In today’s world, teaching kindness in the classroom is more important than ever. As a teacher, you know better than anyone that your classroom is not just a place for academic learning; your classroom is an environment where your students develop the values that will guide them throughout their lives. By fostering kindness, we’re not only helping individuals grow but also strengthening communities and our nation by creating a new generation of active citizen leaders with strong character. Great examples of people who have exhibited extraordinary selflessness and kindness are the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation’s Citizen Honors Awardees, who embody the values of kindness, courage, and sacrifice. Their stories of bravery and selflessness serve as examples of the extraordinary power ordinary people have and what it means to care for others, inspiring students to lead lives in their footsteps and always act with honor and compassion. 

By integrating these principles into your classroom, you help create a generation that can make a profound difference, both in their immediate circles and in the world at large. So, let’s get into everything you need to know about teaching kindness in school and how we can help.

Why Is it Important to Teach Kindness in School 

There are countless reasons to incorporate kindness in education. 

On an individual level, teaching kindness enables students to develop empathy, build emotional intelligence, foster stronger social skills, promote better mental health, enhance self-esteem, and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. 

Students who practice kindness in their daily lives build positive relationships, reduce conflict, and contribute to a supportive school environment. However, the benefits extend beyond the classroom. 

Students also learn how to make others feel valued, which in turn strengthens the fabric of their communities. On a community and national level, fostering kindness among young people helps create a culture of respect and cooperation that transcends personal differences. 

In a world that can sometimes feel divided, instilling kindness in students is one of the most important steps we can take to build a more united and compassionate society. 

By teaching students to lead with empathy and respect, you are helping to lay the foundation for a future where differences are met with understanding rather than division.

How to Teach Kindness in the Classroom

Whether you are struggling to navigate the unique social dynamics of teaching kindness in middle school or teaching kindness to high school students to prepare them to be thoughtful and responsible citizens in the next chapter, teaching kindness is both a meaningful and essential task.

There are some tried-and-true approaches you can take. After all, while the age group may differ, the goal remains the same. Here’s how to teach kindness in the classroom:

1. Model Kindness Consistently: Students take their cues from the adults around them, so you set the tone, especially in the classroom. Demonstrate kindness in your interactions with students, colleagues, and even yourself. Simple acts, such as listening with patience, expressing appreciation, using a positive tone of voice and language, being understanding and respectful of students’ needs and sensitivities, or addressing conflict respectfully, can speak volumes and cultivate a positive and compassionate classroom culture.
2. Use Real-Life Stories to Inspire Action: Introduce students to real-life examples of kindness and courage through the stories of Citizen Honors Awardees and Medal of Honor Recipients. Their powerful stories provide tangible proof that one person’s actions can have a lasting impact. These examples help students see kindness not just as a classroom rule but as a lifelong virtue because they will learn to understand when compassion is needed and how to respond.
3. Incorporate Kindness in the Curriculum: Integrate character education into lessons using structured, age-appropriate resources. We offer free lessons that align with educational standards and include discussion prompts, reflection exercises, and connections to history and civic responsibility. These lessons help students recognize kindness as an integral part of their academic journey, not something extra or optional.
4. Create Opportunities for Students to Practice: Kindness is best learned through action. Set up peer mentoring programs, organize service-learning projects, or challenge students to complete random acts of kindness. When students are empowered to take initiative, they begin to understand that kindness is not a passive act; it’s a conscious choice they make every day.
5. Encourage Reflection and Discussion: Allow students to reflect on and discuss what kindness means in their lives. Host classroom conversations about times they’ve experienced or witnessed kindness and what it meant to them. Journaling exercises or end-of-week reflections can help students connect these experiences to their own character growth. All of these are things that our free Character Development Program (CDP) lessons facilitate.
6. Incorporate Kindness Activities: Use interactive kindness school activities to make kindness tangible and fun. Try kindness bingo, compliment chains, or community service projects that allow students to participate together, such as visiting veterans and expressing gratitude. These hands-on experiences help students internalize kindness as an action, not just a concept.
7. Celebrate Kindness When You See It: Recognition reinforces behavior. Whether it’s a quiet thank-you, a classroom shoutout, or a kindness wall where students can recognize one another, celebrating positive actions helps create a culture where kindness is seen, valued, and repeated. For example, you could create a “kindness jar” and present students with an award, such as our free, printable, and customizable student recognition award, after they have been recognized for a set number of acts of kindness. This goes a long way with students! 

By combining these approaches, you can create a classroom environment where kindness is not only taught but lived every day and by every student. And when kindness becomes part of your classroom culture, it becomes part of who your students are, both now and in the future.

How Can You Encourage Kindness in the Classroom?

Encouraging kindness in the classroom begins with creating a safe and supportive environment where every student feels seen, respected, and valued. While kindness can be taught through lessons, it is most powerfully reinforced through daily interactions and an intentional classroom culture.

Here are some ways you can encourage kindness in meaningful, lasting ways:

• Start with Clear Expectations: Set the tone early by making kindness a core classroom value. Share clear expectations, incorporate kindness into your classroom rules, and refer back to them frequently. When students understand that respect and empathy are expected, they are more likely to exhibit these behaviors themselves.
• Model the Behavior You Want to See: Your actions set the tone for others. Show patience, respect, and compassion in your speech and responses, especially during challenging moments. When students see you practicing kindness, they learn to do the same and emulate that behavior.
• Lead with Empathy: A significant component of modeling behavior is taking time to understand your students’ individual backgrounds and emotional needs. When you approach students with empathy, they not only feel more supported, but they also learn to extend that same empathy to others. Your example is one of the most powerful teaching tools you have.
• Integrate Character Conversations into Everyday Learning: Look for natural opportunities to discuss kindness during your regular lessons, whether through literature, historical figures, or current events. Connecting kindness naturally to these topics will not only engrain it into your students’ psyche but will also make the importance of kindness more relatable and tangible. You can use the stories of Medal of Honor Recipients and Citizen Honors Awardees, for example, as conversation starters about courage, compassion, and service. These real-life examples help students see that kindness is a strength, not a weakness. CDP offers many lesson plans, activities, videos, and free teaching resources that you can access after registering.
• Give Students Ownership: Encourage students to take an active role in building a kind classroom community. Let them lead kindness campaigns, start gratitude circles, or create peer recognition systems. When students feel responsible for the tone of their classroom, they make a significantly more fulfilling environment, and they become more invested in maintaining a positive and respectful atmosphere themselves.

