Happy Random Acts of Kindness Day! National treasure Suzy Cato is here to offer her top five tips for encouraging kindness, empathy and teamwork in our tamariki – skills that are more important right now than ever!
September 1 is when it all starts looking up – the promise of spring, the sunlight stretching a little longer, the daffodils coming out to bloom. With a bit more hope in the air, it’s also the perfect day for a bit of kindness! September 1 is officially Random Acts of Kindness Day – the day to let someone go ahead of you in traffic, pay for someone’s coffee, write a great review for a local business you love, or wherever your kindness might take you today.
It’s a great day to model some kindness in our Tamariki too. And, who better to give us some tips about kindness and children, than national treasure, Suzy Cato.
Suzy, of course, is a big fan of RAK Day.
“Random Acts of Kindness Day encourages people of all ages to spread a little more kindness through thoughtful actions,” she says. “From a kind word or helping hand to a handmade surprise, it’s a reminder that the smallest gestures can make a big difference to someone’s day.”
And now, in this world we’re living in, it’s more important than ever to foster kindness and empathy in our young ones.
“Encouraging kindness, empathy and teamwork in our tamariki has been a focus of educators – in both preschool and primary school – for decades,” says Suzy. “A classroom community that shows kindness and empathy supports learning in so many way, but it’s even more important, at times like this, when the economy is providing families and communities with more challenges than ever. Families under pressure and dealing with stress can be less able to provide an environment where patience and kindness are in abundance. When our focus is all about the well-being of our own family we’re less likely to take others into consideration. Tamariki suffer from the stress of their family on so many levels, so encouraging them and gently reminding adults to be kind and show compassion – to show kindness to ourselves as well – we’re all working together to create a much better environment, for us all.”
So, here’s Suzy’s five top tips for encouraging kindness, empathy and teamwork in our kids!
- Mini Me – Model the Behaviour You Want to See
Our Tamariki are our “mini me’s” and they learn from us parents more quickly, and on a much deeper level from what we do than from what we say. Demonstrating kindness, patience, gratitude and respect in everyday interactions, within our whanau as well as with others, shows our tamariki how to treat others and how to treat us – with kindness, patience, gratitude and respect.
2. Play is the Way
Play provides the perfect opportunity to exhibit kindness and patience and inclusivity. Imaginative play exceptionally so, as those playing have to learn to copy/mimic, negotiate/navigate, compromise while playing.
Start them small with role playing every day activities – an imaginary tea party (pouring from an imaginary jug into an imaginary cup and taking an imaginary sip) take them on an imaginary car or horse ride (showing them a picture, placing them on your knee, starting up the engine holding an imaginary steering wheel with their hands in yours; driving along “streets”, curving around corners, coming to a holt when you reach the desired “location” or walking, trotting, galloping along, jumping over fences on the “horse”).
As they grow the imaginary play grows too, encouraging other members of the family to join helping each other move furniture/boxes into place; taking turns being the bus conductor or train driver; sharing ideas for the imaginary journey or adventure.
3. Build Kindness Into Play
There are so many ways structured play can make building kindness into play much easier. Following instructions, taking turns, celebrating other’s “wins” are all part of the journey and are great way to develop social skills. Building a LEGO Duplo or Brick Set (depending on the age of your whanau) is the perfect example as, together, you look at the pictures, follow the instructions, take turns finding the pieces and putting them in place. And the end result leaves you with either something to be displayed and acknowledged as something cool you’ve done together or played with, taking turns being the bus conductor or train driver for hours on end. (NB: Choosing a set that reflects the age and skill of your tamariki will help you exhibit the level of patience you’d like to see from them during this play).
4. Celebrate Helpful Behaviour
Call them what you will – star or reward charts – acknowledging and praising helpful behaviours reinforces the value your family holds in being kind helpful, and it can be done in lots of fun, different ways. On You and Me we share a Chore Chart in our episode Chores, which is all about encouraging Tamariki to be helpful around the home.
5. Create Kind Gestures
As simple as a homemade thank you card can be, it can mean the world to family and friends, and can be a great way for kids to not only be creative, but consider the reasons why they’re saying thank you – what are they grateful for? How did someone help them or be kind to them? How did that make them feel? Do they do things lie that, themselves, for others?
Of course you don’t have to stop at a card… baking, crafts and creations make the show of kindness bigger and can take the creativity to the next level (they can even keep the kids busy for longer!) a couple of muffins, a colourful collage – they don’t have to be big, they just need to come from the heart.
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