Here, we’ll explore what makes Kindness Week so impactful and offer ideas on how to make it a memorable experience for your students. Whether it’s celebrating World Kindness Day or incorporating fun kindness activities, you’ll find plenty of inspiration to get started. From group activities to independent crafts to anchor charts to book recommendations to a kindness challenge – these week of kindness ideas for students are the best you'll find!

Read on for the very best kindness week ideas for students in elementary!

Looking for kindness week plans and activities that are ready to go? This Kindness Week bundle is for you:

Click to jump to…

• What Is Kindness Week?
• Planning Your Kindness Week Activities
• 15 Kindness Week Ideas For Students
• Kindness Week Lesson Plans

What Is Kindness Week?

Kindness week is a week or several days devoted to promoting kind acts in your classroom. Some teachers take a bit of time every day, or their morning meeting time, and focus on different ways of being kind. This can be a great opportunity to encourage kind acts and build positivity in your school community.

During this time, it's helpful to explicitly teach students tools and strategies to be kind. Elementary students are still learning important ideas like good deeds, empathy, and spreading kind acts within their school community. Kindness a great way for teachers to promote values that help shape students into compassionate and considerate individuals. For elementary students, it’s not just about doing good deeds but also about learning how to build connections and make the world a better place, one small act at a time.

Incorporating Kindness Week into your lesson plans is the perfect opportunity to…

• Create a culture of kindness that permeates the school day and beyond.
• Develop interpersonal skills like empathy, cooperation, and active listening through kind gestures.
• Emphasize social-emotional learning skills and social skills like empathy and friendship
• Give students practical strategies to express kindness, from leaving positive messages for a family member to participating in a kindness challenge.
• Bring kind acts into your school community.

Planning Your Kindness Week Activities

I've found that a great way to organize your Kindness Week activities into your school day lesson plans is to have a theme for each day. I like to read a kindness book, do a group kindness activity, and then make a kindness craft for each day that all tie into the theme.

Here are the daily themes that I use in my Kindness Week lesson plans:

• Day 1: Being A Kind Friend
• Day 2: Using Kind Words
• Day 3: Kind Actions
• Day 4: Being a Bucket Filler
• Day 5: Celebrating Kindness

Next I'll share the Kindness Week ideas for students that I use for each day – these are tried and true activities that will get students to use kind acts in the classroom!

15 Kindness Ideas For Students

Day 1: Being A Good Friend

This anchor chart is a wonderful visual to help students understand actions that make them a good friend. Invite students to brainstorm how to be a good friend, and how not to be a good friend. Often times, including these negative traits can be helpful for students, who need things laid out explicitly.

(You can get the template for this activity in my TPT store right here.)

This is one of my favorite children's books for teaching students the importance of kind acts and inclusiveness. Each Kindness is a poignant story of a new student who isn't welcomed into the classroom. The main character in the story must then examine her own actions and reflect on how she didn't make a kind choice.

This next Kindness Week idea for students is a kind friend flipbook. This is a great way to help students remember ways to be a kind friend. It offers them specific strategies for being kind, which are concrete ways they can practice kindness in their school community.

(You can get the template for this activity in my TPT store right here.)

Day 2: Using Kind Words

Remembering to use kind words can be tricky for our students! Use this class anchor chart to help students brainstorm kind things they can say to their classmates. It's so helpful for students to have examples of phrases they can use to be kind – you'll definitely be hearing those words around your classroom in no time!

(You can get the template for this anchor chart in my TPT store right here.)

Writing kindness notes with positive messages is one of my favorite Kindness Week ideas for students. This kindness craft activity invites students to write kindness notes to their peers using these kindness note templates. There are lots of ways you can organize this:

You can have students write to whoever they want to in the class, or assign them a student to make a kind note for. You can make them anonymous, or let students sign who they're from. You can do this once, or make the notes available at a certain time of day for students to write again and again. (One recommendation: It's best if they turn them into you, and you deliver them – this way you can make sure everyone is receiving at least one, and you can preview them if you are worried students might abuse this work and include a not nice message.)

(You can get the template for this activity in my TPT store right here.)

The children's book The Smallest Girl In The Smallest Grade provides a good illustration of how powerful kind words can be. In this story, a girl stands up for other students aren't being treated kindly. She uses her kind words to help them – this is a great story for empowering students use their words to help their school community.

Day 3: Kind Actions

A kindness chain is one of the most fun Kindness Week ideas for students, and it gets the whole class involved! Observe your students and mentally note anytime you see a random act of kindness. Choose a time of day to recognize students and share what you saw. For each act of kindness you saw, add a paper link to your kindness chain. Your students will love watching your kindness chain grow! (You can also have students share any kind acts they witnessed!)

(You can get the template for this activity in my TPT store right here.)

This Sprinkle Kindness Like Confetti anchor chart is the perfect way to help your students brainstorm kind actions that they can do at school. Invite your students to share their ideas and fill it up with kind things they can do for their classmates and teachers.

(You can get the template for this anchor chart in my TPT store right here.)

I love the children's book When We Are Kind for illustrating random acts of kindness and their effects. This book shows simple acts of kindness that we can carry out in our classroom and home communities.

Day 4: Being A Bucket Filler

If you've never read Have You Filled A Bucket Today? then this is your sign to do it now! The bucket filler books are one of my favorite kindness week ideas for students – they have such a wonderful metaphor for kind deeds and unkind deeds and how they affect one another. It's a great illustration that students can really relate to and understand when it comes to talking about kindness.

This Bucket Filler anchor chart is another kindness week ideas for students that encourages students to think of ways they can fill people's buckets throughout the day.

(You can get the template for this anchor chart in my TPT store right here.)

Then students can make their own Bucket Filler craft – filled with the ways they want to spread kindness in their school community!

(You can get the template for this craft in my TPT store right here.)

Day 5: Celebrating Kindness

I absolutely LOVE catching students being kind, so this is something I actually do all year long, but it's also perfect for Kindness Week ideas for students. This anchor chart is filled with positive traits of kindness. Throughout the day, make a mental note when you notice a student acting out one of these positive traits. Then pick a time of day to share what you noticed, and invite the students to place a sticker under the word that they showcased. Students will love being recognized for their kind acts!

(You can get the template for this anchor chart in my TPT store right here.)

Turn Kindness Week into a party with these adorable kindness crowns! These crowns are one of the best Kindness Week ideas for students to celebrate all the kindness your class has spread throughout the school this week.

(You can get the template for this craft in my TPT store right here.)

This book, Tomorrow I'll Be Kind, explores different positive traits and how we can live them. It's a perfect companion book to the anchor chart celebrating the kind traits you see your students showing in the classroom.

Kindness Challenge

One of the best Kindness Week ideas for students is a kindness challenge! This increases the fun to a whole new level and really gets students excited about spreading kindness.

(You can get the template FREE right here.)

This kindness bingo challenge provides different acts of kindness that students can do in their classroom community. Challenge your class to see how many bingos they can get!

