Kindness books and activities have been some of my favorites over the years. While kindness themes are probably most popular around the December holidays and Valentine’s Day, a kindness theme is wonderful at any time. Here are some of my favorite books from our kindness theme. Most are chosen to be perfect at any time of year.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Just choose books based on your child’s age and what you think will engage your child’s interest. I recommend checking out the “Look Inside the Book” feature on Amazon and reading reviews there. Another place to learn about a book is on YouTube. You can typically see the entire book there.
Montessori-friendly books use photos or realistic illustrations. They don’t have talking animals or a lot of fantasy. But many books that have fantasy and talking animals are wonderful books, and I love sharing them with children who understand the difference between fantasy and reality.
For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles). Themes with abstract concepts like kindness tend to have more books with fantasy and unrealistic images than other themes.
Books for a Kindness Theme
I’m featuring books here about kindness mainly for preschool through early elementary.
Books for a Kindness Theme
Forward-Facing Book Display (similar style)
Top Shelf of Forward-Facing Display:
- Be Kind
- I have a number of the peek-through picture books by Britta Teckentrup. They each have a unique beauty. Kindness Grows is a lovely, thought-provoking book that uses die-cut pages to show a sapling growing into a flowering tree in the pages as kindness is spread.
- The Power of One: Every Act of Kindness Counts (A lovely book! From the Amazon book description: “When one child reaches out in friendship to a classmate who seems lonely, she begins a chain reaction of kindness that ripples throughout her school and her community. One kind act begets another, small good deeds make way for bigger ones, and eventually the whole neighborhood comes together to build something much greater than the sum of its parts.”)
2nd Shelf:
- Inspire Kindness
- Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler (a fun book with lots of ideas to inspire kindness)
- ABCs of Kindness (There are more kindness books in the series, too.)
3rdd Shelf:
- The Little Book of Kindness
- A Little Spot of Kindness (We’re also using Kindness Snippet Jar)
- Kind Ninja
4th Shelf:
- Maddi’s Fridge (an inspiring book about chilldhood hunger and helping a friend in need – one of my 4½-year-old grandson’s favorites)
- Those Shoes
- Daniel Chooses to Be Kind (I love Daniel Tiger books for teaching young children about being a kind friend! Also, check out my Daniel Tiger free song series at BitsofPositivity.com about a wonderful book with songs about a variety of topics that will help children become better friends and neighbors.)
Bottom Shelf
- Don’t miss the Wonder books for thought-provoking ideas of kindness. They’re available for a variety of ages. You can read about the Wonder books here.
- Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen (another of my grandson’s favorites!)
- Each Kindness is a thought-provoking story about missed chances to show kindness.
More Kindness Books We’re Using
- I like to emphasize Spanish whenever I can. Cheri J. Meiners M.Ed., has a helpful, Montessori-friendly series of books about learning to get along. Many of them are available in English and Spanish as well as in English. For our kindness unit, we have Be Polite and Kind: Ser respetuoso y amable. If you prefer, the book is available in English alone.
- Do Nice, Be Kind, Spread Happy
- Children Just Like Me (for cultural awareness)
- This Is How We Do It (for cultural awareness)
- Children Just Like Me: Celebrations! (for cultural awareness)
- Fill a Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Young Children (just one of the bucket-filler books. See my bucket filling post at my BitsofPositivity.com blog for more!)
On a shelf across the room, I have these books:
- The Kindness Book
- Pete the Cat’s Groovy Guide to Kindness (a mixture of Pete the Cat and famous kindness quotes)
- Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
- Do Unto Otters
You can also see lots of kindness books as they’re published here.
More book-recommendation posts with books that can relate to a kindness theme:
- How to Prepare a Book Basket That Encourages Kindness
- The Best Children’s Books about Taking Turns and Sharing
- Favorite Books for a Friendship Theme
- The Best Peace Books for Kids
More Kindness Resources
- Free Kindness Printables and Montessori-Inspired Kindness Activities
- Free Kindness Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Montessori-Inspired 100 Acts of Kindness Project
- Simple Ways to Make a Difference in the World
- Family Fun with 100 Acts of Kindness and Operation Beautiful
- Including a Toddler in the 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge
- Using Montessori Principles in the 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge
- Teaching Kids to Be Kind
- The Ultimate Guide to Having Kind Kids This Christmas
- Focusing on Toddler Manners in the 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge
- Free Kindness Songs and Rhymes for Home or School {Character Education Resources}
- Completing 100 Acts of Kindness (Toddler Manners Challenge) and Starting 100+ Acts of Kindness
- The Ultimate Guide to Kindness Elves
- Encouraging 100 Acts of Kindness with the Kindness Elves
- Introducing the Kind Words Challenge with the Kindness Elves
- Fun with Kindness Elves, 100 Acts of Kindness, and the Kind Words Challenge
- Encouraging Kindness with Gardening Activities and the Kindness Elves
- Encouraging Kindness with the We’re All Wonders Picture Book
- Encourage Kindness with the Wonder Books #ChooseKind
- Simple Literature-Based Ideas with the Pink and Green Kindness Elves
- How to Do a Simple Version of Camp Kindness
- How to Help Your Kids Get the Most out of the Wonder Movie
- Teaching about Hunger and Poverty through a Food and Toy Drive
- Kindness Project for Children and Adults of All Ages {100 Acts of Kindness}
- 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge for Big Sisters and Big Brothers
- Free Inspirational Kindness Videos for a Variety of Ages
- How to Add Kind Words from Books to the Kind Words Challenge
- How I Prepared a Simple Kindness Elves Activity for Giving Tuesday (or Any Time)
- The Kindness Elves, Pete the Cat, a Baby, and a Toddler Join Our Food and Toy Drive
- Family 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge for Babies and Older Children
- The Kindness Elves and Pete the Cat Join Our 5th Annual Family Food and Toy Drive
- Family and Neighborhood 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge for Toddlers on Up
- How to Make a 100 Hearts Sensory Bottle (100 Hearts Calming Bottle)
- Our Online and Curbside Family Food and Toy Drive
- How to Prepare a Book Basket That Encourages Kindness
- The Kindness Elves, Pete the Cat, and Our 7th Annual Family Food and Toy Drive
- Free Empathy Songs and Educational Videos {Character Education Resources}
- Ways to Be Kind to Humankind for Kids and Adults
- Kindness Projects Pinterest Board
Montessori-Inspired Kindness Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Friendship Resources (which fit well with a kindness theme)
- Free Friendship Printables and Montessori-Inspired Friendship Activities
- Free H for Help Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Friendship Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Favorite Books for a Friendship Theme
- Montessori-Inspired Peace Education Activities
- How to Prepare a Peace Corner
- Montessori-Inspired Friendship Activities
- Free Friendship Songs and Rhymes {Character Education Resources}
- Free Taking Turns and Sharing Songs and Rhymes {Character Education Resources}
- How to Teach Toddlers and Preschoolers to Take Turns and Work Together
- The Best Children’s Books about Taking Turns and Sharing
- How to Prepare a Montessori Peace Tray
- Montessori Services Peace Activities and Resources Review
- Our Favorite Picture Book about Inclusion and Friendship
- Does Your Preschooler Have This Fabulous Multicultural Children’s Book?
- Anti-Racism Resources for Parents and Teachers
- How to Prepare a Book Basket That Encourages Kindness
- Free Empathy Songs and Educational Videos {Character Education Resources}
- Fostering Kids’ Friendships Pinterest Board
Free Friendship Pack
Montessori-Inspired Friendship Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
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