Inside: Use these Back to School Role Playing Kindness Cards with kids to practice how to be kind towards others as they head back to school.
While there is no one way to be kind, there are many ways to be unkind.
And when kids are headed into a new situation, like heading to school, they may not know what is required or expected of them.
This is especially true for kids who are going to school for the first time or kids who struggle with being kind to classmates.
Role Playing gives children a safe space to practice new skills they’re learning that may otherwise feel overwhelming if they were not given time to practice.
So families and classrooms can use these Back to Schools Role Playing Kindness cards to intentionally practice different ways to be kind during common school situations in the classroom, the hallways, the cafeteria, the bus, and the playground.
Back to School Activities for Social Emotional Learning
We could teach kindness as an isolated moment, but that’s not the reality. The real power of kindness is we can be kind every day, every month in our simple normal everyday interactions with others.
And if we’re spending a whole year at school together, the best way to focus on kindness is at the beginning of the school year to set the year up for success.
So the beginning of the school year is the perfect time to focus on Social Emotional Learning and kindness.
And we can use Back to School and fall themed kindness resources like these to make focusing on SEL easier:
Fall kindness Notes to pass out to friends and neighbors
Back To School Kindness Social Emotional Learning Bundle
You can play our Apple Kind or Unkind Sort Game and write about the ways we can be kind in August and September.
You can connect kindness with writing with these Apple Kindness Craft and Writes.
You can make these Kindness Back to School Pencils for classmates:
You can read Back to School Books that focus on kindness and social emotional learning like these:
How to Be Kind in Kindergarten
Related: More Kindness Books and Friendship Books
I am Kind at School Kindness Emergent Reader (for beginning readers) and the I am Kind at School Kindness Early Reader (for more advanced readers.)
And we can intentionally practice being kind in different ways with these Back to School Role Playing Kindness Cards.
How to Use These Back to School Role Playing Kindness Cards
1. Print out the Back to School Kindness Role Playing Cards on cardstock (download them below).
2. Cut them apart.
3. Tell the kids you are going to practice acting out ways to be kind at school (sharing, turn-taking, giving compliments, being helpful, being friendly, using manners, etc.).
4. Read a scenario on the card such as: “When you see someone playing by themself.” The idea on the card is to say, “Do you want to play with me?” Brainstorm other things to say since there’s never just one way. (ie: Can I play with you? What do you want to play? Do you want to join us? Do you want to go on the swings with me?)
5. Invite kids who are interested to practice acting it out. Hand them a pretend role playing card and have them practice saying one of the brainstormed ways to react when they open their card.
6. Practice with other scenarios/role playing cards. Have them practice introducing themselves to other kids or asking if they can help. They can brainstorm what to do when they’re in a situation that feels new or scary to them.
7. As kids get more confident, invite other students to act out the scenarios.
8. You can also brainstorm things to NOT say or do that would be unkind or rude (excluding others, not smiling or saying “hi,” not cheering on classmates who try hard things, etc.)
Download the free Back to School Role Playing Kindness Cards here.
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