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

This is another kindness challenge that becomes a kindness bulletin board for your classroom. Each day, students choose a random act of kindness from a paper heart. Once they've completed their random act of kindness, they put it up on the bulletin board. At the end of the week, your bulletin board will be full of different acts of kindness!

Tips For Getting Students Involved

Involving students in planning and executing Kindness Week activities is the best way to ensure engagement. Here’s how:

Invite Students to Lead

Give students leadership roles by assigning them to plan specific activities or projects. For example:

• A group could organize a “Kindness Bingo Challenge” with tasks like helping a peer, sharing a toy, or writing a letter to a family member.
• Another could design a “Day of Kindness” schedule to implement small kindness projects throughout the school day.

Use Small Groups

Divide the class into small groups to work on different kindness projects, such as creating thank-you cards for school staff or collecting donations for an animal shelter. This approach helps students develop teamwork and encourages collaboration.

Incorporate SEL Lessons

Design an SEL-themed lesson plan that focuses on empathy and the “ripple effect” of kindness. Discuss how one random act of kindness can inspire others and create a chain reaction of positivity. Role-playing scenarios where students practice responding to various situations with kindness can be a better way to teach these concepts.

More Tips for Teachers

1. Plan Ahead: Use detailed lesson plans to organize activities effectively.
2. Start Small: Even a little bit of kindness can have a big impact.
3. Celebrate Efforts: Acknowledge students’ contributions with rewards or shout-outs during the week.
4. Make It Relatable: Share stories or examples from your own life to connect with students on a personal level.

The Broader Impact of Kindness Week

Kindness Week is more than just a series of activities; it’s an opportunity to instill values that shape students’ character. By focusing on kindness, you’re helping to create a classroom community where everyone feels valued and supported. The lessons learned during this week extend beyond the school year and into the students’ lives as they grow into empathetic, responsible individuals.

So, whether you’re organizing a week of kindness or simply integrating more kindness week activities into your teaching, remember that your efforts make a difference. You’re not just teaching—you’re shaping the future, one act of kindness at a time.

More Kindness Inspiration

Need more kindness activities ideas? These blog posts would be perfect for you to check out!

Crafts About Kindness You Need To Try In Your Classroom

11 Fantastic Week of Kindness Ideas To Try In Your Classroom

15 Friendship Picture Books Your Students Will Love

Resources For You:

The post How To Plan Kindness Week Ideas For Students In Elementary appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for the very best end of the year classroom party ideas!

Click to jump to…

• Planning For The End Of The Year
• End Of The Year Classroom Party Ideas
  • Virtual Field Trips
  • Making Memories
  • Theme Days
  • Easy Party Ideas
• End of the School Year Classroom Party

Planning For The End Of The School Year

I know, I know – it can be hard to even think about end of the year classroom party ideas right now! The end of the school year can get so busy – report cards, parent conferences, assessments, summer plans, cleaning up the classroom… I mean, the list can get scary at this time of year!

But planning your end of the school year party should be a fun task – not a burden! So let's make it easy peasy, and dare I say… fun!

Before you choose one of these end of the year classroom party ideas, there are a few basic choices that can make it easier to organize your planning:

• Have a student vote – If you're having trouble deciding, pick your top three ideas and let your students vote! They'll love being a part of the process, and then you don't have to worry that you're picking something that they'll love.
• Parents or students only – Decide if you want to invite parents/families to your celebration or keep it students only. Or you might have parents come for part of the day only and celebrate with just your students for another part of the day.
• One day or multiple – You may end up having multiple celebrations depending on how much you like to celebrate the end of the year, what your school has scheduled, and how much you want to spread it out.

Answering these first questions can help a lot you when you're first starting to plan out and organize your end of the school year classroom celebrations. Once you've got these basics set, you're ready to dive into these end of the year classroom party ideas and see which one will be the best fit for you and your students this year!

End of the Year Classroom Party Ideas

These end of the year classroom party ideas have something for everyone – whether you want to keep things simple, or you want to go all out! And if you're really ready to party – you can do more than one of these ideas on different days during last week. I mean, why not??

But remember, our students don't need us to burn ourselves going over the top. The smallest things mean SO much to them. You've poured yourself into their growth all year long, so don't push yourself too hard at the end – do what feels workable for you!

So let's dive into these 9 end of the year classroom party ideas, starting with my personal favorite… virtual field trips!!!

Virtual Field Trip Party

Virtual field trips are SUCH a fun way to celebrate with your students. I love using them all year long for holiday and class celebrations. But doing them for your end of the school year party can be an extra special treat.

The best part of these is that they require very little prep from you! All the fun is already planned within the field trip, so these are a great choice if you want an end of the school year party that won't require hours of your time to set up and manage.

Here is a great one for the end of the year:

Disneyland Virtual Field Trip

Your students will be SO excited when you tell them you're going to Disneyland for your class party! This virtual field trip has lots of fun rides and shows to see, plus sites from the park, and some crafts to do together too – always a huge hit.

Click here to check it out in my TPT store!

Making Memories

If you want to help your students remember and celebrate the year you've had together, there are lots of fun ways to do it. You can create a whole class party around making memories together. Here are some of my favorite end of the year classroom party ideas for creating memories together:

Memories Craft Party

There are sooo many wonderful classroom memories crafts, you could easily create a whole party themed around creating memories!

A couple ways you could do this – set up tables with different memory crafts and let your students choose which one they want to do – like a choose your own craft party! Or, you could have the whole class do one each day the last week of school!

Here are a few of my favorite memories crafts:

• Yearbook: Create a little yearbook for each student, and have them draw or write in each other's books. This is a fun way to help them remember their classmates from that year. I have a template for a simple student yearbook in my TPT store right here!
• Memories book: Each student creates a little book with their favorite memories from the year. Each page can have a different prompt – maybe one page is about their favorite recess game that year, and another is about their favorite subject, and another is about their favorite classroom celebration – you get the idea! The cute polaroid memories book pictured above is in my TPT store right here!
• Memories flower: This craft is always a favorite, and they look so sweet displayed in the classroom the last week of school! Each flower petal is a different favorite memory – I like to make these large so they are a wowwing display. You can get this craft template in my TPT store right here!

Photo Booth Party

This is one of the most fun end of the year classroom party ideas – your students will LOVE the chance to take photos with their friends! This is such a fun surprise for your students. Here's how to make it happen:

• Set up 3-4 photo booths in your classroom. There are some great DIY backdrop ideas on Pinterest. You could make each one a different theme, such as beach, outer space, animals, etc. Add some props on a table for students to choose from for each photo booth.
• Get 3-4 cameras – one for each photo booth. Old phones or iPads work great. Set each one up on a tripod in front of the photo booth.
• When it's time to party, let students go from booth to booth and take their photos with their friends. Always good to set some ground rules to keep the chaos at bay – for example, create a clear line where students have to wait their turn for each booth.
• You can also assign students to be photographers for part of the time! Or, just have the next person in line be the photographer.
• When the photo-taking is done, there are lots of fun things you can do with the photos! Here are some fun ideas:
  • Make a slideshow to show your class or email to them after school has ended.
  • Create a little yearbook and have it printed for each student (definitely get some parent contributions so you don't have to pay for all that printing!)
  • Let each student pick one or two photos that you'll have printed, and have them decorate a frame for it.

