• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Highlights State of the Kid Report 2017 #WorldKindnessDay

home / family life / Highlights State of the Kid Report 2017 #WorldKindnessDay
20 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Have you heard of the Highlights State of the Kid Report?

You can find the 2017 State of the Kid Report on the Highlights for Children website.ย ย The report was released today, on World Kindness Day!

Each year, Highlights interviews thousands of children ages 6-12, and each year, parents and educators learn exactly what children think and feel about important topics.

highlights state of the kid 2017 | world kindness day | teachmama

In the 2017 SOTK report, the findings centered on kindness, caring, and empathy. These are totally hot topics right now, and they should be.

Like each one of us, the great folks at Highlights has been witnessing unkind encounters play out in almost every aspect of daily life. So they wondered:ย  how much of this are kids seeingโ€”and how is it influencing their thinking about how we talk to and behave toward one another?

They asked kidsโ€”the worldโ€™s most important people the following questions:

  • What messages are they hearing from their parents and the other adults in their lives about theย importance of kindness?
  • Are they hearing that adults value caring behaviors?
  • Do kids witness their parents or other adults behaving rudely, and, if so, h
    ow does itย 
    make them feel? Does our next generation understand what it means to be empathetic?

Arenโ€™t these incredibly powerful questions? I thought so.

And they jive seamlessly with the release of this report on World Kindness Day. I love it!

Here’s the skinny. . .

Highlights State of the Kid Report, 2017:ย 

Iโ€™m thrilled to share with you some of the big takeaways from this report:

1.) Parents think they are teaching kindness, but kids are getting a different message.

When asked if they felt their parents wanted them to be kind, be happy, or do well in school, kindness ranked last. Making Caring Common, a project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, asked this question toย middle and high school students nationally, and the results of their survey are similar to our findings with younger children.

2.) Actions are caught: Kids notice and are impacted when adults act unkindly, and it influences how they process feelings and manage conflict.

3.) Kids have a basic understanding of empathy, creating natural conversation opportunities for adults to reinforce empathetic behavior into adolescence and beyond, even in difficult situations.

4.) When asked what one thing they would change in the world, nearly half of kids answered they want a kinder world.

Important discoveries, right? I think so–especially the first one, that children are getting a different message than most parents want them to get.

But now what?

Here are some of the big action items from the 2017 report. Hereโ€™s what parents can do with this information:

Talk About Kindess

  • When you act unkindly and your kids witness it, circle back and have a conversation with them about it. Explain your feelings at the moment, how you reflected on your mistake, and made amends. This will go a long way in helping kids understand that we are not perfect, nor do we expect perfection from them.
  • Use everyday moments to teach a kindness lesson. For instance, in addition to asking your kids about their day when they come home from school or at dinner, ask them if they did something kind today. Or did someone do something kind for them?
  • Use mealtime conversations to highlight your family values. Perhaps similar to a companyโ€™s mission and values statement, you could come up with a list of family values and priorities and display it in a common space at home. Let your children know that qualities such as hard work, kindness, tolerance, and honesty are valued in your home.

Model Conflict Resolution

  • Help your child understand that conflict is part of everyday life. Point out conflicts on a television show or at the grocery store and talk about how the situations were resolved. Remind kids of times at home when your family members had differences of opinion, say, whether to go biking or hiking on the weekend, and how you reached a satisfying conclusion.
  • Talk about how resolving conflict does not mean that we will all agree in the end. It means we are coming to an understanding of each otherโ€™s feelings and respecting them. Listening to anotherโ€™s point of view is important.

Think About the Perspective of Others

  • Acknowledge that itโ€™s not always easy to be kind, that sometimes issues raise feelings in us that arenโ€™t pleasant. But itโ€™s important to think about the other personโ€™s perspective and experiences and then, together, come up with strategies on the best ways to help, whether itโ€™s joining a group that does service work around that issue, such as disaster relief, or writing a letter to an elected official to advocate on behalf of that issue.
  • Use literature, movies, even games to show your children how other people live. This way, they can begin to understand feelings of empathy for others.

Is Honesty Always the Best Policy?

 

  • Remind your kids that the โ€œtruthโ€ is often subjective. Point out that whether or not they like someoneโ€™s outfit or haircut is really a matter of opinion. Tell them to think first about the statement theyโ€™ll make and how it may impact the recipient.
  • Let your kids know there are lots of ways to be kind and not lie. Talk through different scenarios with your kids and show them that the way you respondโ€”your approach, your tone of voice, and your willingness to listenโ€”can make a difference. Equip them with language and strategies.

