In observance of National Bullying Prevention Month, the Lower School Library’s October focus is encouraging children to always choose kindness and to recognize that small acts of kindness can lead to big change. Children are learning about the ripple effect of doing nice things for others and how even a small gesture, like smiling at everyone you see, can be “contagious”.
Preschool 3 through Grade 2 interacted with books that feature characters celebrating friendship, learning to share their friends and share with their friends, showing love and caring to a friend in need, making new friends, welcoming new children to school, accepting differences, and helping a friend who is being bullied.
Some of the books we read are Alexandra Penfold’s All are Welcome, Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie books, Jonathan Stutzman’s Tiny T-Rex and the Impossible Hug, Beth Ferry’s Stick and Stone, Kathryn Otoshi’s One, Kerascoët’s I Walk with Vanessa (a book without words), and Pat Zietlow Miller’s Be Kind.
We shared several of the books with multiple grades, which sparked a variety of discussions: What does it mean to be kind and what does kindness look like? Is it okay for your friends to play with other people? How do you make your friends feel better when they are sad, even when you can’t fix their problems? What are bullies, bystanders, upstanders, and allies, and what should you do if you see someone who is being bullied? Why did the illustrator choose the colors they did and what feelings do they evoke?
In addition to our discussions, students engaged in activities related to each of the books.in response to reading One, students chose a color that evoked for them a single emotion and drew something that represented that emotion using only that color. After reading Stick and Stone, Preschool 3 students worked together to create people out of sticks and stones. To celebrate kindness going forward, Preschool 4 and Kindergarteners created Hug Coupons and Kindness Cards to present to friends and family, and First and Second Graders embarked on a Kindness Challenge which children can work on throughout October and November.
If you would like to continue this conversation at home, some other books that illustrate acceptance, friendship, and the power of kindness are Mary Murphy’s How Kind!, David Ezra Stein’s The Nice Book, Trudy Ludwig’s The Invisible Boy, Marybeth Boelt’s Those Shoes, Matt de la Peña’s Last Stop on Market Street, Carol McCloud’s Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids, Laurie Keller’s Do Unto Otters, R.J. Palacio’s We’re All Wonders, Jacqueline Woodson’s Each Kindness and The Day You Begin, and Derek Munson’s Enemy Pie.