While this end of the year classroom party ideas takes a lot more work from you, it definitely creates some fantastic memories for your students!

T-Shirt Making Party

A T-shirt making party is another end the year classroom celebration with a fun craft that also creates a wonderful keepsake. I've done a class t-shirt for years with my students, and I see them wearing it all the time afterward!

Each student needs a plain white T-shirt. I usually asked parents to bring one in, and I always had some parents who brought in T-shirt packs so I had plenty of extras. Here's how I like to organize our T-shirt party:

1. Put a piece of construction paper inside the T-shirt so nothing bleeds through. Set up the T-shirts at each student's table seat.
2. Let each student choose a Sharpie or fabric marker. Students start at their chair then everyone rotates around the classroom to sign the back of each shirt until they've signed them all!
3. Have tables set up with fabric paints and paintbrushes. It's awesome to get a couple parent volunteers so that each table has an adult helping students share the paints and the brushes.
4. Students can paint whatever (school appropriate) design they want on the front of the shirt – something that reminds them of the school year they've had.
5. Leave the shirts in the sun to dry. They usually need 24 hours to dry completely, depending on what kind of paint you used.
6. Students get to wear their shirts on the last day of school!

Theme Days

Theme days are one of the most fantastic end of the year classroom party ideas to make your students feel extra loved. These often require a little extra prep from you, but are always a big hit with your students.

The possibilities for theme days are endless! Carnival, jungle, outer space, movies… but here are two of my favorites to make an end of the school year class party extra special:

ABC Countdown

One popular end of the school year celebration idea is the ABC Countdown. This idea turns each day of the last month into a special celebration based on a different letter of the alphabet.

Think “A” for Art Day to “Z” for Zoom Around the Room, it adds excitement and fun to the classroom routine. It's not just about waiting for summer break; it's about enjoying each day and making great memories with classmates and teachers. Whether it's dressing up for Wacky Wednesday or trying cool science experiments, the ABC Countdown makes the end of the school year a blast.

And of course you still have other things you need to teach during the last 26 days! You can make this a small block in the afternoon until the last week, when you may have more time to devote to festivities.

Some ideas might be:

• A – Art Day: Spend the day creating colorful masterpieces.
• B – Beach Day: Bring in beach towels and sunglasses for a relaxed, beach-themed day.
• C – Crazy Hat Day: Let students show off their wackiest headgear.
• D – Dance Party: Crank up the music and let loose with a dance party.
• E – Experiment Day: Conduct fun and interactive science experiments.
• F – Field Day: Organize outdoor games and activities for some fun in the sun.
• G – Game Day: Play board games, card games, or outdoor games together.
• H – Hat Day: Wear your favorite hats to school.
• I – Ice Cream Social: Enjoy delicious ice cream treats with classmates.
• J – Joke Day: Share jokes and funny stories to bring laughter to the classroom.
• K – Kindness Day: Perform acts of kindness for classmates and teachers.
• L – Lego Day: Build and create with everyone's favorite building blocks.
• M – Movie Day: Watch a movie or have a movie marathon with popcorn.
• N – Nature Walk: Take a stroll outside and explore nature together.
• O – Outdoor Picnic: Have a picnic lunch outside with classmates.
• P – Pajama Day: Wear pajamas to school for a cozy and relaxed day.
• Q – Quiet Reading: Spend time reading books quietly or listening to stories.
• R – Relay Races: Organize relay races and other fun outdoor activities.
• S – Sports Day: Play various sports and games together.
• T – Talent Show: Showcase talents and skills with a classroom talent show.
• U – Under the Sea Day: Dive into ocean-themed activities and crafts.
• V – Video Call Day: Connect with a class from another school via video call.
• W – Water Day: Have water-themed games and activities to cool off.
• X – eXtra Special Day: Plan a surprise activity or treat for the class.
• Y – Yearbook Signing: Exchange yearbooks and memories with classmates.
• Z – Zoom Into Summer: Have a final party with a movie or virtual field trip on the last day.

Glow Party

A glow party is a theme that your students will definitely love! Think… dark, neon lights, like a rave but for kids! There are lots of activities you can do for glow day, but here are a few ideas:

• If you want to keep it simple, you just need glow sticks, glow necklaces, and some music! Let your students have a dance party in the dark with their glowing accessories. You can play freeze dance, musical chairs – any basic game suddenly becomes special when it's glow day!
• If you have access to black lights, then you can really go all out! Set up a few black lights in your classroom, and decorate the tables with neon accessories, so your students will see them when they come in! They have neon cups and plates, neon tape, neon party glasses – the possiblities are endless! You can set up different neon games in parts of the classroom, let students eat from neon plateware and utensils, and have a glow dance party!

Easy Party Ideas

If you are looking to keep things simple, then I am right there with you. Trust me, your students will LOVE any of these end of the year classroom party ideas. These are tried and true, and will make a sweet ending to your school year.

Parent Potluck

This might sound daunting, but if you delegate it properly, you will have very few tasks that fall to you. Here's how to create an end of the school year parent potluck party that is stress-free:

1. Invite your families to join you for a potluck lunch. Set a clear start and stop time (1 – 1.5 hours is plenty).
2. Create an online sign up (I always use Sign Up Genius). Include places to sign up for party set up, main dishes, veggie/fruit dishes, dessert dishes, drinks, cups and napkins and silverware, and party clean up.
3. Make sure you follow up with parents so that the important slots all get filled – especially party set up and clean up!
4. On the day of the potluck, take your students out to the playground and leave the set up parents in charge – they can move the tables, organize the food, and set up the places to eat – you don't have to do any of that!
5. When set up is ready and it's time to start eating, you can say hello with a small speech. If you want to have students do some sort of presentation you can, but that's totally optional!
6. Then everyone eats together! I usually let kids play outside when they're done eating so that the room doesn't turn into a zoo.
7. It's good to always have a clear ending time, so that parents know when to leave – and sometimes they take their child with them so you have a small class for the rest of the day!

PJ's, Movie, and a Treat

This is my go-to formula for a stress-free classroom party. Kids seem to love any excuse to wear their pajamas to school, and you can throw in letting them bring a stuffie to make it extra fun!

Watching a movie is perfect for the end of the year because it leaves you free to start organizing and putting things away in the classroom. Finish off with some yummy cookies or ice cream, and you can bet your students will go home extra happy. Your only prep is picking a movie and picking up a treat (or better yet — have some parent volunteers take care of bringing in the special treat!)

