Kindness Tree

I love the month of December because it gives my first graders an opportunity to share acts of kindness with others.  One way we do this is with our Kindness Tree.  On the first day of December I bring in an undecorated tree.  The students are usually surprised and baffled by the empty tree and they often want to quickly decorate it.  I let them know that we will add one ornament everyday to the tree.   The ornament is a plain, white plastic ball.  We think of a word that we can write on the ornament that would show kindness.  I write the words with a black Sharpie marker and then we hang it on the tree.  For example, if our word is smile, we will practice that word all day in the classroom, throughout the school, and at home.  We are finding that when we share these kind acts in our classroom, school, and home, we are giving the gift of kindness to others.  These gifts don't cost a penny but rather come from the heart and are worth more than we may ever know.  The students also begin to realize that as we add each ornament to the tree, the tree grows more beautiful.....just as we do when we share our gifts with others.