How To Help Students Be Kind & Empathetic This Holiday Season
I love the holiday season. There’s something magical about the bright lights, the smell of cookies baking, and time together as a family.
But there’s one thing I don’t like about the holiday season- the “gimme” mentality it can bring.
I see it every year, kids insisting that they need the newest video game system or headphone set. Even my own toddler grabs the toy catalog as soon as it comes in and emphatically points out every toy she wants.
Don’t get me wrong, giving gifts to friends and family members is a wonderful way to show that we care about them. But, I also think we can help curb the consumerist mentality in our students.
One of those ways is to use December to focus on kindness and empathy. These December kindness ideas for school counselors will help you encourage your students to look outward this holiday season.
But What If My Students Don’t Celebrate Christmas?
Talking about the holiday season in the context of school brings up the valid concern of making sure we respect the diversity in how people celebrate, or don’t celebrate.
This is important, and it’s another reason why focusing on kindness and empathy can be a great strategy for December. Instead of focusing on specific holiday celebrations or traditions, students will learn about and practice skills that can be impactful for all.
Still want to include some seasonal fun? Try some winter themed activities or spend time discussing the variety of holiday celebrations that exist!
The 5 ideas in this post will help you promote a culture of empathy and kindness in your school this December, regardless of how your students celebrate the holidays!
1) Take time to learn about other cultures
Christmas is in December, but so is St. Nicholas Day, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve. Help your students practice empathy this December by learning about cultures and celebrations they aren’t familiar with.
Students can talk to their friends and family members to learn about different holiday traditions, do research on the internet, or read books. As a child, it can be easy to think that what your family celebrates (or doesn’t celebrate) is normal.
But, we can use the holiday season to teach about the diversity that exists in our world and communities. As students learn about how different holidays are celebrated, they’re encouraged to show empathy and kindness to people who are different than them.
One of my favorite books to use for this is called “A World Of Cookies For Santa.” Although it’s focused on Santa/Christmas, it talks about how kids all over the world celebrate by leaving out different types of cookies. Plus, there are fun recipes in the back of the book to try!
2) Work Together!
The things you do in your lessons are effective, and make a real difference in the lives of students. BUT, one of my core beliefs is that kids don’t exist in a vacuum. They are influenced and shaped by peers, parents, teachers, etc.
To help your focus on kindness and empathy be even more impactful, consider organizing a school wide initiative. This will help students learn about and practice kindness not only in your lessons, but also in their classrooms, with their families, etc.
Here are some ideas for ways to encourage kindness school wide:
Read a quote about kindness each day on the morning announcements
Have a school wide penny drive and donate the money to a charity
Create a paper chain of students’ acts of kindness
Give classroom teachers a kindness or empathy question of the day that they can discuss in morning meetings, circle time, etc.
When students are learning about kindness and empathy in more than one setting, it will be more impactful!
3) Give Back
Use the holiday season to encourage kindness and empathy through service projects.
Spend time in your classroom lessons talking about the needs of the people in your community. Then, come up with ways to meet those needs. Working together on a service project will empower your students to put kindness and empathy into practice.
These Christmas tree were turned into ornaments for residents at a local nursing home!
When kids get to be a part of the process, they will get to see the impact of their kindness as they experience the gift of giving.
Not sure what to do? Here are some easy service project ideas:
Send cards to children in the hospital
Make ornaments for elderly in nursing homes
Make fleece blankets for children in foster care
Create crafts to sell and then donate the money to a local charity
4) Read about Kindness This December
There are SO many books that are perfect for your kindness and empathy lessons. The best part is that the hard work is done for you! All you need to do is read them to your students and you’re set up for meaningful discussion.
If you are looking for seasonal materials to use, many holiday picture books include strong themes of empathy and kindness. These books combine holiday fun with instruction about important social skills. This combination leads to memorable lessons that have a meaningful impact on your students.
Not sure which books to use? Read about my favorite SEL books to use during December!
For general, winter themed books that aren’t focused on a specific holiday, check out my January book list.
5) Explicit Instruction + Seasonal Fun
Festive themes just make things more fun. As a coffee fanatic, I always get so excited for the Starbucks holiday cups to be released. Yes, I know it’s just a cup. It has the exact same function as the plain white ones. Yet somehow the red and the green and the snowflakes make it so much more exciting.
This activity will help students use words that are welcoming, appreciative, respectful and meaningful!
The same goes for your counseling lessons. Your go-to activities are great, and the students love them and learn from them. BUT adding some seasonal fun can add an extra bit of excitement that really gets them engaged.
There are a lot of Christmas activities out there that focus on kindness and empathy, but you can also find fun winter themed resources that don’t focus on a specific holiday.
Don’t feel like scouring the internet for ideas? Here are some you might like!
The holiday season doesn’t have to be full of consumerism. Use these December kindness ideas for school counseling, to help your students make this time of year more magical for others.