Awards Ceremony

You can create a simple, yet meaningful awards ceremony for students as an end of the year class celebration. And it's up to you how fancy you want to make it! Some fun awards ceremony ideas…

• Paper Plate Awards – these are easy to whip out one night while watching a movie on Netflix. Think of a fun way to honor each student, and decorate a paper plate with each phrase. Some ideas might be “always a good sport”, “looking on the bright side”, “a friend to all”, “never give up”, “you make us smile”, etc.
• Graduation Certificates – you can also make your own “graduation” certificates for each student to show they've made it through your class! Simply type in each student's name into a certificate template and print them out.
• Red Carpet Ceremony – if you want to get super fancy, you can create a little ceremony where students walk up a red carpet to receive their award – always a fun addition!

End Of The Year Classroom Party

Hopefully you've got plenty of end of the year classroom party ideas, and you're ready to have the BEST end of the school year celebration ever!!

Don't be afraid to take some time to do this important review work. Learning can't happen until your classroom daily routines are running smoothly, so this will be time well spent.

Which end of the year classroom party idea are you going to try? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

10 End of the Year Craft Ideas Your Students Will Absolutely Love

Student Gifts For The End Of The Year That Are Totally Cute And Totally Affordable 

5 Activities For The End Of The School Year That Your Students Will Love!

The post 9 Amazing End Of The Year Classroom Party Ideas appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

Every teacher wants to help their students learn to be kind. But it can be hard to know where to start when talking about kindness in the classroom. I find that crafts about kindness are one of the most effective ways you can teach your students about kindness.

Kindness crafts are a fantastic resource because they are a fun activity that students will want to do, they can be pulled out any time you need them, and they really do help reinforce kindness. Now, there are so many ideas for crafts about kindness, it can be very overwhelming. Luckily, I've done the work for you and rounded up the very best kindness crafts I could find.

Read on for the 10 best crafts about kindness for the classroom… I've even listed a children's book about kindness you can read to your class for each craft!

(Looking for some kindness activities that are ready to print and go? Check out my Kindness Activity Bundle right here.)

This post may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission when you make a purchase using my links.

Crafts About Kindness

Before I dive into my favorite crafts about kindness, here are my top tips on how to use these to the best effect in your classroom:

• Choose a clear teaching point
• Pick your timing
• Make it fun

The very best kindness crafts should have a clear teaching point. Yes, we want them to be fun and cute. But the most important part is helping our students get a better understanding of kindness. The kindness activities I pick for my students are always chosen with a clear intention.

For example, let's say I'm noticing that students are using unkind words with each other. Then I'll choose an activity that gets students to think and practice kind ways of speaking. Or, if I'm seeing a lot of competition and arguments, I'll look for a craft on kindness that focuses on patience and flexibility.

Timing is important too. Sometimes I'll choose to do a whole Week of Kindness if I feel that we need a really hefty dose of kindness in our classroom (read this post to find out how to do a Week of Kindness in your classroom)! Other times, I'll just sprinkle in one of my favorite crafts about kindness on a specific topic whenever I see the need.

Finally, it's important that it not feel like a lecture or a punishment. Students will get so much more out of it if it's a fun break from academics. After all, crafts about kindness should be fun, right?

Kindness Crafts To Try

Okay, without further ado, here are my top 10 favorite kindness crafts! I've included the specific teaching point that I think they would be great to use. I'm also going to list a children's book about kindness that would be absolutely perfect to pair with each kindness craft. (Want to see all my favorite children's kindness books? You can shop my favorite books on kindness here.)

Notes To Classmates – Spreading Kindness

This is the perfect way to get kind vibes spreading all over your classroom. In this craft about kindness, students write kind notes to give to other students. You can make these available for students to grab and write on their own Or, you can assign students other students to write to in order to make sure everyone gets a note.

The kindness children's book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? would be a perfect companion to this craft.

Kindness Rocks – Spreading Kindness

If you're a teacher who loves hands-on, crafty projects, then this is perfect for you! Painting kindness rocks is a kindness craft your students will absolutely love. Pair this craft with the kindness book A Small Kindness.

First, help your students think of kind phrases that would cheer people up. Then let them paint their rock with the phrase and decorations. Finally, hide the rocks around the playground for kids in other grades to find and keep! This is one of the best crafts about kindness for practicing generosity as well as spreading kindness.

Bucket Filler – The Effects of Kindness

This craft for kindness is perfect for emphasizing the effect that kindness can have on all of us. The bucket metaphor is one that students can immediately grasp – when someone is kind, it fills their bucket, but when someone is mean, it dips their bucket.

If you've never checked out the book How Full Is Your Bucket? you definitely need to add it to your list! It's always on my list to read to my class year after year.

Kindness Crown – What Kindness Means

The word “kindness” gets thrown around all the time, but there are lots of other fantastic words that go hand in hand with kindness. I like to introduce students to our “WOW words” – like generous, inclusive, helpful, flexible, etc. Talking about these traits helps students understand how to be kind. Plus, you then have a list of wonderful adjectives to use when noticing your students and positively reinforcing their kind behavior.

Weaving in a crown craft is a great way to learn about and celebrate these WOW words. This is one of my favorite crafts about kindness because it ends with something students can wear! Always a big hit.

The book Tomorrow I'll Be Kind describes many of these important words, and it would be a perfect companion book for this kindness craft.

Class Quilt – Friendship

Creating a class quilt is a wonderful way to display your students' commitment to kindness in your classroom. First, students decide how they want to be a good friend. Then they trace their hand and decorate their square of the quilt. Finally, display these in your classroom on a bulletin board!

I Walk With Vanessa is a story of friendship and kindness. This is a great book to have students brainstorm ways to be a kind friend.

Kindness Bingo – Putting Kindness Into Action

This kindness bingo board is one of the most fun crafts about kindness! Throughout the week, students try to complete the kind acts on their boards to get bingos. You can celebrate bingos with a sticker or a small class cheer. (If you want a full class activity version of this, I have a class anchor chart version you can check out here.)

The children's book When We Are Kind helps students reflect on the effects of kindness. It would be a wonderful companion to the kindness bingo craft.

Kindness Cootie Catchers – Putting Kindness Into Action

In this fun kindness craft, students create cootie catchers with kind actions inside. When they play with a friend, whatever kind action the friend lands on – they have to do that! A great way to make kindness into a fun game.

A book that would be wonderful to go with this craft is Be Kind. It helps demonstrate the importance of kind acts every day.

Friend Flipbook – Friendship

Being a good friend is a skill that students are working on at school just as much as the academic skills. Teaching explicit ways to be a good friend helps students in their social life, but it also helps your classroom run smoother. Students are friendly to one another can work well together, making partner and group activities much more successful.

Finding crafts about friendship are an important piece of your crafts about kindness. Friendship and kindness are so interwoven, and it's such a big part of classroom dynamics.

Each Kindness is a poignant children's book that really gets students thinking about the effects of their actions and behavior towards others. It will help them examine whether they are being a good friend to other students who are in need of a friendly word.

Kindness Flower – Acts of Kindness

In this craft for kindness, students write down acts of kindness on the petals of a flower. This helps students think of different ways to be kind throughout their day.

Class Kindness Rainbow – Acts of Kindness

Students brainstorm acts of kindness and add it to a handprint cutout. Make sure you pass out handprints in all the colors of the rainbow. When you put the handprints together in a display, they make a beautiful kindness rainbow! For a larger rainbow, invite students to make more than one handprint.

