Kindness Bible Lessons for Kids
Teaching kindness and empathy to children is an essential part of Bible-based character education, helping them learn to love others as God calls us to. Through Scripture, children can learn to notice others’ needs, show compassion, and treat people with care and respect in everyday situations. This collection of ideas focuses on simple, hands-on ways to teach kindness and empathy through Bible stories, engaging crafts, and activities that make these important values easy for kids to understand and practice at home, in the classroom, or at church.
How do you define KINDNESS AND EMPATHY FOR KIDS?
Kindness is being genuinely friendly, generous, and considerate towards others. Empathy is thinking about how another person might be feeling. These two things go hand-in-hand. Kindness is the action we show someone, and empathy is the thought process behind those kind actions. Kindness and empathy help others to see the love of Jesus.
Jesus commands us to be kind to others. Jesus set an example of kindness and empathy during his life, and he wants us to follow that example by helping others, using kind words, and treating others as we would like to be treated.
Kindness Bible Lessons for Kids
Are you seeking an engaging way to teach children about the character trait of kindness? Use the Bible story of the Good Samaritan as a springboard for learning. Our scripted lessons, printable crafts, and discussion questions are a great resource to help kids learn about this important character trait.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT KINDNESS?
Stories about kindness and verses about kindness appear throughout the entire Bible. Kindness is one of the Fruits of the Spirit, which God tells us to put on. When we show kindness to others, we are showing them the love of God. Kindness shows others that we are different and points people toward God.
Kindness is something that grows as we get closer to God. It’s something that we will continue to get better at, as the Holy Spirit works in our lives. Here are a few verses about kindness:
Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Colossians 3:12 “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Luke 6:31 “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
John 13:34 “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord.”
Hebrews 13:16 “Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
HOW DO YOU TEACH KIDS ABOUT KINDNESS?
Take time to teach kids the definition of kindness and look at different examples of kindness. This could be stories from the Bible where people were kind, or this could be modern real-life scenarios. Take time to discuss these stories and scenarios. Then, get really practical and have kids act out scenarios where they need to show kindness. Do crafts and activities to help them engage with the topic. Then, before they head home, challenge them to practice kindness throughout the week!
KINDNESS CUT AND PASTE SORTING CARDS
This kind vs. unkind sorting activity is a great conversation starter for littler kids.
To start the conversation about kindness and empathy, have younger kids do a cut-and-paste sorting activity. Kids will take the pictures provided in Kindness and Empathy for Little Learners and sort them onto the T-chart. Children will determine whether actions such as pinching, pushing, giving a hug, or giving a high five are kind.
This activity can serve as a springboard for discussing situations that may occur in your home or classroom. Discuss how our actions affect others, and how we should be conscious of how we treat them.
Kindness BINGO
Kindness bingo makes it fun to search out kind things to do for others. There’s a version for little kids, and another for kids in 1st-3rd grades.
Many kids enjoy a challenge, especially when it’s in the form of a game. Challenge your kids to a game of Kindness BINGO. This is a multi-day activity in which kids complete random acts of kindness outlined on a simple BINGO worksheet. These acts of kindness were intended to be performed independently by children, without requiring parents or teachers to purchase anything.
You can choose to offer an incentive (class party, small candy) for completing the whole chart, or you may choose to see kindness as its own reward! There’s a version in both Kindness and Empathy Bible Lesson for Older Kids and Kindness Bible Lessons for Little Learners.
Kindness BIBLE STORY - The Good Samaritan
Bible stories are an effective way to reinforce Bible-based character traits. Taking time to read a story about kindness, discussing it, and doing an activity that connects with the story is a great way to solidify learning.
The Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37 is a great example of someone kind, and several people who are not kind.
After reading the story, discuss kindness and empathy. Kids can look at how the Samaritan treated the Jewish man who was left beaten at the side of the road. They can also examine the responses of the priest and the Levite and discuss whether their actions were kind.
After reading the story and discussing it, do an activity to reinforce the learning. Have kids write or draw about how they can be a Good Samaritan in their neighbourhoods. For printable journal pages appropriate for second, third, and fourth grade, check out Kindness Bible Lesson for Older Kids. For pages suitable for preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade, see Kindness Bible Lessons for Little Learners.
MORE KINDNESS Crafts and activities
Kindness Paper Chain: Brainstorm ideas with your kids about ways to show kindness. Then, whenever you notice a child doing something kind, write that action on a strip of paper. Connect the strips of paper to form a paper change. The children will enjoy watching the paper chain grow as more acts of kindness are added to it.
Rock Painting: Paint rocks and draw hearts on them, or write kind words or Bible verses on the rocks. Whenever kids see their painted rocks, it will be a visual reminder that God calls us to be kind to one another.
Kindness Day: Set aside a day (or a period of time) to complete a project that demonstrates kindness to an individual or a group. Brainstorm some ideas with kids and pick a project together. This could include cleaning up the playground, picking up litter on the street, making cards for seniors at a local seniors’ home, or reading books to younger children.
WOULD YOU LIKE MORE LESSONS ABOUT CHARACTER BUILDING?
This lesson on kindness and empathy is part of a seven-part Character Education mini-series. Other lessons include contentment, courage, forgiveness, honesty, perseverance, and self-control.
