CHARACTER COUNTS! Kindness 101

Caring for Neighbors – 93-Year-Old’s Obsession with the Hokey Pokey Culminates in a Flash Mob

It is important to find ways to care for our neighbors. We never know the positive difference we can make for the people around us.
Caring for Neighbors
Grade Level: K-12
 
Character Skills
  • Respect
  • Caring
SEL Skills
  • Relationship Skills 
  • Social Awareness
Academic Skills
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Curiosity and Passion 

Definitions

Respect
  • Follow the Golden Rule.
  • Be accepting of differences.
  • Be courteous to others.
  • Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements.
  • Be considerate of others’ feelings.
Caring
  • Be kind.
  • Be compassionate.
  • Express gratitude.
  • Forgive others.
  • Be considerate of others’ feelings.
Relationship Skills 

Create positive relationships and meaningful connections with family members, classmates, and teachers.

Social Awareness

Assess and be sensitive to the feelings and needs of others.

Critical and Creative Thinking

Acquire, remember, understand, and apply knowledge.

Curiosity and Passion 

Enthusiastic to understand more about themselves, others, and the world around them.

Learn more about our character, SEL, and academic outcomes.
Share This Activity
The Ray Center at Drake University
CBS News

Students will witness the power of connecting with neighbors and reflect on how they can connect with people in their community and help care for others within it. 

Download Google Slides
activiate prior knowledge

Activate Prior Knowledge

  • What is your favorite song? Why? 
  • Why is music a powerful way to connect with others?
  • What does it mean to be caring?
    • When we are caring, we are kind, empathetic, and compassionate.
Kindness 101

Kindness 101 Video

discussion

Discussion Prompts

  • How did Phyllis’s passion for the Hokey Pokey impact her relationships with her neighbors?
  • How do you think acts of kindness, like the flash mob, contribute to building strong communities?
  • In what ways can small gestures, like performing a dance or singing a song, make a big difference in someone’s life?
materials

Activity Materials

  • Paper 
  • Writing utensils 
  • Optional: student access to technology
activity

Activity: Kindness Playlist

Students will create a short playlist of songs that they could use to share kindness. 

  • Ask students to develop a list of 5 to 7 songs (school-appropriate). 
  • Optional: give students access to technology to search songs and build a real playlist using sites such as Spotify or YouTube. 
  • Students should share their playlists with one another.  
  • Depending on the developmental needs of your students, consider making a playlist as a whole class to support their learning. 
  • Follow-up question:
    • How does music help us connect with others?
journal prompts

Journal Prompts

K-5

  • Describe a time when someone did something kind for you. How did it make you feel?
  • If you could organize a surprise for someone you care about, what would it be and why?

6-12

  • Reflect on when you went out of your way to show kindness to someone. What motivated you to do so, and how did it impact you and the recipient?
  • Discuss a passion or interest that you wish others would appreciate more. How would you feel if someone surprised you with a gesture related to that interest?
family connection

Family Connection

Educators: Copy the Family Connection and email it to parents, or click here to download a PDF version to email or print.

Watch
Watch the video as a family: https://youtu.be/DxaT6LO2UCM

Discuss
Use these questions to start a meaningful conversation about caring for your neighbors.

  • What acts of kindness have you witnessed or been a part of?
  • What does it feel like to receive an act of kindness?
  • Who is someone in our neighborhood who could use extra care? What can we do for them?

More Kindness 101

CHARACTER COUNTS! Lessons and Activities

 

2702 Forest Avenue

Des Moines, IA 50311

515-271-1910

RayCenter@Drake.edu

Character Counts
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