When it comes to teaching, we all know that teaching our subject-area content is often one of the more secondary things we do. It seems, more and more, we need to focus on character traits and helping our students make decisions that go beyond learning that 2+2=4. This is a big responsibility. One I know teachers take seriously. Even though it’s not in our “job description” per se, it’s another thing teachers take on and are passionate about.

When we teach our students that kindness is a choice and when we do kindness activities, they recognize opportunities to choose kindness. We can see the change in students when they start to seek out ways to be kinder to one another and when we can see them in individual situations in and out of the classroom.

My 3 kindness activities are designed to help teach them about kindness in your classroom. I have a collaboration poster project, a kindness activity they can do for each other, and an open-ended kindness coloring page. The coloring pages can be used for a variety of ages and projects. Scroll through to see all the details of these 3 kindness activities. I hope you’ll find something in here that will save you time, inspire you, motivate you, and, of course, help you as you tackle the topic of kindness with your students.

Wonder Kindness Mini Poster

This Wonder kindness activity / mini poster is FREE in my Teachers Pay Teachers store HERE. It was created via a collaboration between Brain Waves Instruction and Art with Jenny K. It encourages students to write nice things about one another.

…and it couldn’t be any easier.

You’ll print the 2 pages, make copies for your students, have them attach the 2 pages to make a mini-poster, and then color it. At the top, the poster says, “YOU ARE A WONDER.” Next, the students will pass the mini-poster around so other students can write compliments about each other on the poster. Encourage your students to think of what makes each of their peers uniquely wonderful. Learning to tell others what is special about them is a skill children have to learn. Direct them to write more than, “Sarah is nice.” Instead, guide them to write, “Sarah is nice because she volunteers at the animal shelter each month.” The final display of these (as you can see below) is quite stunning and powerful—a great daily reminder of how special each student is in the eyes of their classmates.

Kindness Coloring

I love the saying, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” It’s so powerful. It really teaches students that being kind is as important as “being a doctor” or “being a lawyer,” and most of all, that being kind is a choice! I have created a FREE coloring page that you can use with your students with this popular saying.

I have designed this coloring page in my usual Pop Art style. In this freebie, I include my interactive version and instructions on how to complete it (to show your students). I also include a pattern-filled version to differentiate among your students easily. I even give you a finished example so you don’t have to make your own—although you may enjoy coloring one yourself! My pattern-filled version is great for younger children, grades Prek-2nd. My interactive version is great for grades 3+ (even adults love them).

I have large collections of these coloring pages in my Teachers Pay Teachers store for various holidays and occasions throughout the year. You can see my pattern-filled set here and my interactive set here. I even have an adult coloring book on Amazon.  I told you adults like them, too!

However, these kindness coloring pages are FREE for you when you join my email list below. I love to spoil teachers on my email list with exclusive freebies, tips, and special announcements. Also, when you join, you’ll be invited to enjoy my subscribers-only library of freebies just like this one. After you subscribe, I’ll email these kindness quote coloring pages right to you!

You might also like my FREE kindness infinity coloring pages as well. You can see them HERE.

3D Be Kind Collaboration Poster

Teachers love the “wow!” factor of my 3D collaboration agamograph posters. My “Be Kind” poster (for sale here in my TPT store) is especially popular with teachers. Although they end up being wowed by the final product, sometimes, at first, teachers are intimated by them. I assure you, they are super easy! I’ve done everything I can think to make this successful for you. I have even included a step-by-step teaching video on how to assemble the poster. What makes them seem intimidating (they are NOT!) is also what makes them so cool (they are!)!

With all the work I have done, this poster will be easy for you and fun for your students. It won’t take too much time for you, and it will greatly impact your class.

Students will be thrilled to see what they can make when they work together. When it’s complete, you’ll have a beautiful display as a daily reminder to choose kindness above all else!

There are 28 pieces to the poster, and the final poster is approximately 26″ x 28″ (the exact size will depend on your printer settings).

Let’s walk through just how easy this project is…

Color the Poster Pages

Select a medium (crayons, colored pencils, or markers) that you’d like your students to use—or use a mix of media for more variety. Give out the pages to your students to color. Each page contains a color key, so students know what color to put in each section. Students will color the individual pages of the poster.

Cut Out the Colored Image

Once they have been colored, the students will cut out the pieces. I have provided scissors icons around the edges for them to follow along. There are tabs on most pages (except the bottom row), so students will leave those tabs attached when they cut.

Assemble the Pages

Now that the pieces are all cut, put them in 7 piles, because there are 7 columns to this poster. Assemble the 7 columns by gluing the pieces together (they have tabs and are numbered). Once the columns are put together, they get folded and glued together. The forward flaps should be coming towards you. I go through instructions step by step in the resource, and I include a complete teaching video. So it’s straightforward for you! Don’t worry!

Proudly Display the 3D Kindness Poster

Now you can hang the poster up for everyone to see! As your students walk from side to side to see the 3 images of this poster, they will “ooh” and “ahh” as they realize what they have just made.

Kindness is something we can talk about during February for Valentine’s Day (being kind to one another), for Earth Day (being kind to our planet), or for any specific kindness week/kindness challenge. But, we can talk about kindness and do kindness activities in our classroom any day of the year.

Tip/Trick

Let me also share this little trip/trick with you. If you are working with really young kids – PreK, kindergarten, or first grade, I like to do what I call “setting the table” for them. Before they arrive (if possible for your schedule), I like to have everything set out and ready to go. This saves so much time trying to get everyone going on an art project while giving out supplies. This is also a great way to have a volunteer help you. Show them what one “place” looks like and have them do that for all the kids in your room. I then start all the kids on the carpet so I can introduce the project. This has worked well for me for years!

Share with Me!

Nothing makes me happier than to see what you do with my projects in your classrooms. Please remember to tag @artwithjennyk on IG, FB, Pinterest, and Twitter and use the hashtag #artwithjennyk. I love to repost and connect with you.

Here, you can see an example a teacher sent me of my kindness 3D poster…

Bee Kind Collaborative Tesselation Project

I always do this. I write a blog post and say things like “3 Kindness activities,” and then I come up with ANOTHER activity I want to add. I’ll never learn.

Soooo…

We’ll call this the 3+ kindness activity you might also like.

This one is a “BEE KIND” Collaborative Tessellation Project.

To do this project, students write about nice things they have done for others and nice things others have done for them. Using their writing and artwork of bees, they create a “Beehive of kindness.”

You can find this resource HERE.