Post 183
Kindness has become a buzzword these days. We see it all over advertisements and media. It’s as if it’s a new concept that no one has ever heard of before. I find that funny since kindness (called respect, fair play, politeness, etc. ) has always been part of the school curriculum. Most children in the Primary Grades are naturally kind. They are very empathetic towards friends and others they care about. They are genuinely happy when another succeeds. And that sort of attitude is always encouraged in the classroom.
So it’s certainly not a bad thing that kindness is being pushed these days. Some districts are tying it in with Valentines Day by having a Kindness Week. Children are being encouraged to smile at a new friend, compliment or play with another child, complete a random act of kindness, etc. Some classes are establishing a Kindness Wall where students can place a post it every time they are kind to another child. Kindness is being celebrated.
This all carries over to home, too. Be aware when your little one does something kind for a family member and remark on it. It can be as simple as, “Hey, that was nice.” Letting your child know you noticed is a great form of encouragement. And one of the best ways you can show your child kindness is by really listening to them. So often, as adults, we tend to brush aside a 5 year old’s concerns as nothing important because, in the scheme of things, they really aren’t. But, in that moment, they are vitally important to your 5 year old. Whether it’s something emotional like a friend not playing with them or something physical like a tooth hurting, they are very real to your child. So often I have found myself assigning adult reasoning to a Kindergartener. And that’s not true. With children, I have found, what you see is what you get. Their emotions are very transparent. There’s no hidden agenda. And, after that, you can decide how important the issue is and how to proceed.
So, maybe kindness is a good buzzword after all. There’s that famous book by Robert Fulghum entitled All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. And isn’t kindness a good thing to learn?
Take Care. 🙂
kindergarten23 