Books are a great way to teach kindness. They usually include examples that students can relate to, giving them ideas of how to be kind. Below are 8 of my favorite books for teaching kindness, prek-4th!
This is one of my FAVORITE books for teaching kindness! In this book, a girl wants to make a difference in the world. She’s not sure how but knows she can. She tries doing several acts of kindness each day but starts to feel like her actions don’t matter and she can’t make a difference. What she doesn’t know, is that all of her acts of kindness have turned into a kindness chain. Her mom points this out and reassures her that she has made the world better. Explaining a kindness chain to little ones can be difficult, but this book does it well. It can also be used for teaching bravery or confidence, showing that you do matter. I would recommend this book for K-3rd.
Another adorable book for teaching kindness. When the class is acting up, Mrs. Ruler becomes overwhelmed. But instead of handing out punishments, she encourages her students to do something kind instead. It doesn’t take long for the whole class to get involved, and they share and count their acts of kindness until they reach 100. I would recommend this book for K-2nd.
This book is about a girl who is trying to figure out what kindness means. She shares an experience and her thoughts throughout the book, giving plenty of examples. What I like most about this book is that it broadens the definition of how to be kind. I would recommend this book for K-3rd.
Kindness is portrayed in a different way in this book. The main character, Jean, is bossy and mean to everyone at recess. But when a new student comes, she challenges Jean. Eventually, she even asks Jean to play, changing things on the playground forever. What I love most about this book is that it offers another solution for handling someone who is essentially a bully, and shows how powerful one act of kindness really is. I would recommend this book for K-2nd.
This is a classic book for explaining kindness. It gives the idea that we all carry an invisible bucket. Our bucket gets filled when we do something kind for someone else or they do something kind for us. But you can also dip into someone’s bucket by doing or saying something mean. Like some of the others I mentioned, this book gives an extensive list of acts of kindness that can be done in a variety of different settings. I would recommend this book for PreK-3rd.
In this book, 2 twins learn how their acts of kindness can affect others, specifically their next-door neighbor. Not only do they make her feel special, but they also learn to appreciate each other, as they don’t always get along. To make this extra engaging, I always bring in jelly Munchkins from Dunkin Donuts! I would recommend this book for 1st-3rd.
This book explains kindness in an engaging and entertaining way. When a boy starts having trouble with a new kid in town, he labels him as his enemy. Wishing he was gone, he talks with his dad. His dad tells him about “Enemy Pie,” a recipe that gets rid of enemies. The boy thinks of all the horrible things that must go in a pie like that, but it appears normal. His dad tells him he must do one last thing before giving his enemy the pie: ask him to play and spend the day with him. In the end, they become friends and all enjoy pie together. Because this book also depicts giving someone another chance, I have used it to explain fairness as well. I would recommend this book for 1st-3rd.
I like this book for kindness but also for empathy. It’s about a girl who finds a lost dog and keeps him as her own. At first, she doesn’t want to give the dog up, but her mom explains the dog must be cared for because it’s wearing shoes. After the dog runs away, she realizes how sad and worried his owner must feel, as she did, and they set out to find the owner. I would recommend this book for K-4th.
I hope you found this list helpful! Are there any others you would add to the list?
Take care,
Kylie
Organizing a kindness week? Check out this post here
