How to Be Kind

100 Ways Middle Schoolers Can Be Kind

75 Ways to Be Kind to Others

  1. Smile at everyone you pass in the hallway, in the store, or walking on the sidewalk
  2. Hold the door open for people
  3. Sit by someone who's eating alone
  4. Put your phone away and give someone your full attention
  5. Greet people in the hallways
  6. When you experience something good, share it with people (a book, social media post, YouTube video, article, etc…)
  7. Don’t gossip
  8. Talk to someone you don't usually talk to and try to get to know them
  9. Say please and thank you when you ask for things
  10. Compliment someone
  11. Help a classmate when they're confused
  12. Leave a nice comment on social media
  13. Ask new people to be in your group during class
  14. Ask someone how their day's going and genuinely listen to their response
  15. Make eye contact when you talk to people
  16. Forgive someone when they hurt your feelings (even if they don’t ask for forgiveness)
  17. Give someone positive feedback when they've done something well
  18. Apologize when you mess up
  19. Listen when someone needs to talk
  20. Say thank you a lot
  21. Share your things
  22. Tell people to “have a great day
  23. Post a positive quote or note on social media
  24. Sit at the front of the bus and ask your bus driver about their life
  25. Don’t leave people hanging, follow through when you make a commitment
  26. Give away things you don’t need any more
  27. Don’t judge people
  28. Put a sticky note with a positive message in the hallway above the drinking fountain or bathroom mirror
  29. Ask your teacher about their life and what they enjoy doing when they're not teaching
  30. Give people the benefit of the doubt
  31. Randomly text a nice message to your family and friends
  32. Give someone a hug
  33. Stop talking and listen
  34. Be patient
  35. Let someone go ahead of you in line
  36. Call and talk to someone you haven't spoken to in a while
  37. Tell the principal how great your teachers are
  38. Thank the school cooks for making you yummy food for breakfast and lunch
  39. Say "I love you" to the people you love
  40. Clean the dishes after dinner without being asked
  41. Make sure everyone at the table feels included in the conversation
  42. High five people you pass in the hallway
  43. Write a thank-you note to someone
  44. Give someone a thoughtful gift (it doesn't have to be expensive, just thoughtful)
  45. Leave a nice note on someone’s desk
  46. Talk to someone at school that you’ve never talked to before
  47. Bring your bus driver a little treat
  48. Give someone a tissue when they’re crying
  49. Find the goodness in people you don’t always get along with
  50. Be happy for other people
  51. Surprise your friend with their favorite snack
  52. Tell someone why they are special to you
  53. Leave a “have a good day” note in a library book
  54. Happily participate when you really don't want to
  55. Be generous
  56. Write a thoughtful letter or card to someone and mail it to them
  57. Be honest
  58. Help a teacher pass out or collect papers
  59. Offer to clean the whiteboard
  60. Tell your teacher thank you at the end of class
  61. Cheer your classmates on
  62. Give teachers and classmates your full attention when they talk
  63. Tell the truth
  64. Make someone laugh with a silly joke (or meme or YouTube video)
  65. Say thank you when a teacher passes out papers
  66. Don’t complain
  67. Do the tasks that no one else wants to do
  68. Volunteer to tutor or read to elementary students
  69. FaceTime your grandparents
  70. Be inviting: invite someone to your house, eat lunch with you, be on your team, play at lunch recess
  71. When you're arguing or disagreeing with someone, stop and actually listen to their point of view
  72. Don’t interrupt people
  73. Tell your bus driver thank you for getting you to school and home safely
  74. Write a positive message on the sidewalk with colorful chalk
  75. Be selfless, put other people's interest and needs above your own
100 Ways Every Middle Schooler Can Be Kind - how to teach kindess in your classroom - 100 acts of kindness

25 Ways to Be Kind to Yourself

Along with being kind to others, it's so important that our students learn how to be kind to themselves! Scroll down to discover 25 ways to be kind to yourself:

