Warm-Up Activity: Compliment Chain

Materials Needed:

• A soft ball or “kindness ball” (optional)
• Sentence-starter cards (e.g., “I appreciate when you…,” “I like how you…,” “Thank you for…”) placed at each seat

Steps (5 minutes):

1. Gather students in a circle and introduce the Compliment Chain:
   • Explain that everyone will take a turn giving a sincere compliment to the person on their right.
   • Show the optional kindness ball and explain: “We’ll pass this ball as a reminder to share kindness.”
2. Model the Routine:
   • With a volunteer, demonstrate passing the ball (or tapping their shoulder) and offering a compliment: “I appreciate how you always help me pick up my crayons.”
3. Student Practice:
   • Pass the ball around the circle (or go around tap-by-tap).
   • As each student receives the ball, they read a sentence-starter from their card or speak from the heart, then pass to the next person.

Differentiated Supports:

• Provide sentence-starter cards for ELL or early-writers.
• Pair shy or anxious students with a buddy who can prompt them gently.
• Allow non-verbal students to draw a quick compliment symbol (heart, star) and explain it.

Assessment:

• Teacher observes and notes each student’s ability to:
  • Use a clear, kind statement
  • Maintain eye contact or face the recipient
  • Participate in the turn-taking routine

Transition: Lead into the next segment by saying, “Now that we’ve warmed up with kind words, let’s explore more stories of kindness!”

Project: Kindness Calendar Creation

Materials Needed:

• Printed calendar template (one per student)
• Pencil or pen
• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils

Instructions:

1. Distribute the blank calendar templates to each student.
2. Explain that they will plan one act of kindness for each day of the coming week.
3. Demonstrate with the teacher model: e.g., “On Monday, I will help a friend clean up by offering to gather supplies.”
4. Students write their daily kindness idea in the “Act of Kindness” column and draw a small illustration in the “Drawing Space.”
5. Circulate to support realistic goal‐setting and provide sentence starters if needed (e.g., “I will…”).
6. Encourage creativity and empathy—acts can be small (smiling at a friend) or larger (making a card for someone).
7. Upon completion, students can share one favorite planned act tomorrow during our share‐out.

Kindness Calendar Template

Note to Teacher: Provide extra support for students who need help writing (sentence starters or partner work) and offer drawing templates for fine‐motor support. Once calendars are complete, collect them for a quick check before starting the week of kindness tomorrow!

Kindness Reflection Rubric

Use this rubric to circle how you did with your kindness calendar planning and reflection.

Instructions:

• Look at your kindness calendar and think about each day’s act.
• For each row (Effort, Empathy, Creativity), circle the column that best describes your work.
• Be honest—this helps you grow your kindness skills!

Cool-Down Activity: Kindness Share-Out

Materials Needed:

• Student calendars from the Kindness Calendar Creation
• Thumbs-up/thumbs-down signal or “Kindness Applause” (optional)
• Share-out guideline poster (listening rules)

Steps (15 minutes):

1. Arrange students in a circle so everyone can see and hear each other.
2. Review Share-Out Guidelines:
   • Listen quietly and respectfully.
   • Use thumbs-up or offer a brief positive comment (e.g., “That sounds so helpful!”).
   • Keep voices at a calm, indoor level.
3. Teacher Model:
   • Share your planned act: “Tomorrow I will help a friend by carrying their backpack, because it shows I care.”
   • Invite a student volunteer to give feedback (thumbs-up or comment).
4. Student Share-Outs:
   • Invite 4–6 volunteers (or more time permitting) to share one act from their calendar.
   • After each share, classmates respond with a thumbs-up or short positive remark.
5. Peer Support Option:
   • Students uncomfortable speaking can share with a partner while the partner relays a summary to the class.
   • Or students may illustrate or role-play their act instead of speaking.
6. Class Reflection:
   • Ask, “How did it feel to share your kindness idea? How might it feel for someone to receive your act?”
7. Closing Ritual:
   • End with a brief class cheer (e.g., “Kindness Counts!”) and remind students to begin their first act tomorrow.

Differentiated Supports:

• Provide sentence starters on cards (e.g., “Tomorrow I will… because…”).
• Allow drawings or role-play for emerging speakers.
• Pair ELL learners with bilingual buddies.

Assessment:

• Note student engagement, clarity of their planned act, and positive peer feedback.
• Record any students needing extra support in share-out routines for future practice.