Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to foster kindness and compassion in your classroom. Being kind is important year-round, but using Valentine’s Day as a way to reset and recharge your students’ kindness muscle truly adds a special meaning to the day.
Here are a few easy ways to spice up your Valentine’s Day classroom activities!
Kindness Circle
Let your students’ positivity speak for itself! Have students sit in a circle and spend a few moments reflecting on something kind they want to recognize about the person sitting next to them. Encourage your students to spend those moments reflecting on something that is meaningful – it can be a kind memory, a compliment, or even a well wish.
After reflection time, give each student the floor to compliment their peer. Show your students how it’s done – give an example of thoughtful and appropriate kind words to share with the classroom! After this activity, think of ways to showcase this positivity in the classroom and in your school! Think of a special art project your class can create, or maybe a special video that the classroom can watch together.
Recognize Kind Acts & Pass Them Along
Encourage kindness by recognizing the kind acts happening right in your classroom. This not only acknowledges positive behavior, but it encourages other students to be kind as well.
Have students participate by encouraging them to point out the kind acts they witness from their classmates. Explore making this a fun challenge. When one kind act is committed in the classroom, challenge the student on the receiving end of the gesture to express gratitude and then commit to passing their own act of kindness forward.
Lead by Example
The greatest way to foster positivity in the classroom is through leading by example. Find opportunities to showcase your own kindness, and create real-world examples of how you can show love and compassion in a variety of ways. When your students are able to see you model these behaviors, this will encourage them to follow your lead and will help them discover authentic ways to express their personal compassion for others.
Take it a step further – brainstorm as a class different acts of kindness that students can display. For example, show students how to comfort a classmate who is sad or a classmate who is frustrated because of a school subject.
Download Our Valentine’s Day Card!
Spice up your day with our downloadable Valentine’s Day card! Teachers, principals, students, parents – this card is for everyone! We encourage you to personalize your Valentine’s Day card by spending a few moments reflecting on something encouraging and kind you can add.
Fill out the form below to download your Valentine’s Day Cards.
Remember, being kind is not only good for our health, but it also helps us to become closer to the people around us. Let your students, classmates, coworkers and loved ones know how much you care with a Move This World Valentine’s Day message.
