Kind Hearts in Schools

Register as a Kind Hearts School or teacher and receive a box of resources
to help you create a culture of kindness in your classroom

Select Junior ( Year 1-4 ) or Senior ( Year 5- 9 ) for resources suited for your level.
Both junior and senior packs include a class set of student journals created to suit the level.
The junior pack also includes our new picture book.

With your registration you also get:

Ongoing support throughout the year from our facilitators
Online newsletters packed with ideas
Additional free Kind Hearts cards as required
Access to the Kind Hearts in Schools online shop to obtain further resources
Online activities updated regularly
Free entry to the Kind Hearts in Schools Regional Day in Palmerston North

Register here for only $70 plus GST / Postage

Kind Hearts Four Focus Areas

Being a Kind Hearts School means developing a class and school culture through four key focus areas:

Being unconditionally kind to yourself (growing your Mana).
Receiving unconditional kindness (keeping the cycle of kindness going).
Giving random acts of kindness (without needing acknowledgement or reward).
Developing kindness habits (being kind as much as you can at home, school, in your community and beyond).

Heart ribbon

Developing the four Kind Heart focus areas and incorporating the core value of unconditional kindness in the school and into the wider community.

Kind Hearts in Schools has developed practical resources that will help support the development of a culture of kindness in schools.

Classroom Activity Ideas

Across the school.

Class discussion / about what a focus on kindness might look like across the school. - how can you make this happen. Page 5 in the student journal gives a list of kindness acts that could happen at your school.
Allocate kindness buddies across classes - including staff.
Create a school kindness wall / display where all classes can add items.
Display kindness posters / quotes around the school.
Establish a Kind Hearts / Kindness Council that creates opportunities for pupils to undertake kindness activities across the school.
Create opportunities for students to donate goods to worthy causes.
Include news of Kindness activities / act s in newsletters
Ensure new pupils receive a kindness message welcoming them to the school.
Give graduates a pack of kindness cards on leaving to take with them to share.
Choose another class to do something kind to - eg. arrive just before a break and g[help them pack up the classroom.

Into the community

Class / council / student leaders discussions on what kindness looks like spreading into the community.

Identify groups in the community that could benefit from acts of kindness e.g Old Folks Homes. - Identify what acts of kindness they could benefit from.

Reach out to a neighboring school and share some kindness activities.

Send kindness cards/ messages to service groups in the community - Police, Fire, St Johns etc.

Undertake fundraising activities for charities.

Include news of what is happening in school newsletters / notices.

Locate and visit elderly in the community - have a class group visit and do odd jobs.

Have a helpers day - visit institutions and help tidy - e.g. the local library.

In the Classroom

Class discussion about what kindness is.
Class discussion / brainstorming about how to be kind to yourself - pupils record for themselves in their own way.
Class discussion about what kindness looks like in the classroom - record on poster supplied in the kit.
Have a supply of kindness cards in the classroom for students to use to write messages to other students, family , staff etc.
Allocate kindness buddies - secretly - students must do two acts of kindness for their buddies each week.
Create a kindness wall ( use the border supplied in the kit ) - pupils can record and display acts of kindness they receive.
Create a kindness postbox - pupils can deposit kindness cards received - draw some out each week to share with the class.
Create a kindness tree on a wall - pupils can pin on received cards as leaves.
Create a kindness wall display - kindness quotes, heart shapes with kind words etc
Create a 'Kindness Ambassadors" wall display - pupils photos with their own decorated kindness motto attached.
Have a wall space available - " I've caught you being kind" - where pupils can write up acts of kindness they observe and display them.
Encourage and give pupils many opportunities to undertake kindness acts.

Across the world.

Class discussions about what Kindness would be like in other countries - is it the same as here?
Email or contact a school in another country - tell them about your kindness journey - talk about the importance of kindness.
Link up with groups of different ethnicity in your region to gain contacts in other countries.
Encourage schools across the world to register as a Kind Hearts School so they can receive our resources.

What does it mean to be kind?

When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate contemplates how to make her feel better and what it means to be kind. From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving and thoughtful story explores what a child can do to be kind, and how each act, big or small, can make a difference - or at least help a friend.

The Story of the Kindness Elves - A Ranson & B Bryne
Introduces acts of kindness and the Kindness Elves Tradition

The Smartest Giant in Town - Julia Donaldson
A story of sacrifice to help others

How Full is your Bucket - Tom Rath
Illustrates how all that we do affects both ourselves and others around us.

Last Shop on Market Street - Matt de la Pena
This sweet book encourages kids to have empathy and understanding for others from all walks of life and includes a boy and his grandma who stop to volunteer at a soup kitchen to serve others. It’s a great starting
point for talking about ways to give back to the community.

The Invisible Boy - Trudy Ludwig
A little boy is overlooked at school and feels very left out. When a new child arrives in class he realises he is not alone and works to build a friendship with him. This is a subtle yet clear story about speaking up for others, the importance of inclusion and being strong. A great teaching tool for classrooms.

Harry the Happy Mouse - N.G.K.
A friendly little mouse looks to the needs of those around him and helps them out. A lovely rhyming story that demonstrates how easily kindnesses can be paid forward with wonderful effect.

Super worm - Julie Donaldson
Superworm thinks of everyone and is constantly looking for ways to help them. His kindness is repayed.

Little Red Robin Vest - Jan Fearnley
Encourages children to think of others

Sharing a Shell - Julia Donaldson
A lovely story about learning to cooperate and how much better that makes the world than fighting.

The Quilt Makers Gift - Jeff Brumbeau
A beautiful story to read aloud, this is a fairytale about a greedy king who wants more and more but can’t find true happiness in possessions. The quilt maker teaches him important life lessons through the beautiful quilt she sews.

Dogger - Shirley Hughes
This tells the story of a lost stuffed toy and the great sacrifice that a sibling will give to get it back, showing such a selfless act of kindness for family.

Ordinary Mary Extraordinary Deed - Emily Pearson
Shows no act of kindness is too small and that it can quickly snowball into something great.

Because Amelia Smiled - David Stein
This is a lovely story about paying it forward and looking at the ongoing ripples of kindness that occur from
something as simple as a smile!

Be Nice Be Kind Spread Happy - Bernadette Russell
This is quirky, fun and original with lots of brilliant ideas for small acts of kindness to do together every day. It’s written at a great level for kids and is very engaging.

The Lion and the Mouse - Miles Kelly
This timeless classic is retold in this lovely book. The mouse may be tiny but he is able to help the lion when he’s in dire need. It shows that no matter how small or young we may be, there is something we can do to help others, and as Aesop’s moral goes, “a kindness is never wasted.”

Kindness is cooler - Margery Cuyler
This gorgeous book is about a teacher who introduces the new golden rule that “Kindness is Cooler” and seeks to get the class to complete 100 acts of kindness together.

Have you filled a Bucket today? - Carol McCloud
Explains how we all contribute to the happiness of others

The Very Helpful Monsters - Sally Huss
Someone learns the kinder way to be noticed – a great conversation starter.

The Magic Paintbrush - Julia Donaldson
Written in rhyming verse, this Chinese tale of a girl who can paint anything she wishes and it will become real is
a great moral tale about serving others and resisting greed.

Horton Hears a Who! - Dr Suess
Great themes about standing up for what you believe is important even when no one is on your side.

How we can make a difference together:

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