Kindness is like a boomerang! Have you ever thought about that? That is what we have been talking about in Counselor this week. The kids and I have been having WONDERFUL conversations about acts of kindness and how important it is to think of others and what they might be needing or wanting. We talked about how when you do something kind for another person, many times that kindness comes back around and is shown to you. We talked about the motivation to do kind things for others and how hopefully we are motivated by wanting to help where help is needed or wanting others to feel good when we feel good or have someone to talk to when they might not be feeling so great. We discussed that when we do a kind deed hoping for something in return we miss the point a little bit. The kids watched the clip below to illustrate how kindness comes back around like a boomerang.

Kindness Boomerang

We also read the book The Giving Tree by Shell Silverstein and talked about how at first glance/read we might think the little boy in the story is quite selfish, always taking from the tree and never giving anything in return. When we talked about it a little more though, we realized the tree never expected anything in return and if we looked really closely, the only time the tree was sad was when the boy wasn't around. He always came back and therefore he gave her his friendship, his loyalty, his time (not all of it) and his love. Some of the best things we can give might not be seen at first glance but hopefully they will be felt. The kids made apples with a kind deed they could do  that wouldn't cost any money between now and January 6 when we come back from break. We added the apples to the Giving Tree bulletin board outside my office.

When everyone finished they had a chance to practice throwing our "kindness boomerang" to illustrate the concept of our kindness being thrown out into the world and coming back to us. Fun was had by all:)

I hope everyone has a safe and fun winter break! See you in 2014!