What better gift to give your preschooler than one that lasts a lifetime? Kindness is one such gift. When taught young, it becomes second nature for your child as they grow up. With kindness and empathy, they start to understand how their actions affect others. Let us learn this in detail in this article.
Why Should Preschoolers Learn Kindness?
Children in playgroup age are still developing their social and emotional skills. This is the best time to teach them kindness as it helps them build positive relationships with their peers, family, and teachers. When children practice small acts of kindness, they feel good about helping others, reinforcing their desire to be kinder. This is also a time when they develop emotional intelligence.
How to Encourage Kindness in Your Preschooler
For preschoolers, random acts of kindness can include simple things like helping a friend pick up dropped toys, giving a compliment, or sharing their snack.
- Lead by Example: Young children learn a lot by mimicking adults around them. If you want your preschooler to show kindness, make sure you demonstrate it in your everyday actions. For instance, make them say “please” and “thank you” while holding the door open for others in school or helping you at home.
- Make it a Family Activity: You can make kindness a family habit by setting aside time each week to perform one act of kindness together. Whether it’s picking flowers for grandma’s puja rituals, or helping put clothes to dry, doing these activities as a family reinforces the importance of kindness. This also gives your preschooler a sense of pride and accomplishment when they see how their actions make others happy.
- Praise and Reinforce Kind Behaviour: When your child shows kindness, make sure to praise them for it. Positive reinforcement encourages them to continue being kind. Acknowledging their kind behaviour lets them know that their actions matter and helps them understand the impact of their kindness.
- Read Books About Kindness: Choose stories that highlight characters showing compassion, helping others, or being kind to their friends. After reading, talk about the book with your child. Ask questions like, “How did that character help their friend?” or “How would you feel if someone did that for you?” This encourages your child to reflect on the importance of kindness and how they can apply it in their own life.
- Set Up Kindness Challenges: Make kindness fun by turning it into a challenge. You can create a kindness chart at home where your child earns a star every time they do something kind for someone else. At the end of the week, celebrate their kindness with a small reward, like extra playtime or a favourite activity. This helps your preschoolers understand that kindness is something they can practice every day.
- Talk About Feelings: Help your preschooler understand the importance of empathy by talking about how others might feel. For example, if a friend is upset, ask your child how you could make them feel better. Discussing emotions in this way helps your child connect with others’ feelings and motivates them to offer support, whether it’s through a hug, a kind word, or helping with a task.
Conclusion
Nurturing kindness in preschoolers helps them build strong social skills and emotional intelligence. The importance of early learning is that it instils a sense of community and belonging, both at home and in school, and helps create a supportive environment for everyone. On Podar Preschool’s Instagram page, we discuss many tips on raising empathetic and inclusive children. Follow us to learn more.