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Quote of the Week
"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness" --Seneca
Six Ways To Teach Kids To Be Kind
"When you think about instilling kindness in your kids, what do you mean by kindness?" [People] have many different responses: compassion, generosity, empathy, justice, alleviating suffering. But every answer involved an underlying consideration for others, rather than acting only out of self-interest. It makes sense that this is also the definition of humane, because kindness is the most fundamental expression of what it means to be a human being.
Kindness is about "seeing with your heart," [...] For our littlest kids, this might mean patting the back of a worried friend, waving to an elderly neighbor, or breaking a cookie in half to share with a younger brother. For older kids, kindness might be inviting a lonely classmate to join their lunch table, comforting someone who's sad or scared, or donating some of their allowance to a cause they care about.
Whatever it means to you, it's important to help nurture it in your children from a young age. Making our country a kinder place may seem daunting, but fostering compassion in your family is entirely doable. Just focus on the considerate habits of daily life, a few concrete actions, and a little reflection thrown in for good measure. Here's how to step up and commit to raising the next generation of truly good people. Read more in this week's featured article from Parents' magazine.
Reading Corner
 Title: Bright Moon
By: Brian Conroy; illustrated by Catrina Milner
Ages: 4-9
"Bright Moon is a tale of the love between a grandmother and her granddaughter. As a young girl, Ming is captivated by Grandmother's stories about the moon. She becomes so enamored with the moon, she wants it for her very own. Grandmother sees Ming's awakening curiosity about the moon as an opportunity to instill values and impart wisdom. When Ming becomes a young woman, Grandmother tells her the Moon Parable, a tale originally told by the Buddha. Illuminating the Buddha's parable, Grandmother uses the metaphor of the moon to teach Ming about her Buddha-nature and shine the light within her. Ming eventually inherits Grandmother's legacy of storytelling and passes on the wisdom of Grandmother's stories to her own grandchildren. A tender tale about wisdom, family, and the power of stories, Bright Moon shines with a warm light."
--Publishers
Recommended by Kindful Kids Editors
Be The Change
This week try out any of these ideas to encourage kindness in your family!
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