The holiday season is a perfect time to build a sense of community and purpose in your classroom. Every act of kindness is an opportunity to show your students that small things matter, even if they’re random acts of kindness. We’ve put together a few ideas your whole class can get involved with to make the world a better place…and a few simple acts of kindness that you can remind students to practice the whole year.
The Best Ways to Show Acts of Kindness in the Classroom
Holiday Classroom Activities
Send a care package to a soldier
Consider sending troops care packages from your classroom. For active-duty soldiers or veterans, a care package can be a big morale boost—especially if they are unable to come home to their families. Visit any US Military site for details on what items are needed by active-duty troops or for more acts of kindness you can provide to troops this season.
Collect non-perishables for the Food Bank
Food banks are very much in need of items around the holidays. Encourage every student to each bring one canned item—or make it a school activity and watch the can count grow over a week or two. Most food banks post what they need on their website, so get your students to do a bit of research first. Here’s some examples of places you can donate to:
Organize a clothing drive
One in eight children doesn’t have the clothing basics. Consider organizing a clothing drive to provide families with essential items that will keep them warm over the holiday season. Arrange to deliver the items to a local thrift store that can distribute them to families-in-need.
Acts of Kindness Every Day
Fundraisers and community building activities are wonderful around the holidays. But if you’re tapped for time, remind your students that they can be doing small things every day to help build community and a sense of service and spirit—beyond the holidays! Here’s a short list, and your students can probably come up with many more small (but powerful!) acts of kindness.
- Say thank you to someone at school
- Hold the door for a friend or teacher
- Let someone go before you in line
- Help someone walk across the street
- Thank your parents for the things they do
- Help a sibling with their homework
- Smile at someone!
- Help your parents around the house
- Write a thank you card to someone and send it in the mail
- Spend some quality time with your family
The holidays are a wonderful time of year to remind everyone about how acts of kindness—big and small—make the world a better place.
Use FreshGrade to document your classrooms acts of kindness and provide families with visibility into their child’s accomplishments. With FreshGrade, you can create activities for students that spark imagination all while showing academic growth and achievements to their families. Discover FreshGrade, today!
