Carrying out acts of kindness for someone else is one of the most rewarding things we can do for one another. Helping others can be beneficial to our own mental health. It can improve our emotional well-being and even benefit our physical health. Simple acts of kindness can help:
- reduce stress
- improve emotional well-being
- benefit physical health
- bring a sense of belonging and reduce isolation
- get rid of negative feelings
An Irish school came up with a unique initiative to offer its students a nice push towards developing emotional skills. The school authorities decided to ditch homework for acts of kindness. They replaced traditional homework with acts of kindness. The school took this unique initiative to celebrate the spirit of Christmas. The school is known for carrying out unique initiatives to nurture skills in the students. The Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Uí Choileáin School located in Ireland’s Clonakilty took this measure in 2019.
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The school assigned various acts of kindness to students
- Mondays — The students were asked to interact with an elderly individual to make him/her feel better.
- Tuesdays — The children were asked to help with family chores on their own.
- Wednesdays — The children were asked to perform kindness acts without any plan.
- Thursdays — The students were asked to look after their mental well-being.
The classes were asked to take part in and collaborate with other classes for doing a collective act of kindness, benefiting the community.
Kindness Diary to record acts of kindness
The school asked the students to keep notes of their weekly acts of kindness. They were asked to develop a Kindness Diary for that. They were asked to get it signed by their parents. The school also came up with the idea of setting up a Kindness Bucket. In it, the kids were asked to put notes of positive affirmations.
The measure definitely changed the festive season for the students. For the first time, they spent the vacation without bothering about typical homework every day! Instead, they were allowed to take part in activities that made them feel good eventually.
The principal of the school in Ireland, Leas Príomhoide Íde Ní Mhuirí explained on social media why the authorities came up with this unique initiative. She wrote on Facebook: “Unfortunately not everyone is in a position to be able to enjoy Christmas, some are lonely, some are sad, some might yearn for what they do not have and some might simply not enjoy the festivities. But there is nobody in this world who wouldn’t benefit from an act of kindness, and the joy of kindness is that it costs nothing.” She also expressed thanks to the parents of the students for standing by her initiative.
The principal also said that the school authorities are willing to impart values like generosity and kindness to the students. If more schools take up initiatives like this the world will definitely become a better place to live in.
