To continue learning more about Native American Heritage Month we read the book When We Are Kind / Nihá’ádaahwiinít’íigo by Monique Gray Smith (Author), Nicole Neidhardt (Illustrator), Mildred Walters (Translator). The bilingual indigenous book celebrates the simple acts of kindness and encourages children to explore how they feel when they initiate and receive acts of kindness in their lives.
After reading the story we asked the children to express what kindness means or feels to them. We wrote what they individually said on a hand, placed it on butcher paper, and invited them to collaboratively color with Colorations Tempera Paint Sticks. Together they created a beautiful kindness collage!
Encouraging kindness in the early years helps children develop behaviors that have value far beyond their school years. When you provide opportunities to talk about, model, explore, and show kindness, we send the message of its value in our community. The more we prioritize kindness, it helps children see the impact of the words they use and actions they take on many dynamics of life. Children who learn from a young age to treat others with respect and generosity, to have value in the environment, and more will give them the ability to carry these values throughout their lives. Recent research suggests that acts of kindness from a young age will have meaningful ripple effects in our larger communities.
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