Parents everywhere care about raising kind, compassionate kids. Kids who understand the golden rule. Kids who are peacemakers and problem solvers in their classrooms, communities, and beyond.
But teaching these values - kindness, compassion, civil disagreement, a hunger for justice - won’t just happen without our guidance as parents.
Kindness is a muscle.
And strengthening your child’s empathy “muscles” requires practice.
At Doing Good Together, we help families start and sustain an intentional “ kindness practice,” a powerful combination of daily habits, big-hearted conversations, great books, and volunteer experiences.
Starting an intentional kindness practice with your busy family is easier than you’d think:
1: Nurture Everyday Habits of Kindness:
Click here for more simple acts of kindness and a free printable to get you started.
Take a look at your family’s schedule, and find one big-hearted activity to add to your daily routines.
Visit Ready. Set. Give! to find our recommended, habit-forming acts of compassion.
Browse this list of big-hearted habits to discover a new favorite.
Try something off our popular list of big-hearted lifestyle upgrades.
If your child is a budding artist, set up a card-making station in your home and help them spread cheer and gratitude with elders and service providers in your community
If your child enjoys being outside, grab a trash bag, and pick up litter whenever you take a family walk
Or keep it simple! Give your child a compliment in the morning and remind them to share compliments with others during the day.
2. Reflect Together:
Click here for DGT’s tools to Start Kind Conversations.
Asking BIG questions with no right answers helps kids learn to think deeply about the world around them. And it’s something you can do even on the busiest days. For instance:
Offer open-ended questions from this list, like If you had one wish for the world, what would it be?
Take time to point out kindness as it happens - like how much you appreciated it when someone held the door when your arms were full of groceries.
Learn to walk in the shoes of others with this helpful, perspective-taking newsletter.
Name feelings, and encourage kids to recognize the emotions in others.
3. Read Together:
Click here for DGT’s Read with Empathy collection of books and conversation starters.
A good book opens the door to a new perspective, creating a wonderful opportunity to explore big ideas and consider unfamiliar experiences:
Make time to read and discuss books with your child at every age.
Browse DGT’s growing collection of books that strengthen empathy muscles.
While you read, ask questions like
How did the character feel at different points in the book?
How would you have handled the conflict in this story?
4. Finally, Volunteer Together
Click here for DGT’s tools for family volunteers, including our free volunteer listings.
We include this tip last only because volunteer experiences are less frequent than the everyday ideas I’ve already shared. But, trust me, serving your community as a family has a huge impact on your children! I encourage you to connect with the charities doing good work in your local community, and find out how you can get involved!
Sign up for one of DGT’s monthly volunteer listings in your area.
Connect with local organizations providing services in your community including food pantries, shelters, Meals on Wheels, children’s hospitals, and animal shelters. Ask how you and your family can support their work!
Plan ahead! Regularly add a community volunteer event to your family calendar so you always have one to look forward to.
A family kindness practice can shape the way kids engage with the world.
I’ve seen the impact on my children - and the thousands of children Doing Good Together has reached over the years. Through caring habits, thoughtful conversations, great books, and volunteering, kids grow big, compassionate hearts.
They know how to ask thoughtful questions, how to walk in the shoes of others, and when to step up and help out.
If you like our free resources, you’ll love our membership program!
Join today and we’ll help you keep kindness on your family calendar all year long, now with access to DGT’s popular member’s only e-book: Raise an Upstander! Anti-Bullying Activities for Big-Hearted Families.
Browse our project collection!
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The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.