Read Kindness Is My Superpower with this craft about kindness. It will help students brainstorm different ways they can be kind throughout the day.

Crafts For Kindness

These crafts about kindness will help fill your classroom with positivity and happiness. It's no secret that when students are treating each other kindly, schoolwork and teaching is easier for everyone. Finding time in your week to slip in a kindness craft and book here and there will have undoubtedly have a positive effect on your classroom.

If you're looking for enough kindness activities to use throughout the year or to do a kindness unit, check out my Kindness Activity Bundle. It includes 10 printable craft templates, 5 anchor chart templates, and 5 days of lesson plans with companion books.

Which craft are you excited to use? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo
Laura

Resources For You

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10 Growth Mindset For Kids Activities Your Students Will Love

The post Crafts About Kindness You Need To Try In Your Classroom appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for back to school crafts your students will love!

Jump to…

• Getting to Know You Crafts
• Rules and Routines Crafts
• Kindness Crafts
• Social Emotional Learning Crafts
• Back to School Arts and Crafts

Back to School Activities

Back to school season is an important time for teachers and our students. This is the time to lay the foundations of a great school year.

As teachers, we need to use these back to school weeks to build relationships, get our students excited about learning, and set expectations. There are lots of choices for great ways to do this! We can do this through games, children’s books, anchor charts, and…back to school arts and crafts!

If you’re looking for more great ideas to use with your students during back to school this year, read this post 21 Amazing Activities For the First Week of School.

Back to School Crafts

You can use back to school crafts in a variety of ways. Back to school crafts for kids don’t have to just be for fun decorations. Actually, we can use them purposefully in our back to school activities. For example, you might use crafts to:

• Learn or celebrate student names
• Set learning goals and get excited to learn
• Get to know each other and build friendships between students
• Learn about classroom routines and procedures
• Talk about feelings and emotions
• Establish classroom rules and expectations

Let’s dive into some examples so we can see these back to school crafts in action!

Back to School Craft Ideas

Here are 15 wonderful back to school craft ideas for you to use with your students this year. This list is organized into four categories: Getting to Know You, Rules and Routines, Kindness, and Social Emotional Learning. These are the most important things to be learning about at the beginning of the school year, so it’s a great place to start!

Getting to Know You Crafts

Building relationships is so important at the beginning of the school year! Here are some amazing back to school crafts for getting to know your students.

A Letter For My Teacher

This simple back to school craft is a great way to get to know your students! It gives the opportunity for students to tell you some things about themselves. (The template is in my TPT store right here.)

Heart Map

Get to know your students by having them create a heart map. Students color in their heart with the parts of their lives that are most important to them.

First Day Feelings

Normalizing everyone's feelings is an important part of the first week of school. This back to school activity helps students process any nervousness they have and start to feel more comfortable in their new classroom. (You can get this template in my TPT store here.)

Name Bookmarks

Celebrate student names with these name bookmarks! My students loved decorating these during the first week of school – it made a great activity for early finishers or if you finish a lesson early. (This editable template is available in my TPT store here.)

Shooting Star Goals

Encourage your students to think about what they want to learn this year. Have the write down three things they want to learn, then create their shooting star.

(Want all these activities and crafts for less? Check out my First Week of School Activity Bundle right here!)

Rules and Routines Crafts

Learning your classroom rules and routines doesn’t have to be boring! Help students process all this new learning with these hands-on arts and crafts projects. You can find more ideas for teaching rules and routines in my blog post 5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas.

Classroom Materials Flipbook

Setting expectations around care of classroom materials is so important at the beginning of the school year. This classroom materials flipbook helps students remember the right way to take care of their school belongings.

Classroom Rules Flower

Classroom rules – but make it arts and crafts! After teaching your classroom rules, have students write them down on each petal of this fun and colorful flower. These make a fun classroom decoration.

Listening Body Cut and Paste

Encourage students to explore what they need to have their best behavior during group lessons. This provides a great time to talk about what listening looks like for different students, and to set the expectations that work best for you and your classroom. (This template is available in my TPT store here.)

Class Promise

Creating a class promise is a great way for students to feel like part of their classroom community. Have students help you come up with your classroom rules. Then each student places their handprint around the chart to show that they will do their best to follow those rules. (You can get this class promise template for free right here!)

(Want more rules and routines activities and crafts? Check out my Routines and Procedures Activity Bundle right here!)

Kindness Crafts

I always start the school year off emphasizing kindness in the classroom. Here are some simple craft suggestions for integrating kindness into your classroom. Read this blog post for how to do a Week of Kindness with your students.

Friendly Notes To A Classmate

This is one of my favorite back to school crafts for spreading kindness in the classroom. Have a time when students can write notes to each other and deliver them anonymously. They're bound to bring a smile to each student's face! (You can get the template for these in my TPT store here.)

Wow Words Crown

Talk about qualities that you want to see in your students. Have them decorate these crowns to show that they all have these qualities within themselves! (You can get the template for these in my TPT store here.)

Kindness Chain

Every time you see your students being kind, add a link to the paper chain. See how long your chain can get! (You can get the template for this in my TPT store here.)

Bucket Filler

Teaching about bucket filling is one of my favorite ways to talk about kindness with my students. The book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” explains acts of kindness in a clear and accessible way for children. (You can get the template for these in my TPT store here.)

(Want even more kindness activities and crafts? Check out my Week of Kindness Activity Bundle right here!)

Social Emotional Crafts

It’s never too early to start weaving social emotional learning into your school day. These types of activities help students feel safe and help them build important social skills right out of the gate. Here are some back to school crafts that will start this SEL work from the beginning of school!

Growth Mindset Craft

Teaching growth mindset is a great way to start off the new school year. This back to school craft helps teach students about fixed mindset versus growth mindset. (This craft template is part of the Growth Mindset Activities in my TPT store right here.)

Positive Affirmations

Self-love is becoming more and more important for young people to practice. This back to school craft helps students practice positive affirmations. (This craft template is part of the Self-Love Activities in my TPT store right here.)

Making New Friends

Making new friends at the start of a new school year can be challenging for many students. This is one of my favorite back to school crafts for friendship because it gives students concrete strategies they can try out to make some new friends. (This craft template is part of the Friendship Activities in my TPT store right here.)

Back to School Arts and Crafts

Are you as excited as me about using back to school crafts this year? These ideas are a great starting point, and of course there are lots more you can use!

If you need more inspiration, check out my Classroom Community Megabundle for more ideas.

Which back to school craft idea are you excited to try? Tell me in the comments! 
xoxo 
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

21 Amazing Ideas for Activities on the First Day of School

The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas

11 Fantastic Week of Kindness Ideas To Try In Your Classroom

The post Back To School Crafts You Need To Try This Year appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for 10 of my favorite end of year crafts to try in your classroom.

(Want something prepped and ready to go? Check out my end of the year memories anchor chart and craft activity right here!)

