a small, clear glass jar so it gets filled often, especially until your little one is used to the idea.
We would love to see pictures of your blessings jars or hear about what you chose to do once it was filled. Do share and keep the inspiration of random acts of kindness alive!
100 Acts of Kindness!
Thanks to Toddler Approved our family was eager to start “100 Acts of Kindness Project 2012!” this morning. The goal is to complete 100 acts of kindness with your families or students between Martin Luther King Day and Valentines’ Day, February 14th. It is not too late to start!
We created our own way to record our acts & make sure we accomplished our goal. I used dot art markers to make 10 groups of 10 dots. Each time my daughter completes an act of kindness, she chooses a heart sticker to place in one of the dots. She has to fill each dot in one group of ten before moving on to the next group. This is a good way to expose her to the concept that numbers can be grouped into tens and ones. For older children you may want to mark the numerals (1-100) on each dot as you complete the act of kindness.
My daughter is very proud of the three kind things she has done today:
?snuggled with her baby cousin this morning
?made dinner for her great grandmother to bring when we sleepover
?sang a song to her baby sister to cheer her up
Hope this helps motivate you and your little ones to be as kind as ever!
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”- Martin Luther King Jr.