Acts of Kindness

Valentine’s Day, February 14th, is a fun day for both young and old! More than just a day for romantic couples, it can be a day to celebrate friendship and kindness, and to show our appreciation for all who are dear to our hearts.

Because young kids are concrete thinkers, it can be hard for them to understand an abstract concept like kindness that can't be represented by a physical object. However, by noticing when people around them give to others, offer their help, or take actions that make others feel comforted and loved, your kids can learn that "You are kind" means so much more than three words inscribed on a Valentine’s candy heart.

 

When to Do it

Valentine’s Day, or any quiet afternoon

What to Do

Here are four kindness activities you can try with your kids this Valentine’s Day — or any other time during the year!

1.    Card Kindness

a.    What would Valentine’s Day be without pretty cards? Help your kids make cards of Kindness for those they appreciate in their lives.

b.    Help them identify ways in which their friends or family members have been kind.  If they have trouble coming up with examples, give them some hints. (Hint for parents: take a little time in advance to recall some of these acts of kindness, so you’re ready to jog your kids’ memories!)

c.    Once they have some ideas, help them make cards thanking these special people for the various acts of kindness.

d.    Help them decorate with red paper, doilies, and stickers, or glue on candy hearts.

e.    You can suggest they also describe the kind act in writing — people love knowing that their kindness was noticed and remembered.

2.    Special Gift Kindness

a.    As your own budget allows, give your kids a special gift budget to buy small Gifts of Kindness for a few of the kind people in their lives.

b.    Help your kids pick out items that mean something special to each of the people they have chosen. Suggest they remember gifts that they themselves have particularly enjoyed and treasured, and think about why they feel that way.

c.    If they have money left over, suggest they treat themselves to a Gift of Kindness — or save the money for something more special later!

3.    I Spied Kindness Box

a.    Decorate an empty box with fun heartfelt images. Close it and cut a slot in the top. 

b.    For a one-month period, ask you kids to be on the lookout for acts of kindness.

c.    Have them describe each kindness on a sheet of paper (the youngest kids may need your help with this), and drop it into the I Spied Kindness box. 

d.    At the end of the month, open the box and spend time reading aloud all the acts of kindness.

e.    Give your kids a Gift of Kindness for all their hard work of noticing when people do kind things to others.

4.    Kindness Jar

a.    Have your kids decorate a Kindness Jar to fill with spare change that your family will collect for a month. (Kids will love to watch the jar fill up day by day.)

b.    At the end of the month, help your kids sort the coins into coin roll wrappers and decide where they would like to donate the money.

c.    Take them to the chosen charity and let them hand over the contents of the Kindness Jar.

What you will need

Colored paper, doilies, stickers

Candy hearts

Jar

Box (a shoe box or candy box is a good size)

Scissors

Tape, glue

Talk about it

Was it hard for your kids to find people who were kind? How many people do they know who are kind? Did they find it fun to do the activity you chose? Do they think they are kind? Are you? Are their siblings? Why or why not?

Presidents Day: Got a Dollar?

Using an everyday item, like a dollar bill, you can share a lot with your kids this Presidents Day. A dollar, showcasing our first president, is worth far more than you realize —it offers a way to teach your kids some fun history lessons.

Do you know a dollar bill has hidden pictures, spots of color, and odd symbols? And that’s just the beginning. Do you have any idea what all of those seemingly random letters and phrases mean? Take this opportunity to explore the dollar bill and share some surprising money and history facts with your kids.

When To Do

Presidents Day

What To Do

Ask your bank for some fresh, crisp new bills, two for each kid, so they can explore and compare both sides at once. Have at least one magnifying glass; ideally, one for each kid; it’s a must for the items they’ll be looking for. Lay out the bills under a good light, look closely, and answer the following dollar bill trivia questions, in honor of our first U.S. president, George Washington.

·       How come when you accidentally launder a dollar bill it does not fall apart?

o   The dollar bill is made from a blend of cotton and linen. Combining these two materials makes a very durable piece of paper — one that will not fall apart if it goes through the wash.

o   Look closely at a bill with the magnifying glass to find the red and blue silk fibers woven throughout. Hint: Look in the white spaces on the face of the bill for little bits of the colored threads.

·       Can you find any tiny owls or spiders hidden on the front of the bill?

o   Look for a teeny owl next to the large "1" on the upper right of the bill. Look at the shield shape that surrounds that "1"; in the top left corner, the owl’s head and shoulders appear in the “scoop” of the shield, right next to the stylized leaves.

o   Now take a really close look all over the bill. What shapes do your kids see: a spider, an owl, something else?

·       On the reverse side of the dollar bill, look closely at the bottom of the pyramid. Why are there a bunch of letters: MDCCLXXVI?

The letters are actually Roman numerals:

o   M is 1,000

o   D is 500

o   CC is 200 (C is 100, 100 x 2 = 200)

o   L is 50

o   XX is 20 (X is 10, 10 x 2 = 20)

o   VI is 6 (V is 5, I is 1, 5 + 1 = 6)

Add all of these up, and you get 1776: the year our country was formed.

·       The eagle on the right is holding a ribbon or streamer in its bill. What does the phrase “E Pluribus Unum” mean?

"Out of many, one." This was added to the bill to celebrate that the original 13 colonies came together to form one new country — the United States of America.

·       Why do we have a bald eagle on our dollar bill?

Our founders wanted an animal native to America to be the new nation's symbol. The Second Continental Congress officially declared the bald eagle the national emblem of the United States in 1782. (Benjamin Franklin wanted the wild turkey to be the national bird, but he was outvoted.) The bald eagle’s image and symbolism have played a significant role in American art, folklore, music, and architecture.

·       What is the eagle is holding in its talons (feet)?

o   It holds arrows, to signify war, and an olive branch, to signify peace.

o   Can you think of why the founding fathers would put both items in the eagle’s talons?

·       How many groups of 13 can you find around the eagle?

There are six groups of 13, in honor of the original 13 colonies:

1.    13 leaves on the olive branch the eagle is holding in its right talons

2.    13 fruits on the olive branch

3.    13 arrows in the eagle’s left talons

4.    13 letters in the phrase “E Pluribus Unum”

5.    13 stars over the eagle's head

6.    13 bars on the shield on the eagle's chest

What You Will Need

A few one-dollar bills

Magnifying glass

Talk About It

Did your kids know there was so much history in one piece of paper? Show them a five-dollar or ten-dollar bill; are they interested in seeing what’s hidden on them and finding out the stories behind them? Why do they think we put presidents on our money?