Accentuate theย  Positive

  • Find ways to focus on happiness or boost happiness through gratitude. Recognizing and being thankful for what we have and feeling good about it is one way. Have children keep a gratitude journal. At dinneror before bedtime, ask your child to share one thing he was thankful for that day.
  • Whenever possible, point out people in the worldโ€”your neighborhood, your community, your schoolโ€”who are doing good deeds.ย Save news stories about heroes whoโ€™ve gone out of their way to help others in time of need and share them with your kids.
  • Perform random acts of kindness. From the simple act of holding a door for someone to participating in food or clothing drives to sending a note or calling someone just to see how she is doing, show your kids that small acts can make a big difference, that they can become change agents one step at a time.

Want to learn a little more about past State of the Kid Reports and my coverage of them?ย 

Check out:

high time for magazines: Highlights for Children's High-Five Magazine | hi-five | high five middle school bethlehem pa teachmama.com

 

 

fyi: This is a sponsored post, written as part of a partnership between me and my friends at Highlights for Children. As always, my opinion is all my own, influenced only by my experience as an educator and parent.

 

You May Also Like...

  • Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
    Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
  • Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
    Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
  • create summer sparks with everyday acts of kindness
    create summer sparks with everyday acts of kindness

About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:how to boo your friends on a budgethalloween giving: how to BOO! your friends (on a budget)
Next Post:Wonder the movie discussion guide for families #wonderthemoviewonder movie discussion guide | teachmama.com

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

amy mascott profile blog

join the coolest club around:

  • About
  • Contact
  • disclaimer
  • terms of use
  • privacy policy
  • Site-Map

Instagram


our books

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader

Find Us On Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
UMD Womenโ€™s Basketball ROCKS!! โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ–ค๐Ÿ€

We absolutely love watching you play, @terpswbb !

We love watching you perform, @marylandcheer !

And @mightysoundofmd we love your music and your hilarious signs! ๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜ณ

See you in Greenville! 

#terpsbasketball #terpswbb #umd #familyfun #marylandcheer #umdfamily
View
Open
Tomorrow is St. Patrickโ€™s Day!

Are you ready? 

https://shop.teachmama.com/

#saintpatricksfun #stpaddysforkids #familyfun #classroomactivities #teachmamashop
View
Open
This is how we use the St. Patrickโ€™s Day Brain Teaser Scavenger Hunt! ๐Ÿ€

Super easyโ€”and makes kids work a little for their golden chocolates! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Grab them here: https://shop.teachmama.com/product/st-patricks-day-scavenger-hunt-4-pack/

<< Tag a pal who needs to know about this and would LOVE to use it with kids or students! >>

#stpatricksdayfun #saintpaddysday #stpaddysforkids #stpatsfun #linkinbio
View
Open
and then there were six
๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฆ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆ„๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฐ

thank you @thewoobles for giving my mind, heart, and hands something fun to do during a really challenging few months. 

#crochet #thewoobles #brainbreak #teachersanitysaver #shescrafty
View
Open
With great sadness, I'm writing to share that my brother-in-law, Jeff Mascott passed away from pancreatic cancer earlier this week--at home, surrounded by family and friends. 

The family is very grateful for the community's immeasurable help, encouragement, and prayers over the past several months since Jeff's diagnosis. 

Jeff's obituary will run this weekend in the Post: 
https://www.collinsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Jeff-Mascott?obId=27420280&fbclid=IwAR2YTRooCyaLTikfjLeqF4gM-GaB1amZI2OmVl1VtKLUOjWj3Wo4URD8lC8#/obituaryInfo
View
Open
Flowers and a basket of @traderjoes faves are salve for a tired and weepy soul. ๐ŸŒท

Thankful for great, longtime friends ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›

#itshardtobeahuman #thankfulheart #wlhs4evah #teacherbffs
View
Open
Almost 30 years of friendship!! I love these smart, beautiful, strong and creative women who walked with me through my early days of teaching. 

๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š

Thank you, Wilde Lake High School, for bringing us together way back when. 

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›

Missed you, jigofjoy ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š

#weareteachers #andoneprincipal #wildelake #wlhs4evah #teacherbffs #wildelakehs #teachersofinstagram #celebratewewill
View
Open
Today marks the 4th time in 3 weeks that I have had to hang new Kindness Reminders Tear-off Sheets! 

Makes my heart ๐Ÿฅฐ!! 

Some kids come by every day and give one to a new person. Others take a bunch for the week. One 2nd grade girl comes by evey morning to tell me who she gave hers to the day before. 

Every little bit helps, friend. And every interaction matters!

#kindnessrocks #adoormadeforme #teachersofinstagram #makeadifference
View
Open
Best crew for one of the best @terpswbb games weโ€™ve seen all season! 

And of course super job by @marylandcheer and @mightysoundofmd too! 

#terpswbb #terpsbasketball #familyfun #marylandcheer

Copyright © 2023 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

  • 17
20 shares