• Acknowledge Efforts, Big and Small: Recognize and celebrate acts of kindness as they happen. Whether it’s helping a classmate, including someone new, or showing patience during a tough moment, acknowledging kind behavior reinforces its importance and encourages others to do the same.

By encouraging kindness in these ways, you’re not only shaping better classmates. You’re shaping better citizens. And when students learn that kindness is a powerful force for good, they carry that lesson with them far beyond the classroom walls.

The Power of Citizen Honors Awardees

When teaching kindness in the classroom, real-life role models can make all the difference, especially those with whom they can easily identify. Enter the Citizen Honors Awards. 

Presented annually by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, these awards have recognized everyday Americans— both individuals and organizations —since 2007 who have demonstrated the core values of the Medal of Honor: courage, sacrifice, integrity, commitment, patriotism, and citizenship. 

Their stories serve as powerful, tangible examples of what it means to live out values like kindness. Each year, a nationwide search identifies people who embody “service above self,” often going far beyond their daily responsibilities to help others, sometimes even at great personal risk. 

The final recipients are chosen by a panel of Medal of Honor Recipients as exceptional individuals whose lives are defined by bravery and sacrifice. Their selections highlight real acts of heroism and compassion that students can connect with and be inspired by.

Bringing these stories into your classroom doesn’t just make character education more engaging; it gives students role models who reflect the very values you’re trying to instill. 

Whether it’s a young person helping their community or an organization supporting military families, these honorees demonstrate to students that anyone, at any age, can make a meaningful impact through kindness.

Free, Engaging Lessons for Teaching Kindness in the Classroom

The Character Development Program (CDP), a free resource provided to teachers like you by the Medal of Honor Foundation, offers lessons and kindness school activities designed to teach kindness to students in a way that resonates with their age group. 

One powerful way to teach kindness in school is through real-life stories that highlight everyday courage and compassion. Here are two lessons available for free through CDP that develop kindness in students and were created by teachers for teachers.

“You and Me, God” for Middle and High School Students

The Medal of Honor Foundation’s lesson on David Bryan, a Citizen Honors Awardee, is titled “You and Me, God” and offers middle and high school students a compelling example of how ordinary people can do extraordinary things. 

Bryan risked his life to rescue a motorist from a burning car, demonstrating values like courage, selflessness, and integrity. Through video reflections, group discussions, and creative thinking exercises, students are encouraged to identify the character traits that drove Bryan to act and compare them to those of Medal of Honor recipients. This lesson will guide students through:

• Understanding that Citizen Honors awardees display the same values as Medal of Honor Recipients.
• Relating character values demonstrated by a Citizen Honors awardee to those of a Medal of Honor Recipient they have studied (which would make a great introductory lesson through our PATH TO HONOR program that includes self-guided video assignments revolving around the unbelievable stories of Medal of Honor Recipients.)
• Identifying the character values demonstrated by David Bryan using evidence from the video.
• Writing in response to the video about the situation facing David Bryan.

This lesson includes everything you need to teach the lesson, from a downloadable, ready-made lesson plan to a captivating video about David Bryan, background information about him, and introductory, whole-group, small-group, and concluding activities. 

“Share Kindness” for Elementary Students

The other lesson not only reinforces the importance of kindness and service but also empowers students to see themselves as capable of making a meaningful difference. If you’re looking for activities tailored to younger elementary learners, our “Share Kindness” lesson plan is perfect!

The “Share Kindness” lesson helps young students understand the power of everyday kindness. Through storytelling, video, creative reflection, and classroom discussions, students explore how small, thoughtful acts of gratitude can have a significant impact. In this lesson, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the Citizen Honors Award.
• Understand what a Gold Star Family is.
• Identify ways they can share kindness and demonstrate good citizenship.

By identifying kind behaviors in others and sharing examples from their own lives, students begin to see kindness as a personal responsibility. This simple yet powerful lesson lays the foundation for empathy, respect, and positive relationships —essential building blocks for character development.

This lesson includes a ready-made lesson plan, a worksheet, an engaging video, and recommendations for preparing your students for the lesson. 

By analyzing the noble actions highlighted in both videos and connecting them to their own experiences and values, students develop empathy, civic responsibility, and a deeper understanding of what it means to lead with character. 

It’s an impactful way to show that kindness isn’t just an idea; it’s a choice that shapes communities and inspires a more compassionate world.

Do You Need Free Resources for Teaching Kindness in the Classroom? Register for CDP Today!

Teaching kindness in the classroom does more than just create a positive classroom environment; it also shapes students into better citizens for the future. The free lessons provided by the Medal of Honor Foundation offer students the tools to understand that kindness is not just a one-time act but a lifelong practice that can transform lives. By following the examples set by Medal of Honor Recipients, students are inspired to live with honor, courage, and compassion, values that will benefit them personally and contribute to the betterment of society as a whole.

By teaching kindness, you’re helping to build a brighter, more compassionate future for us all. Register for free today and watch your students make kindness a cornerstone of their lives.