What is kindness? Helping someone in need, smiling at a neighbor, sharing a meal with a friend, or helping a classmate with homework are all acts of kindness.
Teaching kids kindness helps them become good Muslims. It shapes their minds and hearts, and early childhood is the best time to start. One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is your own example of kindness.
So how can we make kindness part of a child's personality? Here are some ideas.
Teach empathy
Islam teaches us to be empathetic toward everyone, not just the people we know, but every living thing, including animals and plants.
The story of the bird and her babies
The Prophet ﷺ showed kindness to animals. Once, a companion took some baby birds from their nest. When the mother bird began flapping her wings in distress, the Prophet ﷺ asked him to return the babies to their mother. This story shows that the Prophet ﷺ was kind not only to people, but also to animals and birds who could not speak for themselves.
Encourage respect
Teaching kindness includes teaching respect for parents, teachers, and elders. The Prophet ﷺ said: “He is not one of us who does not show mercy to our young ones and respect to our elders.” (Sunan Abu Dawood)
Children can show respect by greeting elders with salam, offering them a seat, helping grandparents walk, or carrying something heavy for them. These small acts of kindness are beloved to Allah (SWT).
Teach volunteering
Volunteering is highly encouraged in Islam and is a great way to show kindness. Teachers can start a school garden or plan a tree-planting day, or invite students to help keep classrooms and playgrounds clean. This teaches them to be thoughtful of others and of their surroundings.
Teach forgiveness
The Prophet ﷺ taught us to forgive, and he forgave even those who treated him badly. Forgiving others is a great deed and a Sunnah. If your child argues with a classmate who pushed them or said unkind words, encourage them not to fight back, but to forgive and sort things out with kind, positive words.
Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: “The reward of an evil deed is its equivalent. But whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, his reward is with Allah.” (Quran 42:40)
Teach compassion
Compassion is a quality of a good Muslim. Teach children to give charity to people in need, or visit an orphanage together so they understand the feelings of others and learn to help.
Kindness activities for kids
- Kindness jar: write kind deeds on colorful slips of paper and put them in a jar. Your child picks one and does it, like sharing a meal with a friend or helping with chores.
- Read books: build a reading habit with books that teach kindness through stories. Our Golden Deed Book is made for exactly this.
- Kindness calendar: write a small act of kindness for each day of the month. Reward your child with a gift at the end of the month.
- Explore nature: take children outside, teach them why plants matter, and let them help water and care for them.
These activities help children build kindness and good values. Islam teaches kindness toward people and every creature around us, and it's our job as parents and teachers to nurture it.
Shine with Tara teaches kids about kindness and many other Islamic values in fun, engaging ways. Watch on YouTube with your children.