Chaplain's Chat

Hi Everyone, 

Its the last week and I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to the school break! Its been a very strange and unusual year, and I'm sure we all need some recovery time. I've been talking to lots of excited children who have exciting plans for the school holidays. 

I have been giving some of the children I talk to little challenges for the holidays for them to work on. One of these challenges have included finding 3 people to be kind to. Kindness is not always easy or instinctive for children. Kindness is a behaviour we must learn, much like any other behaviours we teach our kids. Kindness is a simple and easy way to connect to one another, and can be exchanged through small deeds like a smile, a wave, a note or even a hug. 

Teaching our kids to be kind, compassionate, generous and appreciative is one of the greatest things we can do for them. As kids grow up learning to be kind, it can help them in their social development and generally increase their positive attitude and happiness in life. 

There are some things we can do to help encourage your kids to be kind and to teach them the importance of a compassionate and generous nature. 

• Role model: Be a role model for kindness! Show your child how to be kind to people and be an example for them. 
   
• Read books about being kind: Stories are a great and fun way to show how our actions can affect those around us. 
   
• Positive talking: Teach your child to get into the habit of saying only positive things and to hold their tongue if they have negative opinions about things. Offer encouragement instead of negative thoughts. 
   
• Kind words and smiles: Get your children into the habit of being friendly. Thank waiters for serving you and tell the checkout person at a supermarket to have a nice day. Small interactions of kindness throughout the day can set them up for bigger acts of kindness in life. 
   
• Give them opportunities to grow: Point out opportunities for kindness in every day life. For example, “could you help your sibling walk up the stairs” or “Can you hold the door for the people walking in”. Show your child when they have the option to be kind and teach them to look out for kindness opportunities.

Merry Christmas! And I hope you all have a great holidays. 

Looking forward to seeing you all next year!