Happy World Kindness Day, a holiday for everyone. It seems difficult to celebrate this year with so much anger and hate in our world. It makes me feel powerless and so unbelievably sad. So what can we do? We can contact local and national leaders, raise funds and awareness, follow accounts online that help share the truth and accounts where people are using their voice on their platform. We can also read picture books.
Picture books? Yes, picture books.
Picture books are short stories with powerful illustrations that can help this next generation to understand that our differences should be celebrated. That love, kindness, compassion and empathy can help change biases and create a more beautiful world.
The beautiful part of picture books is that often times adults are reading to the children in their lives. I can only hope that the adults reading or listening will be reminded that kindness matters. I hope they will see the little hidden messages that can soften our hearts and build empathy. Picture books allow a child to experience a variety of events, holidays, cultures and experiences that go beyond their little bubble. Our goal as parents and educators should be to help expand the bubble by sharing stories and having meaningful conversations.
Children are naturally very curious. We can support their curiosity with picture books at home and in the classroom by selecting meaningful books that expand their bubble. We can carve out time to allow for questions to be asked and a discussion to be had. With every picture book and every conversation, we are helping to build kindness, empathy, love, acceptance and understanding. On this World Kindness Day, please find time to celebrate by doing something kind for others, something kind for yourself and by reading picture books to the children in your life.
Head over to Instagram to enter to win a copy of Kindness Is by Kaitlin Johnstone AND The Kindness Machine by yours truly.
Check out my previous posts from World Kindness Day below:
World Kindness Day 2022
World Kindness Day 2021
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Christina Dankert 
So well said.
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