One Kind Word

This week is Anti-Bullying Week, and the theme for 2021 is One Kind Word.

“It starts with one kind word. It starts today.” – Anti-Bullying Alliance

Here are some simple ideas of how you could use this theme in a lesson:

Ask your pupils, “What is ‘being kind?” Children can discuss this with a partner. They can also jot down ideas on a white board. Collect the children’s ideas in a central place like an IWB or large sheet of paper. Ask the children questions about what they shared.
Next, ask, “If that is ‘being’ kind, what about kind words? What kind of words are kind?” Children can discuss this with a different partner and can jot their words on white boards. Come together to share ideas about what kind of words are kind.
Work together to make a ‘Kind Word Bank’ and get ideas from children for what could be included, e.g. thanks, helpful, etc. Ensure the children are clear on the meaning of these words. Display this where all pupils can see it, ready for the next part of the lesson.
Challenge pupils to then use one of those words in a sentence. Ask them to use a kind word to talk about their talking partner. You can model how they could do this by saying, for example: “You are helpful when I get stuck in Literacy.” Get them to repeat this with different partners. Using a random name generator, ask pupils about how they feel about what their talking partner said. Lead into how “just ‘one kind word’ can make a difference.”
Pupils could then record what they have learnt using a method of their choice, such as a creating video or poster.
Your pupils could then present their work to each other – and maybe you could share it with their parents too, using a tool such as ReallySchool!

Further reading