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Random Acts of Kindness – lesson plan

You may be aware of the phrase ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ but did you know that it has it’s own day?  This year (2019) it’s on Sunday 17th February.  This is a great opportunity to encourage children to be kind to each other and to discuss issues surrounding their personal, social and emotional development.  We’ll discuss the benefits of being kind (there’s plenty of science to back up these claims) and give you plenty of ideas on how to try this out yourselves.

Are you a teacher?  Read down to the bottom of the blog to get your FREE dance lesson plan based on kindness.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted Aesop

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation aims to build a kinder world and to make ‘kindness effortless and have selfless acts be the norm’.

Did you know that kindness is good for you?

  • It produces oxytocin, which aids in lowering blood pressure and improves our self-esteem
  • It can increase energy levels and makes you feel calmer
  • It can make you less depressed and lower stress levels
  • People who are altruistic are more likely to be happy
  • People who volunteer have a lower chance of dying early
  • And it’s good for others too – kindness is contagious

How amazing is that!  And the even better news is that being kind is usually FREE!  All it takes is a compliment, some kind words or a hug.

Quote 1

How to be a RAK-tovist!  Ideas to try out

  • Write down the things you like about someone else and give it to them
  • Send a card in the post to a family member
  • Bake someone a cake
  • Hide a note with a smiley face for a someone to find
  • Donate unused books / toys / clothes to a charity
  • Make friends with someone new

At home, we’ve been leaving notes for others to find.  This lovely idea has worked brilliantly in our house and came out of a WHOLE afternoon of my two children arguing and bickering!  I got so fed up with it that I decided to ban the TV.  The only way they could earn back their entitlement to screen time was to complete at least 6 random acts of kindness to each other.  And they still needed to continue to have 6 acts each in order for TV to resume – if either one of them was mean or rude they would have one of their kind acts struck off their tally.

It was amazing how quickly the atmosphere in our house went from agitation, whinging and irritation to one of calm, love and kindness!!!  Maisie ran the bath for Oscar.  Oscar gave her hugs and lots of kind words.  Maisie tided up her brother’s room (she’d NEVER have done that if I’d actually ASKED her to!) and they both left lots of lovely notes to each other.  Not only did it impact on my children, but it spilled over onto myself and the other half too as we discovered messages for ourselves later on.

What could you do on RAK day to improve your health, relationships and feel good about yourself?  For more suggestions, visit the RAK ‘Kindness Ideas’ page

Let us remember: one book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world. Malala Yousafzai

Teachers!  Wondering how this links in with dance?  JumpStart have JUST finished writing a NEW lesson plan based on ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’, which ties in perfectly with the issues of kindness and taking care of others.  Aimed at Foundation Stage / KS1 children.

Parents!  The ideas on this plan are easily adaptable for families too – read through the story and try out some of the actions with your children.  They’ll love moving with you and having quality time together.

To access your plan, click here The Smartest Giant in Town lesson plan.

Enjoy using it with your children.  And we’d love to hear what random acts of kindness you get up to over the next few weeks! Share with us in the comments below or on our Facebook page @JumpStartDance

All images with quotations taken from the Random Acts of Kindness website

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