How to Create a Kindness Tree is an activity from Becky Goddard-Hill, my very lovely friend who I’m so very proud of today as she launches her fantastic book ‘Create Your Own Kindness’…
Becky is a psychotherapist and life coach and author of Create Your Own Kindness a wellbeing activity book for 6-12 year olds published recently by Harper Collins. It is a beautiful and colourful book packed with 50 fun activities to help kids be kinder to themselves, other people and to the planet.
Here she shares a kindness activity with us that any family can easily do and that will bring kindness right to the heart of their home.
Over to Becky ….
Kindness matters
It is important to celebrate and give focus to helpful acts that our children perform. The things we focus on expand so by giving kindness spotlight attention we can help kids think about it, appreciate it and understand how unbelievably valuable it is.
Creating a kindness tree is a beautiful way to do this and it is so amazingly simple to do.
How to make a kindness tree
First of all, you need a tree that you can keep indoors.
You can either print out a picture of an empty tree with just branches on a sheet of paper and name it the kindness tree.
Or you can pick up an actual tree figure from a craft store- preferably one without leaves.
Another option is to get a twig with lots of branches that looks like a mini tree and pop it in a vase. – perhaps you could even spray paint in silver?
Next, you will need some little shreds of tissue paper or ribbon cuts or charms of some kind to decorate your tree with.
How to use your kindness tree
For every act of kindness that you spot your kid doing, tie a charm or ribbon or twist of paper onto the tree. Be sure to tell your kids what you have seen them do and how you value it. They can even add their own.
As your kids see the tree fill up they should feel a sense of pride about their actions and be encouraged to do more kind deeds.
Catch them being kind and they will do it even more.
Being kind makes our kids feel fabulous.
Scientists have found that when we do a good deed for others, our brains release a “feel good” hormone called oxytocin – sometimes called the love hormone. Other feel good chemicals are also released include dopamine (which give us a feeling of euphoria) and serotonin (which boost our mood)
Not only is kindness its own reward but being kind helps build friendships and connections too and it is contagious. Your kids will find the kinder they are the kinder people will be to them.
It is worth our focus.
Buy the book
Create Your Own Kindness contains 50 fun and simple kindness activities and can be purchased here.