End of the Year Craft Ideas

There are so many ways to celebrate the end of the year. (Check out this post for end of the year celebration ideas). Plus, it’s a special time to recognize the journey you’ve taken together as a class. Students have grown and changed during the school year, and they’ve bonded with you and their classmates. 

It’s important to honor this learning and growth, not just because it’s fun, but because it helps students prepare themselves mentally and emotionally for ending their time with you. The crafts in this round-up all focus on celebrating learning, growth, and memories. And they help students not only look back on what they’ve accomplished, but also look forward toward what’s next!

Memories Booklet

This Memories Booklet is such a sweet end of year craft. It prompts students to look back at the year they’ve had and remember their favorite times. Not only does it serve as a great way to reminisce about the year, but it also will be a sweet keepsake for students to keep and look back on in the future. You can get templates for this craft right here.

Memories Anchor Chart

This idea is extra fun because it’s an activity you can do together as a class. First, have your class remember and share some of their favorite things they’ve done this year. Then, give each student one of the polaroid cut-outs for them to draw their favorite memory and write their name. Finally, paste all the polaroid cut-outs onto the anchor chart to create a memory collage you can display in your classroom!

Click here to get this anchor chart template.

Goodbye Stars

This is such a fun way to help students get ready to say goodbye to their friends! As a class, you brainstorm phrases you could write to your friends to say goodbye and wish them a happy summer. Then every student gets a large star for all their friends to write a message on. 

I love this idea for creating a simple way for students to give a simple message to their friends. Students will love getting to take home these special stars for summer time.

Memory Lapbook

There is something just so fun about lapbooks! And I love this one because of all the different pieces students get to put together. This craft is all about remembering the great times from the year. I love that it has lots of different parts for students to reflect on and record their favorite parts of the year.

Mini Year Book

This end of the year craft idea is designed for students to make a page in each other’s booklets, so that they end up with a little mini-yearbook at the end. The pages include a simple prompt for students to draw and write a favorite memory they had with their friend. 

You get to choose how many pages the students have. You can have one for every student in the class. Or, you could limit it to 5 and have students just choose 5 friends to write in their booklets for a shorter activity.

Click here to get the template for this craft!

Memory Wheel

This fun end of the year craft could be adapted for any grade level. Students get to think about their favorite memories. Then they add them to this wheel-shaped design. You’ll end up with a great little keepsake or classroom display!

Class T-Shirts

I love creating our very own t-shirts with my class each year. This one is always a big hit with my students.

First, students bring in a plain white t-shirt from home. Then, we all sign the backs of the shirts with sharpies. Finally, students get to decorate the front of the shirts with fabric paint. These make the perfect shirts to wear on the last day of school and take some fun pictures together.

Memories Flower

This is one of my favorite end of the year craft ideas because they turn out so beautiful you’ll want to display them in your classroom! In each flower petal, students record one of their favorite memories from the school year. Then the edge of the petals can be decorated with sequins to make them extra beautiful.

You can grab the template for this craft right here!

Ice Cream Memories

This is another fun memories craft for the end of the year. Students record their favorite memories on different scoops of ice cream. Then the scoops get stacked on top of each other to create a super cute ice cream cone. This craft is such a fun way to celebrate the year that’s past while also building up excitement for the upcoming summer months.

Wave Goodbye

This is a fun end of the year activity that is a pure art craft. Students trace their hand and create a cut out. Then they decorate a paper with paint marks to create a fun background. The hand print cut out gets glued onto the background paper to look like it’s waving. For the final touch, give students a little poem about the end of the year to glue on next to the hand.

This end of the year craft idea could help you have a discussion with younger students about the end of the year, what it means, and to help them process any feelings of anxiety they have around it. The more we can prepare our little ones for change ahead of time, the better they will be able to handle it!

End of the Year Crafts

I hope this helped you find the perfect end of the year craft for your students! Crafts are the perfect activity for when you’re feeling those end of the year blues kick in (or that end of the year craziness!).

Any of these end of the year craft ideas would be a fun way to close out the school year. They make fun displays for the end of the year, and they become beautiful keepsakes to help students and families look back and remember the fun school year.

Remember if you need something prepped and ready to go, you can get this end of the year craft and activity bundle:

Which craft are you most excited to try? Let me know in the comments! 
xoxo 
Laura

Resources For You:

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Student Gifts For The End Of The Year That Are Totally Cute And Totally Affordable 

5 Activities For The End Of The School Year That Your Students Will Love!

The post 10 End of the Year Craft Ideas Your Students Will Absolutely Love  appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Winter holidays around the world are a hit with my students every year! Celebrating winter holidays from the around the world is such a fun way to get in the holiday spirit, and also a great way to keep students motivated during December. Plus, teaching students about these holidays can help build inclusivity, tolerance, and appreciation of diversity in your classroom. There are so many wonderful winter and December global holidays that your students will love to learn about. And I’ve rounded up some of my favorite activities to help you learn and celebrate!

Read on for fun activities and crafts to celebrate winter holidays around the world!

Want to celebrate holidays around the world with your students, but not sure where to start? This bundle has everything you need!

Winter Holidays Around the World

The best place to start your winter holidays around the world studies is to find out which religions and holidays are celebrated by the families in your class. I love to send out a questionnaire at the beginning of the year to gather information from families. One of the questions asks about major holidays that are important to each family. 

Then when a holiday is coming up, you can reach out to families to see if there is anything they would want to share with the class. Families are usually thrilled to be included in this way. We’ve had families share special food dishes, important artifacts, children’s books, and videos for different holidays!

There are so many winter holidays from around the world that your students may not know about – December Jewish holidays, December holidays in India, special new year’s celebrations.. the list goes on and on! For example, some of my favorite winter holidays to teach about are Hanukkah, Diwali, Winter Solstice, Las Posadas, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, and Lunar New Year’s! 

Of course, I love teaching with arts and crafts, so here is a round-up of some of my favorite craft ideas for winter and December holidays around the world!

 

Hanukkah Activities

The days of Hanukkah change every year, so be sure to check your calendar so you can plan when to do your Hanukkah crafts. This is a Jewish festival lasting eight nights. It is sometimes also called the Festival of Lights.

Creating an anchor chart is a great way to help students learn new facts about Hanukkah. There are lots of great Hanukkah read alouds that you can use with your students as you are teaching them about the history of this holiday.

I love a flipbook for letting students practice what they've learned. This one uses the information from the anchor chart so that students can apply their new learning independently.

This anchor chart explores some of the different ways that countries like to celebrate Christmas. There are lots of fun books that you can read that explore these different Christmas traditions. As you read the books, you can add the pieces to the anchor chart. This makes such a fun Christmas around the world classroom display!

It also has a cut and paste matching craft activity for students to do on their own. This engaging activity helps students remember what they learned about each Christmas around the world holiday tradition.

Another fun way to learn about Christmas around the world is to learn about the different Christmas tree decorations that are popular in different countries. In this cut and paste craft, students make their own Christmas tree and paste on various popular decorations from many different parts of the globe. 

