Seven Easy Ways to Encourage Kindness in December

December provides an excellent opportunity for elementary school counselors to reinforce kindness while helping students understand that being kind is more than being polite. It involves noticing others, making thoughtful choices, and treating people with care—even when doing so is not easy.

Elementary school is a critical time for developing friendship skills and learning how to navigate social situations. Children encounter disagreements, misunderstandings, exclusion, and hurt feelings as they interact with classmates.

Without guidance, students may not recognize how their words and actions affect others. They may also assume that kindness is only necessary when they like someone or when someone has been kind to them first.

Seven Easy Ways to Encourage Kindness in December

School counselors can reinforce the lesson throughout the month with these quick activities:

1. Kindness Countdown: Challenge students to complete one kind action each school day.
2. Compliment Circle: Have students offer sincere, specific compliments to classmates.
3. Include Someone New: Brainstorm ways to invite others to join games, groups, or conversations.
4. Kind Words Challenge: Practice replacing hurtful comments with respectful language.
5. Secret Kindness Mission: Give students a private kindness task to complete without seeking recognition.
6. Kindness Scenario Cards: Present common school situations and ask, “What would you say? What would you do?”
7. Kindness Reflection: Ask students to write or draw one kind thing they did and how it might have helped someone.

These activities can be adapted for classroom lessons, small counseling groups, or individual counseling sessions.