Kindness Circles

Why Kindness circle?

Kindness is fundamental to human existence, the core attribute of human beings. Kindness increases our ability to form meaningful connections with others too. And when you are kind it does come back, as Kindness Unlimited(KU) defines Kindness… it is balancing Self Interest with Common
Interest. Hence, KU believes it is important to inculcate & nurture the attribute of Kindness since childhood… inception of one’s very existence, therefore…. KINDNESS CIRCLE.

OBJECTIVE

◦ The Butterfly Effect in Chaos Theory asserts that a tiny event in one region of the globe can have a substantial effect somewhere else. Incorporate the smallest acts of kindness into your everyday life and notice the ripple effects.
◦ Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness is best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it. And Kindness is not something that demands hard work. It originates from the simple act of doing no harm to others.
◦ It influences the giver more than the receiver and has correlations with enhanced mental, emotional and physical well-being.
◦ It’s become quite clear that modern education must encompass more than just academics, that in order for children to develop into happy, confident, well-rounded individuals, matters of the heart must be taken seriously and nurtured as a matter of priority
◦ The random acts of kindness create a warm and supportive environment that will encourage students to help and support each other instead of bullying the weaker ones.
◦ Kind acts stimulate the production of the hormone serotonin, and children tend to become calmer and more focused, allowing them to concentrate better on their studies.
◦ When children are not exposed to undue stress, their health and mood improve, resulting in smarter and happier students.
◦ When children are part of projects that help others less fortunate than themselves, it provides them with a real sense of perspective and helps them appreciate the good things in their own lives.

APPROACH

▪ The Kindness circle is a programme to nurture kindness within school going students with small activities performed on a monthly basis across every class facilitated by the class teacher. Schools could follow any preferred medium to initiate the kindness circle
1. Include this as part of the Moral science class
2. Include a weekly class for kindness circle
3. Daily sharing of kindness circle in the school assembly
4. As per the convenience of schools

▪ Programme contains ‘Kindness Kit’ with different activities listed (It could be also done virtually with students assigned activities randomly) every student in the classroom is expected to pick 1  activity & perform it within the next 7 days or there could be a group of 5 or 6 (this may also create little fun ).
▪ The resource includes a series of kind acts on each of the following aspects of Kindness; Courage, Compassion, Integrity, Self-Awareness, Respect, Generosity, Gratitude, Inclusion, Optimism and Humour.
▪ The class teacher is expected to monitor & nudge their students through periodic reminders & discuss the experience of students during a scheduled kindness circle.
▪ The kind kits are not intended to be used in any particular order nor is it necessary to present all within a particular year or grade. Our intent was to develop a resource that would offer the most flexibility to teachers and schools as we try to nurture the development of social responsibility within our students. The variety of kind acts allows teachers or schools to find some alignment between a school goal, initiative, a student leadership program, or an identified need within a school, class, or grade level.

Some examples of kindness activity-

1. Give water & snacks to food/e-commerce delivery /stranger who have come to your home to deliver anything. Don’t forget to tell him that he/she is doing an amazing job & smile ☺
2. Put positive sticky notes in places where others will see them and be uplifted. It could be your house/apartment complex/club house/school or any place where you think people glance
3. Pick up trash that you see in your complex/ road/ house & dispose it in the dustbin
4. Water 5 plants in your house/neighbourhood & share all your love to these trees
5. Play /Talk indoor/outdoor with the son/daughter of your security Guard. It could be any game virtually or in person