Here are some ideas for you to try out in your school and the wider community.
Spread a smile
Start a competition of how many smiles your pupils can share. Who can smile at the most people by the end of the day? How many times did they get a smile back?
Kind words
Get pupils to write kind notes for someone in school, they can add their name or keep it anonymous. This could be for another pupil or staff member. Share the notes with the class so they can hear all the kind language then deliver them to the right people. If a pupil doesn’t want their note shared with the class, just quickly check it over yourself (to make sure it is kind) then deliver straight to the receiver. It’s also a good idea to model how to do this first by creating your own note for a staff member in school.
Arts and Crafts
Get your pupils making things for others in school such as cards, pictures, friendship certificates etc. They could decide what they want to make themselves. The idea is to spend some time thoughtfully making something for someone to show they appreciate them.
Compliments
Pair up pupils and ask them to give each other a compliment. Try to avoid appearance-based compliments as this can have a negative effect depending what is said. Instead model compliments such as “You’re a really good friend,” “I think it’s great that you work so hard in Maths,” “I loved your painting in Art yesterday, it was really colorful.” Keep swapping pairs so children can hear kind words from lots of their peers.
Giving back
Give flowers or suchlike to your pupils to hand out to school staff. The idea is to give a little something to say thank you.
Donations
Send letters home asking for donations e.g. tins for the food bank or toys for a children’s hospital. Celebrate this kindness in school.
Community
Organise visits to places like care homes. The residents and your pupils will get a lot out of this experience and it’s a really nice way to give back to the community.
Further Reading: https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/