These activities are included in the Christmas Around the World activity pack.

Kwanzaa Activities

If you're celebrating winter holidays from around the world, Kwanzaa is definitely one you'll want to include!

Kwanzaa celebrates 7 guiding principles that honor African heritage: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. The celebration is 7 days long, one day for each of the principles.

To celebrate Kwanzaa, have your students make a unity chain. Add strips of black, red, and green paper every time you notice students honoring principles of teamwork or unity in the classroom. Students will love to work together to see how long their chain can get!

Kwanzaa is a relatively newer holiday, so your students may not know as much about it. This flipbook will help them learn the facts about Kwanzaa. Each page of the flipbook reviews an important aspect of Kwanzaa.

All these Kwanzaa activities and crafts are part of this Kwanzaa activity pack.

Winter Solstice Crafts

The winter solstice celebrates the sun’s rebirth. It is celebrated on December 21st, the shortest day of the year. It is a time to reflect on new beginnings.

These winter solstice activities are perfect to include in your winter holidays from around the world lessons.

This anchor chart is a great activity to help teach your students about the winter solstice. I love pairing this activity with winter solstice read alouds. As facts come up in the books. I add them to the anchor chart.

A crown is always a big hit with my students, and this one is the perfect winter solstice activity for your holidays around the world studies. Students cut and paste little pictures on it that have to do with the winter solstice.

These activity templates are part of this Winter Solstice activity pack.

Not Just December…

Learning about holidays from different cultures and parts of the world is something we can do all year long. Not only does this help all our students feel seen, but it builds tolerance and an appreciation for diversity.  

I hope you have lots of fun ideas now for celebrating winter and December holidays around the world! 

If you want all these winter holidays around the world activities, check out the Winter Holidays Around the World activity bundle.

Which of these crafts are do you want to try with your classroom?
xoxo
Laura

You may also be interested in:

15 Paper Thanksgiving Crafts For Kids That Are Fun and Easy

The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

Week of Kindness

10 Holidays Around the World Crafts

Spinning a dreidel is a traditional game during the time of Hanukkah. In this craft, students make their own 3D dreidel set so they can play with their classmates!

All of these activities can be found here, in the Hanukkah Activity Pack.

Christmas Around the World

Of course, you can't have celebrate winter holidays around the world without including Christmas around the world! Christmas is a popular holiday all over the world, but it's celebrated very differently across the globe. Your students will love hearing about the various countries and their special ways of celebrating Christmas.

This anchor chart explores some of the different ways that countries like to celebrate Christmas. There are lots of fun books that you can read that explore these different Christmas traditions. As you read the books, you can add the pieces to the anchor chart. This makes such a fun Christmas around the world classroom display!

It also has a cut and paste matching craft activity for students to do on their own. This engaging activity helps students remember what they learned about each Christmas around the world holiday tradition.

Another fun way to learn about Christmas around the world is to learn about the different Christmas tree decorations that are popular in different countries. In this cut and paste craft, students make their own Christmas tree and paste on various popular decorations from many different parts of the globe. 

These activities are included in the Christmas Around the World activity pack.

Kwanzaa Activities

If you're celebrating winter holidays from around the world, Kwanzaa is definitely one you'll want to include!

Kwanzaa celebrates 7 guiding principles that honor African heritage: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. The celebration is 7 days long, one day for each of the principles.

To celebrate Kwanzaa, have your students make a unity chain. Add strips of black, red, and green paper every time you notice students honoring principles of teamwork or unity in the classroom. Students will love to work together to see how long their chain can get!

Kwanzaa is a relatively newer holiday, so your students may not know as much about it. This flipbook will help them learn the facts about Kwanzaa. Each page of the flipbook reviews an important aspect of Kwanzaa.

All these Kwanzaa activities and crafts are part of this Kwanzaa activity pack.

Winter Solstice Crafts

The winter solstice celebrates the sun’s rebirth. It is celebrated on December 21st, the shortest day of the year. It is a time to reflect on new beginnings.

These winter solstice activities are perfect to include in your winter holidays from around the world lessons.

This anchor chart is a great activity to help teach your students about the winter solstice. I love pairing this activity with winter solstice read alouds. As facts come up in the books. I add them to the anchor chart.

A crown is always a big hit with my students, and this one is the perfect winter solstice activity for your holidays around the world studies. Students cut and paste little pictures on it that have to do with the winter solstice.

These activity templates are part of this Winter Solstice activity pack.

Not Just December…

Learning about holidays from different cultures and parts of the world is something we can do all year long. Not only does this help all our students feel seen, but it builds tolerance and an appreciation for diversity.  

I hope you have lots of fun ideas now for celebrating winter and December holidays around the world! 

If you want all these winter holidays around the world activities, check out the Winter Holidays Around the World activity bundle.

Which of these crafts are do you want to try with your classroom?
xoxo
Laura

You may also be interested in:

15 Paper Thanksgiving Crafts For Kids That Are Fun and Easy

The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

Week of Kindness

10 Holidays Around the World Crafts

The post How to Celebrate Winter Holidays Around the World With Your Students appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for the ultimate guide to paper Thanksgiving crafts for kids that are fun to make but easy to prep! (This post may contain affiliate links. I make a small amount of comimssion when you shop through these links.)

Click here to check out the Gratitude and Thanksgiving activity bundle!

Thanksgiving Projects for Elementary Students

Thanksgiving is a special time in school because it provides an opportunity to express gratitude and honor the earth. These paper Thanksgiving crafts for kids can help students practice gratitude in ways that are engaging and fun. 

This is an especially important time to talk about Native American culture and to honor it in a respectful way in your classroom. There are lots of Thanksgiving projects for elementary students that can help students understand and respect Native American culture. Here are some of the very best paper Thanksgiving crafts for kids of all ages!

Printable Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

If you are looking for Thanksgiving crafts for kids easy on the prep and low on materials, then printables are the way to go. There are lots of printable options out there that can still be rich and engaging. Here are some of my very favorite Thanksgiving crafts for kids at school that are no-prep printables:

Gratitude Crown

This leaf crown is another fun craft project. Students write down people or things that they are grateful for on the leaves and then glue it to their crown.

Thanksgiving Traditions Turkey

This printable turkey craft is one of my favorite printable Thanksgiving crafts for kids. Students write different things they love to do for Thanksgiving on the feathers of the turkey.

Coloring Sheets

This collaborative coloring poster is such a fun choice for Thanksgiving time! Each student gets a square to color. Then the class uses teamwork to put the pictures together to create a complete display. It requires no prep, just lots of fun. This resource comes with ten gratitude and Thanksgiving themed designs to choose from.

Native American Designs

Making a Native American-inspired drawing. First, help your students research tribes that live or used to live in your area. Then find out what kind of symbols they used in their designs and artwork. Students can use these symbols to decorate their own artwork.

Coloring Placemats

This placemat coloring is a fun chance for students to share with the class some of the foods that their families like to make for Thanksgiving. It also provides a chance to talk about decolonizing Thanksgiving by talking about some traditional Native American foods to your students. This article includes many wonderful dishes that come from Native American culture. You can even share these recipes with students and their families.

