How to Encourage Kindness with this Coloring Kindness Bookmark

Use this kindness bookmark your kids can color in to encourage kindness and remind them to be kind, even when they’re reading books.

As a credentialed teacher, I’m always looking for ways to encourage my own kids to read books, so they continue to be in love with reading.

Reading books opens up new worlds, new opportunities and new viewpoints.

So when my kids were little, we had books in every room of our house, including the bathroom and a giant basket in our car.

I made sure they see me read, I read to them, and our favorite family date night is a used book store where they get to pick out new books. I always say ‘yes‘ to the Scholastic Book Fair and the book orders they bring home from school, and we have a Book-Movie Club my kids love.

When we get souvenirs on family vacations, we get books and bookmarks often.

But since we’re raising our kids to be kind and we encourage them to read often, when we can combine the two together, it’s a win-win.

So we often read kindness books and we this Coloring Kindness Bookmark to use while they read.

Why Reading about Kindness is Important

We all know, there are so many books to choose from. And my kids are lucky enough to have a ton of books in their personal libraries, and I can’t lie: I don’t love all of them.

They often choose books with characters that speak rudely or treat their friends and siblings like absolute dirt: books like Junie B. Jones and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

And the problem with reading about characters who speak and act with rudeness, cruelty, and bullying behaviors is our kids begin to think it’s normal. And if it’s normal to them, they’ll think they can speak and act this way.

So to combat the nasty characters that are often read, we can introduce kindness books and offer them a kindness bookmark to use while they read.

Books That Celebrate Kindness that Go Perfectly with a Kindness Bookmark:

Need a few great books to fill out your bookshelf that celebrates kindness?

Here are our favorites:

How Full is Your Bucket?– Bucket Filling is a simple metaphor for “filling” people up and improving the lives of the people around us through kind words and actions.

Sara the Bucket Filler

The Big Umbrella- Anyone can be helpful to those around them.

Because Amelia Smiled– One small smile can have a ripple effect of kindness that carries all around the world.

Each Kindness– Kindness, or a lack of it, can have lasting effects on the people around us. But a simple change can make all the difference in the world.

Kindness Quilt– Acts of kindness are easy for us all to do, and this book has some great ideas for kids

The Lion and the Mouse– An Aesop Fable that shows when we’re kind, it often comes around to benefit us later.

The Kindness Book– We love all Todd Parr books!

The Golden Rule- What if everyone followed the Golden Rule again? How magical would that be???

Be Kind- Can these two simple words change the world? It can change one person’s world.

One Drop of Kindness– see how kindness can ripple and kind words and actions can help someone see kindness is the way to go.

One Caring Kid- Simple ways kids can be kind by showing they care about those around them.

I Walk With Vanessa– One simple act of kindness towards someone who is being bullied can inspire others to stand up too.

What if Everybody Said That?– Saying something unkind might not seem like a big deal, until you start to imagine what if everyone said the same thing?

Manu the Kiwi– Helping other animals find their gifts is Kiwi’s gift. He spreads kindness all over the island to all the animals.

The Green Ladybug- Kindness prevails when someone is different.

Pay It Foward
(Bonus: It’s also a movie you can read after you’ve read it with or to your kids).

Kindness is my Superpower-Lucas learns how being kind is way better than teasing others.

Books That Encourage Kids to Be a Good Friend:

Being kind and being a good friend go hand in hand. These books showcase what it takes to be a good friend.

Strictly No Elephants – Being left out of a group is no fun. Good friends invite you to join in, no matter what. Even if you have a pet elephant.

Pink Tiara Cookies for Three- It’s hard to invite a new friend into a friendship to make the group a trio. But including new friends to join in is important.

How to Be a Friend- Practical how-to ideas for kids to be a good friend and find good friends

Nothing Rhymes with Orange- It can be super tricky when you feel lonely when you’re left out. But being an includer is a great way to be a friend.

My Friend is Sad– What would cheer up a friend? Sometimes, it’s the simplest of things.

Friends– True friends are never really apart, even when they have to be apart.

Two– It’s super tricky when a new friend is friends with your best friend and suddenly you’re left out.

Enemy Pie-When kids have an “enemy” the quickest way to turn them into a friend is by serving Enemy Pie

Peanut Butter and Cupcake– It can be so hard to find a friend to play with. When Peanut Butter asked, “Can I play?” he doesn’t always get the kindest response.

Stick and Stone– True friends stand up for each other, even when it feels scary to do it.

You are Friendly– This showcases how simple it really is to be friendly

Rainbow Magic Fairies– Esther the Kindness Fairy and Florence the Friendship Fairy are just two of the Friendship Fairies that two best friends help (early chapter book/series)

The Invisible Boy- This boy feels invisible because no one will play with him. When a new boy comes to class, he knows just what to do to not feel invisible anymore.