We love using kindness books in classroom lessons and in counseling sessions. We asked Laura from The Pawsitive School Counselor and Carol Miller, The Middle School Counselor to share their go to children's books on kindness. Check to see if they some of your favorites too.
Kindness Books for Younger Students
When it comes to kindness, caring, and Valentine’s Day, there are so many great book titles to choose from. For emerging readers I love the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems. Books like My Friend Is Sad, Can I Play Too?, and Should I Share My Ice Cream? are wonderful introductions to friendship and empathy.
Another book for younger students in What Does It Mean To Be Kind by Rana DiOrio. This book gives many examples of kindness, which provides an easy to understand visual for younger students.
For older elementary students Each Kindness is still my go to book. The story and illustrations lends themselves to deep conversation about first impressions and the ripple effects of our actions – both kind and unkind.
Special Kindness Books
I honestly don’t use many books in my counseling lessons, even though kids love them. The ones I do use, are my absolute favorites and when I share them with the students they become even more special. When it comes time to teaching kindness, I do have 2 books that are staples in my program.
Enemy Pie by Derek Munson, is the first book I added to my collection and I love reading it every year. It’s a wonderful story about turning one’s enemy into a friend and how spending time getting to know someone can make all the difference in the world. I have used this with middle schoolers and elementary students and it is their favorite too!
The Jelly Donut Difference by Maria Dismondy was recommended to me this year by a few fellow counselors. This is a heartwarming story about how little acts of kindness can transform not only how others feel but how you feel yourself. I used this lesson to accompany the book and it too was a hit with students and the pennants made a great display for all to see how we can spread kindness ourselves.
Grab the Book & Lesson!
Need more resources focused on kindness? Check out 10 minute kindness activities for the classroom.
What are you favorite books on Kindness? Share in the comments below!