Grateful For The Earth

Reading books like Wild Berries by Julie Flett can help inspire students to appreciate the beauty of nature. This craft inspires students to name all the ways Earth provides for them. Another beautiful book to read with this craft is We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom. You can get the template to this craft in my TPT store right here.

Gratitude Anchor Charts

Anchor charts are a great paper activity to use in the classroom. These anchor charts are all about celebrating gratitude, and they are perfect for November and Thanksgiving time. These anchor charts have an element that the students cut out and write on their own, making them great paper Thanksgiving crafts for kids.

This is a fun anchor chart to help students brainstorm and reflect on things that they are grateful for in their lives. Pass out a paper leaf to each student, have them write their idea on the leaf, cut it out, and paste it on the anchor chart!

This anchor chart is a fun way to have students share their favorite Thanksgiving traditions. Each student gets a feather, writes down one of their favorite ways to celebrate, and then adds their feather to the turkey on the anchor chart.

Thanksgiving Crafts Construction Paper

There are lots of fun Thanksgiving crafts construction paper can be used for. Many photocopy machines can run construction paper, making it easy to use colored construction paper as part of any craft. Here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving crafts construction paper is used with.

Gratitude Chain

This gratitude chain is one of my favorite paper Thanksgiving crafts for kids that can be done as a whole-class activity. Have your students think about all the things they are grateful for in their classroom or school. This might be teachers and friends, certain classes or resources, or features of their school buildings. This activity can help students realize the great privilege of having access to education.

Pastel or Chalk Drawings

You can use construction paper with pastels or chalk to get a striking look for this craft. Celebrate Native American legends using books like The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble and Tasunka, A Lakota Horse Legend by Donald F. Montileaux.

Construction Paper Weaving

This is a great example of Thanksgiving crafts construction paper could be used for. This festive fall weaving project can be printed out and copied on colored construction paper. Cut out construction paper strips for students to use for the weaving.

Paper Thanksgiving Crafts For Kids

I hope these craft ideas have inspired you with lots of ideas! These Thanksgiving crafts for kids will help your students learn about respecting and honoring Native American culture, as well as celebrating gratitude for the big and small gifts in our lives.

Which activity are you excited to try with your students for Thanksgiving?
xoxo
Laura

Want some Thanksgiving activities that are ready to print and go? Check out the bundle here!

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The post 11 Paper Thanksgiving Crafts For Kids That Are Fun and Easy appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

My students absolutely love learning about new places in the world. Celebrating and honoring Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a perfect opportunity to give my students a chance to experience and learn about some amazing countries in Asia and the Pacific Islands.

For many of my students, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a chance to see new places they've never learned about before. For some students, it's a chance to celebrate their own cultures and to see characters like themselves in the books and activities we do.

(Looking for some done-for-you activities to do with your class during Asian American Heritage Month? Check out my Asia Virtual Field Trip bundle!)

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Activities

There are some amazing ways to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in your classroom! My favorite ways are with virtual field trips, books, and crafts. These are guaranteed to engage your students and get them excited to learn about the amazing cultures found in countries of Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Read on for lots of ideas!

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Virtual Field Trips

Virtual field trips have been growing in popularity ever since so many of us had to switch into virtual learning in March of 2020. Virtual field trips are fun and engaging ways for students to visit and learn more about places all over the world. Doing virtual field trips to various countries in Asia and the Pacific Islands can be a great way to have your students learn lots of new facts about these places.

Usually virtual field trips consist of a slide show containing links to videos, prompts to discuss learning, and sometimes an activity. These can be fun to put together yourself, if you already have information in mind that you'd like your students to learn about. Maps, video tours, and photos are great visuals for immersing students and helping transport them to a new place!

My students this year LOVED our Asia virtual field trips! They were so excited every time I announced we were doing another virtual field trip that day. I did one per week during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, so we were able to visit quite a few countries.

If you're interested in the virtual field trips that I used, you can check out my Asia Virtual Field Trip Bundle! It includes virtual field trips to 3 countries: India, Japan, and China. There are 4-5 videos in each slideshow, as well as companion crafts and follow-up activities.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Books

One of my favorite ways to teach any topic is through children's books. Books help us connect and see new perspectives, and they help children feel seen. It's so important for children to feel represented by the characters in the books we share. It's equally important to expose our students to protagonists who are different from them. Here is a round-up of great Asian Pacific American heritage books that I especially love sharing with my students. You can get them on Amazon here.

If you want to research even more books, click the links below. These websites have great Asian Pacific American heritage booklists!

Social Justice Books

Conscious Kids

PBS

Asian Pacific American Heritage Crafts

If you've been here before, you know that I love arts integration! Finding ways to incorporate crafts into my curriculum is one of my greatest passions in teaching. I had a lot of fun researching crafts for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. There were so many wonderful choices, and I knew my students were going to love making their own versions of crafts that we were reading and learning about. I included templates for most of these crafts in my Asia Virtual Field Trips Bundle. Here are some of my favorite crafts that I found in my research:

Japan – Origami

Doing origami with children can be tricky. Even origami labeled “easy” is often beyond the reach of primary grade students. I had to look long and hard for origami that was accessible to my first graders. For beginners in grades K-2, I recommend these tutorials:

• Simple Origami Fish
• Simple Origami Cat
• Simple Origami Heart

If your students are a little older or have a background in origami, you could try this Fun and Simple Whale.

China – Paper Lantern

One of China's most famous celebrations is Lunar New Year's. At the end of Lunar New Year's is the Lantern Festival. Paper lanterns have become a recognized symbol associated with China. My students loved learning about these beautiful lanterns, and they were very excited to make their own!

Here are two tutorial videos to make simple paper lanterns:

• Easier Paper Lantern (Grades K-2)
• Harder Paper Lantern (Grades 3-5)

India – Mandalas

Mandalas are a beautiful art form used for many ceremonial and celebratory purposes in India. Mandalas can be very intricate and very difficult. Here are two accessible mandala tutorials that are simple enough for children to follow along!

• Nature Mandalas (Grades K-2): This video shows a simple way to make a nature mandala using whatever materials you can easily find outside. I had my students collect rocks, sticks, and grass right outside our classroom, and they were able to make beautiful pieces of artwork!
• Mandala Drawings (Grades 3-5): This video provides a clear guide and simple steps to designing your own simple mandala drawing. It starts out with a template of circles, and then shows students how to create a different design within each circle, building upon their mandala as they move outwards.

Somoa – Pattern Designs

Somoa is famous for its delicate artistry. They have amazing woven mats and incredibly intricate tattoo art. This video shows students how to draw some of the basic patterns that are sometimes used for tattoos. These patterns are repetitive and simple, but they look stunning when put together!

These crafts are a fun way to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month through hands-on learning! Having these crafts up in my classroom and in our hallway is a great way to share with our school community our Asian Pacific American heritage celebrations!

The post The Best Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Classroom Activities appeared first on Love Grows Learning.