1. How does it make you feel when someone is kind to you? How can you show kindness to your friend, brother or sister/family?
2. How can you be a good friend?
3. How can you include others?

We can help young children practice being kind by first identifying, naming, talking about, and acting out emotions. What does it look like to be happy? What does it look like to be sad? When children can see how someone else feels and understands why they are feeling how they are feeling (empathy!), they can also begin to understand how their actions (like deciding whether or not to share) can affect others. Try making a paper chain as a family to show your child the importance of working together and listening to the ideas and feelings of others.

With older children, start the week by playing a game of ‘feelings charades’ to explore more complex emotions — how does someone look if they are worried? Frustrated? Jealous? You might build on those conversations later in the week by talking about how we can practice kindness in group settings — like being a good sport or including others on the playground. This is a great opportunity to talk with your child about what to do when their feelings are hurt, or when they hurt someone else’s feelings.