Make Kindness Trees for Kids this Lent
A few years ago, I came up with the idea of encouraging kids to focus on kindness during Lent. To help them along, I developed the Kindness Tree. It’s similar to an Advent calendar only kids ADD to the tree every day rather than taking something from it.
Every day during Lent, kids are to perform an act of kindness for someone. It doesn’t have to be a big act, just something nice that they do for another person without being asked. At the end of the day, they share their act with their family & receive a sticker to place on their tree.
If a child seems to be having a difficult time coming up with ideas, they can be encouraged with suggestions. Parents might even point out something a child did to help someone. Sometimes, kids are more kind than they realize. They may think something they did wasn’t special when it really helped another person.
This is also a good time to discuss incidents when people, especially other children, arent’ very kind. Ask kids what they might have done instead in that situation. Children should never be encouraged to step in when they might get hit, as when bullies gang up on another child, but rather get help.
At the end of the sharing, offer a brief Bible story telling the way Jesus showed kindness to others. Then pray.
Like Advent, Lent is a wonderful time to gather as a family & focus on the meaning of the season leading up to the Holiday. The Kindness Tree is a simple way to emphasis the meaning of Lent & Easter, serving others. The materials you need are below. It is very easy to make. Adapt as suits you. Items may be found on the Dollar Tree site. Click photo to visit product page. Enjoy!
For the trees the kids made at church, my friend, Nancy Blake created leaves that can be stuck on the tree. If you have a machine to cut out leaves, great. Otherwise, I have used stickers found at the dollar store. I try to find Easter stickers in keeping with the season however, if another design excites your kids, go for it.
These trees can be displayed using metal easels found at Dollar Tree. They add to your Easter decorations or they can be placed in your kids’ rooms. The goal is to have fun, make it work for your family, & focus on the effect kindness has on the lives of those around you.
