12 Simple Preschool Kindness Activities

Need some ideas to teach your kids about showing kindness and consideration towards others?

The concept of “kindness” can be introduced as a preschool theme week or looped back to on a regular basis at any time, as a way to proactively teach and model compassion.

The following kindness activities for kids can be used in the classroom or at home with friends and siblings.

1. Read Be Kind

Read kids the story Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller.

In this 2018 picture book, a young girl reflects on how she can help a classmate feel better after something embarrassing happens to her. 

Depending on your kids’ stages of emotional development, the story offers a great opening for a circle-time discussion of what it means to be kind.

2. Be Kind Picture Activity

After sharing the book Be Kind, challenge kids to draw pictures, cut pictures from magazines, or take photos of people being kind. 

If you wish, children could dictate sentences to tell about how kindness is being shown in each. Display the pictures on a poster board or bulletin board.

3. Read What is Given from the Heart

Read the story What is Given from the Heart by Patricia C. McKissack.

Published in 2019, the characters in this book share with others even though they have little to give. 

The story shows how we can be generous and kind to others even if we are not wealthy.

4. Love Box Activity

Based on the social-emotional ideas in the book What is Given from the Heart, kids can decorate a special box. 

They then fill it with food, personal care or clothing items to be given to a struggling family, friend or classmate.

5. Listen and Sing I Am Kind

Sing the song I Am Kind by Lindsay Munroe, featuring Raffi, along with the music (listen on YouTube).

Words & music by Lindsay Dodd© 2020 Homeland Publishing.

I am kind
I’ll be your friend will you be mine
I can share a smile
I am kind 

I am brave
I do it though I feel afraid
I can do the hard things
I am brave

(chorus)
I am love
I wrap my arms around myself
In a great big hug
I am love, I am love

I am wise
Solving problems that arise
Finding new solutions
I am wise

I am strong
I’m OK when things go wrong
I know I can do it
I am strong

(chorus)
I am love
I wrap my arms around myself
In a great big hug
I am love, I am love
I am love, I am love

6. Sing Three Kind Mice

Listen, Sing and Move with Three Kind Mice from Radha.

Sing this version to the tune of Three Blind Mice. Here are the lyrics:

Three kind mice, three kind mice. These mice dare to show they care!
Squeak, squeak on the run, doing good to everyone
Kindness is lots of fun with the three kind mice!
(Action: Run around in little steps pretending you’re a mouse)

Verse 1
Wriggle our tails, wriggle our tails, wriggle our tails, everyone! …
(Action: Wriggle bottoms during instrumental section)

Verse 2
Wriggle our whiskers, wriggle our whiskers,
Wriggle our whiskers everyone! …
(Action: Wriggle heads during instrumental section)

Verse 3
Wriggle our ears, wriggle our ears, wriggle our ears everyone!
Squeak, squeak on the run, doing good to everyone
Kindness is lots of fun with the three kind mice!
(Action: Hold ears & wriggle them during instrumental & make funny faces)

Three Kind Mice by Radha Sahar.

7. Paint Kindness Pet Rocks

Children gather or choose fairly large, smooth stones to paint. While the paint dries, brainstorm words or phrases related to kindness. 

Kids can choose which words they want on their rocks, and then parents or teachers can write them on with a dark marker. 

They can also glue on googly eyes for that “pet appeal.” Encourage the children to give their kindness rocks to someone to brighten their day.

Option: Using plain rocks, place a heart stencil over the top for children to paint in with their favourite colour.

8. Cut & Glue Rainbows

To make this kindness craft for preschoolers, use construction paper in all different colours and get children to cut out arched or straight strips of paper to glue on a blue or grey background. 

Wait for the glue to dry, then brighten someone’s day with the gift of a rainbow.

9. The Toothpaste Experiment

Kids love messy activities and this is a fun one with a lesson to learn.

Using a trial-size tube of toothpaste, a paper plate and a plastic spoon, squeeze the entire tube of toothpaste onto a plate.

Then challenge the children to take turns to accomplish the impossible task of spooning all the toothpaste back into the tube.

Tell kids that unkind (or mean) words are just like toothpaste. Once they come out of our mouths and people hear them, they can never be taken back. 

So, we should always stop and think before we talk about other people.

10. Group Kindness Jar

At home or at school, add a coin, treat or counter like a bean to the jar each time you observe an act of kindness within the group. If you see or hear unkind words or actions, two items are removed from the jar. 

When the jar is filled, the children can share the treats, donate money to a charity or share a special activity.

11. Play the Kindness Game

Get children to stand in a circle with a ball or beanbag. First, an adult models how the game is played. 

Children then take turns throwing the beanbag or ball to each other (making sure that everyone has a turn). 

When a child throws it to someone, they also say something kind about that person: something good about their character, something nice they have done or something that shows they are kind. 

12. Act Out Favourite Fairy Tales

If desired, use costumes and props for children to act out the stories. 

Afterwards, start a discussion about who in the tale showed kindness to another character. Is there a way they could change the story to show even more kindness? 

This is a fun activity that incorporates many values to teach your child.

Teaching kindness to preschoolers and toddlers provides rewards for all involved. Smiles and friendly words are sure to flourish. And the positive effects of kindness within a group are known to be exponential, growing even more, day by day!