  1. Forgive yourself
  2. Love your uniqueness
  3. Go outside and play
  4. Don't ignore your feelings and emotions, allow yourself to feel all the emotions and take time to process them
  5. Take a break from technology
  6. Acknowledge and be proud of your strengths
  7. Laugh at yourself
  8. Treat yo self
  9. Remind yourself of your awesomeness
  10. Just have fun
  11. Tell yourself that you are enough 
  12. Don't always play it safe, challenge and push yourself out of your comfort zone
  13. Stop trying to be perfect 
  14. Be a kid
  15. Believe that you are capable of anything 
  16. Be patient with yourself
  17. Ask for help and accept help when it's offered
  18. Accept your mistakes, learn from them, and move on
  19. Take a break from studying
  20. Stop comparing yourself to others
  21. Know that failure means you're trying, use it as a learning tool
  22. Don't settle for mediocrity
  23. Try new things: new food, new books, new music, new places, new friends
  24. Care for your body: go to bed early, get outside and move, and eat healthily
  25. Be your true self

Free Social Skill Posters

How to Encourage Students to Be Kind

Here are some ways you could encourage kindness:

  • Challenge students to complete one act of kindness a day until they've checked off each idea.
  • Give students a blank bingo sheet and ask them to fill in each box with one of the acts of kindness listed above. Then see how long it takes to get a blackout bingo.
  • Print off the list and cut out each idea. Students then randomly draw and perform an act of kindness. Once they complete a kind act, they can staple the paper to a kindness bulletin board.

 

>>> Blog: How to Create a Culture of Kindness

Free Social Skill Posters

Wanna remind your students to be kind? Be sure to download the free set of posters I shared with you a few weeks ago. This freebie comes with 12 posters each featuring a different way to be a good friend.

 

Free Classroom Posters - How to be A Good Friend. Use these posters in your classroom to promote being a good friend. Each poster features a social habit connected to being a good friend. These free classroom posters are perfect for any middle school classroom across the curriculum. Head over to Project School Wellness to download and print your posters.

 

Free Resource Library

Grab the freebie featured in this post, along with 30+ other free goodies in our Free Resource Library! Sign up below for instant access.

Hello. I'm  Janelle!

A middle school health teacher turned curriculum developer (and #WAHM). I'm on a mission to share the easiest-to-teach, most impactful health lesson plans on the Internet. Because your time and energy is better spent on teaching and connecting, not on planning and prep.

8 Comments

  1. […] >>>  100 Ways Every Middle Schooler Can Be Kind […]

  2. Allison on December 14, 2020 at 11:42 am

    I cleaned up my brothers room and i clean all of uour bathrooms in our house.

    • Janelle Kay on December 17, 2020 at 11:52 am

      Hey Allison,

      Yay! That’s awesome!

      – Janelle

  3. sydney on February 7, 2021 at 8:07 pm

    So I try to be kind around the school. I am in the 7th grade and I go to private school. I made these little cards with a nice note and a heads up penny for good luck and put it all around the school. The seniors also decorate the bathroom mirrors of the upstairs (downstairs is middle school and upstairs is high school and like 2 middle school classes) with positive messages and a little care kit. Also, there isn’t any bullying at our school because we have to wear uniform so it’s just spreading positiveness.

    • Connor Doyle on January 16, 2022 at 12:08 pm

      I currently teach at a middle school that does not have a dress code. Do you feel the dress code your school has implemented has had a direct impact on bullying?

      • Janelle Kay on March 1, 2022 at 1:00 pm

        Hey Connor,

        This is a VERY interesting topic. I haven’t heard any specific research on the topic. I’m not sure that a dress code would change how peers interact. However, I think school uniforms could potentially create neutrality in terms of dress and possibility impact on peer-to-peer interactions. Ultimately, I think the most factors in terms of bullying are things like school values, culture, student expectations, and how teachers monitor expectations.

        Definitely an interesting topic to discuss. Maybe have your students do a debate on the topic. That would be very enlightening and truthfully they probably know better than us teachers.

        Take care,

        Janelle

  4. David Glinski on March 24, 2021 at 1:19 pm

    1. Give another student a compliment for their efforts.
    2. Help someone with their work if they are struggling.
    3. Talk to your friends if they seem to be in a bad place.
    4. If someone is feeling sad, try to make them feel better.
    5. Help the teacher pass out/collect assignments.

  5. Connor Doyle on January 16, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    I really enjoy this list, I believe this is something we all could use and learn from. I look forward to having my students create their own list and see how many similarities we have.

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