Use these 15 kindness books and videos for the classroom to build kindness in the school: random acts of kindness, generosity & bucket filling. Teachers will enjoy adding these kindness read alouds to their classroom bookshelves and using for social emotional learning lessons.
Make your classroom a happier place with kindness videos and books. These kindness books and videos for the classroom will help children learn many positive character traits. The hope is they will grow up to make the world a better place. Here are ten books and five videos that will help you illustrate a simple act of kindness in every book and bring the topic of kindness to light in your classroom.
Table of Contents
- Kindness Books and Videos
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Kindness Books Kids Will Enjoy
- 1. Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud
- 2. How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath
- 3. Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler by Margery Cuyler
- 4. The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
- 5. The Jelly Donut Difference: Sharing Kindness with the World by Maria Dismondy
- 6. Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson
- 7. A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
- 8. Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
- 9. Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
- 10. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- Videos To Accompany Kindness Books
-
Kindness Books Kids Will Enjoy
- Kindness Classroom Resources
- More about Teaching Kindness
Kindness Books and Videos
Fill your classroom bookshelf and bookmark these videos to use during your kindness unit and classroom meetings. Use them for a read-aloud or put on a video for a mini-lesson, and watch as your classroom becomes a kinder place.
Kindness Books Kids Will Enjoy
The following ten kindness read alouds are great for bringing about meaningful classroom conversations on kindness. The discussions you can have with your children about these stories and explanations will help them understand compassion and how to adopt such behavior toward others.
1. Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud
Filling buckets is a way to show kindness and bring joy to others’ lives and your own.
Kids can share how they will strive to be a bucket filler on a hat and wear it as an oath to fill as many buckets as possible. Click here to check it out.
2. How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath
Actions and words can fill or empty a person’s bucket, as the main character learns in this book.
3. Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler by Margery Cuyler
Mrs. Ruler sets her classroom students on a remarkable task – to do 100 kind things! Can they succeed?
Give kids a kindness challenge and keep track of their acts with a Kindness Calendar. Try the FREE Kindness Calendar and create more opportunities for kind acts today!
4. The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Minna’s teacher asks her to complete a kindness project; initially, she can’t decide what to do. Then, she creates a quilt depicting all the acts of kindness she can think of.
5. The Jelly Donut Difference: Sharing Kindness with the World by Maria Dismondy
Kindness, caring, and generosity are taught in this story about a brother and sister who learn how to get along and make a difference in their community.
Encourage kids to come up with five ways that they are generous and display these ways with a jelly donut craft. Click here to check it out.
6. Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson
How does one ordinary person change the world with a tiny act of kindness? Read to find out!
7. A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
A zookeeper finds out that the kindness he continually shows others is repaid when he’s in need.
8. Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
When a young boy faces the difficult decision to give away something valuable to help someone else, the kind and selfless act results in surprising joy for the giver and the receiver.
9. Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
This story outlines how the main character, Horton, shows kindness and intuitiveness towards his friends in need, speaking up for them on their behalf when they face trouble.
10. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
This beloved book of generations teaches children about the unending kindness of a tree towards his friend, a boy. It’s an excellent book to teach how mutual empathy and equal give and take are important in relationships.
See all of my Kindness children’s books on Amazon.
Videos To Accompany Kindness Books
When it comes to classroom lessons on kindness, sometimes a video says it all. These videos will show children good examples of kindness and how kindness makes others feel valued and respected.
1. Kindness Matters! Easy Ways You Can Make Your School a Kinder Place by KidsForPeaceUSA
How can students show kindness to each other and their teachers and school staff? Find out in this video.
2. Kindness Boomerang “One Day” by Life Vest Inside
Follow along as a tiny act of kindness leads to another and brightens many people’s day.
Teach kids positive messages about kindness. Solidify the words by coloring them and reciting them often. Click here to check it out.
3. Color Your World with Kindness by A Better World
Another video depicts graphically how small acts of kindness can make the world a brighter place for others.
4. Kindness Counts: “Kindness is a Muscle” Sing-a-long Lyric Music Video by Universal Kids Preschool
This cheerful and upbeat tune is great to dance and sing with after a lesson on kindness.
Encourage kids to spread kindness with words and notes. Give a smile-a-gram and watch a child’s smile and kindness grow. Click here to check it out.
5. Try A Little Kindness (with Tori Kelly) by Sesame Street
Tori Kelly and the puppets of Sesame Street teach children all about kindness with a pop-style song.
These kindness read aloud books and videos will illuminate how good deeds, manners, and caring for others are the best ways to make a difference. Read or watch them during your social-emotional learning lessons!
Kindness Classroom Resources
Proud to be Primary has many resources to help teach and bring kindness into your classroom. With kindness units and book companions, you can find almost everything you need to ensure your classroom is full of kindness.
The complete kindness unit includes many helpful lessons and activities to help children learn what kindness means, how to be kind, participate in a kindness project, and so much more.
Click HERE to see everything included.
- Kindness & Bucket Filler Lessons & Social Skills Activities
- Social-Emotional Kindness Book Companions
- Kindness Classroom Challenge, Calendars, & Activities
More about Teaching Kindness
kindness picture book for kids
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