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“I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand” Confucius You might be thinking, my child is already compassionate, sweet and kind. But for young children, their limited life experiences means the kindness they exhibit centers more on their immediate world: their parents, extended family, their school. They might understand what it means to be nice to a friend and how to provide a sympathetic gesture when someone they know is sad, but kindness for the greater good is usually beyond their understanding. Gaining a big picture sense of how to be a socially responsible empathetic person can take a lifetime to fully comprehend.



 With some adult modeling and guidance, children&#8217;s narrow empathetic lens can easily be accelerated by expanding their focus to include a wider range of people, especially surrounding the holiday season. This can be done by talking and modeling what an act of kindness looks like and feels like and celebrating each moment of kindness that your child is involved with.



 These acts of kindness can relate to small and big ideas. To understand the ramifications of their actions, children just need to relate to the person or concept they are bestowing kindness on. Here are some examples: 



For Infants:



&#8211; Remember that babies are always watching you. As much as you can, model small acts of kindness in front of your baby and practice self talk while doing it. 



&#8211; When you verbalize appreciation for your partner, show your baby a hug, or a smile, so they see you and learn kindness along the way 



&#8211; When you wash hands with your baby, use self talk to discuss what you’re doing, and why it matters to protect and take care of others



&#8211; Virtually, with your child, check up on an elderly person in their life



&#8211; Face time with their special friends and model how to tell them that they are missed and ask if there is anything that you can do for them



For Toddlers &amp; Preschool



&#8211; If your child personally knows an essential medical worker, send a video that expresses gratitude or do a zoom sing a long meeting with that person



&#8211; If you have an elderly neighbor, send over a special piece of art to leave outside their home



&#8211; Virtually, with your child, check up on an elderly person in their life. Face time with your child’s special friend and model how to tell them that they are missed and ask if there is anything that you can do for them



&#8211; When your child displays kindness of any sort- they are nice to a sibling, they help you with dinner, they give you a spontaneous hug- thank them for the kind gesture



&#8211; To carry on this idea on a daily basis, make a kindness calendar.  Each day, with your child plan one act of kindness they they would like to accomplish by the end of the day.



Being an empathetic being is a process, but over time your child will master this complex skill by doing one act of kindness at a time. By helping your child become more aware of other people who are not normally on their immediate radar, you are helping to open up their mind and heart to the language of kindness and appreciation and giving them a sense of hope of a brighter tomorrow &#8211; an idea that we all need to hang on to in this uncertain time.

Practicing Kindness with Young Children

One of the secrets to creating an easy flowing school day for young learners is helping children with the transitions from one part of the day to the next. The number of transitions that your child moves through are multiple.&nbsp; Without transitional tools, the best laid plans rarely work out. Read on to create a repertoire of strategies to help you make transitions much smoother. It is never too early to begin incorporating transitional strategies into your child’s daily routine.



Transition with a timer:



Children’s sense of time is different than adults.&nbsp; If you say, “ you have five more minutes to play” a young child probably does not understand what five minutes means.&nbsp; Providing children with a kitchen timer can solve this dilemma. A timer takes away the element of surprise about when it is time to stop what they are currently doing.&nbsp; When you are ready to start a transition you can say “ Can you hold this timer. I am going to set it for five minutes and when the timer rings let me know because that is when we are going to …” This technique can help children feel in control , be in charge of their schedule as they make a transition.&nbsp;



Transition with a story:



You can start with this song and then cozy up with your child and read a favorite story before transitioning to the next part of the day.



Tune: “If You’re Happy And You Know It”



If you’re ready for a story, come sit down.



If you’re ready for a story, come sit down.



Let’s gather near, so you can hear.



If you’re ready for a story, come sit down.



Transition with Movement:



Take a few minutes between activities to “get the wiggles out” by incorporating movement and physical exercise as a way to break from one activity and start something new.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Other ideas for transitioning:



&#8211; Dim the lights and then have your child close their eyes while you help them guess what the next activity of the day is.



&#8211; Put on classical music to refocus your child’s focus



&#8211; Have an exercise challenge- How high can you jump, how many jumping jacks can we do, how&nbsp;



&#8211; Use a clapping response game where you clap and they respond. For example, clap two times and then your child parrots the clapping



&#8211; Set the Stage &#8211; Give children age-appropriate information so they know what’s happening and how it will affect them.



&#8211; Co-create plans by involving them in daily decision-making, like choosing the next activity or what they’d like for lunch.



Once you start thinking about your day in terms of blocks of time, transitions cues will come naturally to you and make these sometimes challenging moments of the day more fun and less stressful.

Transitions Made Easier

At Vivvi, our snack and meal times are for more than just eating. We view this time of the day as an important communication and learning time. Based on decades of research, Vivvi teachers know that meal time offers opportunities for engaging in purposeful conversations to extend language and critical thinking skills and promotes fine motor strength as peer relationships are built and a foundation for healthy eating habits  transpires.  



These communal eating experiences begin even before the meal begins at our school.&nbsp; With infants,&nbsp; as they eagerly await for their bottle, self regulation versus instant gratification is practiced, as well as fine motor skills as they learn to use a grasping grip for bottle holding. And as teachers respond to their needs our babies become confident and secure.



With toddlers and preschoolers,  during meal preparation, children practice 1:1 correspondence as they set the table and fine motor development to open food containers; extending their collaborative skills as they work together in a respectful way. 



The same benefits of a group  meal experiences at school benefit children at home.  But with our busy lives and obligations- how can this be done? Here are some tips to help you get organized to discover the joys of family mealtime. 



Use Helping Hands&#8211; Assign a meal prep job to each person in your family.  For babies it can just be giving them a sensory bin activity that will keep them occupied while you start your meal prep.  For toddlers and preschoolers it can be having them shred the lettuce for the salad or setting the table.  By starting to introduce the idea of being a contributor to a family meal at a young age- as your child grows they will more likely continue to understand the necessity of being an active participant in daily family routines. 



Menu planning&#8211; If your children are old enough, get them involved in meal planning.  Participating in food selection, can motivate picky eaters to try different foods.  In a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition,  children were offered sweet red pepper and asked to rate how much they liked it. Then, each day for the next eight days, they were invited to eat as much of the pepper as they wanted. By the end of the experiment, the children rated the taste of a pepper higher than the first day and were eating more of it.



Cleaning up&#8211; As we know once a meal is done- that is when the real work begins!  This is the perfect time to model the value of working together to achieve a common goal- a clean kitchen and will help your child gain a sense of responsibility and accountability.



Finding time to eat as a family might just be the ultimate learning experience for your child.&nbsp; As Henry Wasworth Longfellow said “a single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years of mere study of books”&nbsp; During your next family meal, enjoy the food and company as you nurture the roots of learning in your child.&nbsp;

What Children Learn During Mealtime

Strategies for Tantrums & Challenging Behaviors

Toddler & Preschool Activity: Fingerplays

Infant Activity: High Chair Play

No-Cook Playdough

Infant Activity: Yoga

White Paper: Human Problems Need Human Solutions

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