Activities for teaching kindness to toddlers and children

Teaching your child how to be kind can help them develop empathy and build self-esteem. By thinking about others’ needs, they’re more likely to make connections and feel a sense of belonging. This can also help them feel happier.

Things you can do at home to recognise and promote kindness:

• make a family kindness chart
• notice when your child is kind and help them see the impact of their actions
• use toys to show acts of kindness – ask your child how the toys can help each other and how they might feel
• tell your child why they’re special to you
• share jobs with other family members and help others when they need support

Read some books together about being kind. Ask your child what they think about the character’s behaviour.

You could try:

• exploring what it means to be kind through the eyes of a school girl by reading Be Kind
• encouraging positive behaviour with an ‘invisible bucket’ to hold good thoughts and feelings in Have You Filled Your Bucket Today?
• looking at different ways children can help make the world a kinder place with ABCs of Kindness
• reading the story of a little boy who doesn’t understand why he needs to help others, but changes his mind in I Like to Be Kind

You can also ask your child to think of a kind person they know and what they do that makes them kind

You can model simple acts of kindness with family members and friends by:

• encouraging your child to say thank you to anyone who helps them – notice when they do this and praise them for it
• spending some time making a card with your child to send to a loved one
• talking to your child about what makes them happy or sad to develop an understanding of their emotions and other people’s
• letting your child know that everyone has different ways of feeling good – some people like hugs, others don’t – and it’s OK to ask someone what you can do to support them
• pointing out acts of kindness – if your child helps lay the table you can encourage more of this behaviour by saying, “Thank you for helping me, that’s really kind”
• getting your child to trace around their hand – on each finger, write something that they could do to be a good friend such as telling the truth or taking turns
• telling the people you care about that you love them – if your child sees you doing this, they’re more likely to do it too

To help your child show kindness to the planet, you could:

• help them recycle, or pick up litter when they see it
• donate toys and clothes to charity shops rather than throwing them away
• walk instead of using the car – make it into an adventure by coming up with ways to help your child notice nature or creating your own nature trail
• put food out for the birds or make a bug hotel if you have access to a garden or outdoor space

Help your child display kindness when they are in nursery or school by:

• suggesting your child lets someone else play with a toy they’re using – sharing may not come naturally to them, so it may take some practice
• thinking of ways to show appreciation together – your child might want to take in thank you notes for a receptionist, or thank their teacher for helping them learn
• teaching your child to be welcoming and include other children – they might say hello to others in their class or invite someone to play if they are sitting alone

To teach your child kindness in your local community, you could:

• think about how you can make someone else’s day more positive and encourage your child to do the same – such as letting someone go before them in a queue or asking how they are
• if you have some food to spare, donate to local foodbank – involve your child in collecting items, explain why you’re doing it and how it will help people – The Trussell Trust has a tool to find your nearest food bank
• bake cookies with your child and give them to your neighbours – or ask your child to suggest some other ideas for things you could make
• make a kindness scavenger hunt – make a list of ideas for being kind in the community (for example, giving toys and clothes to charity or donating books to the library) then tick them off as you do them

Page last reviewed: January 2026

New review due: January 2029