Our Core Values at Home

KINDNESS

Being kind is essential to a child's physical and mental wellbeing. In today's climate, it is extra important to demonstrate and encourage kindness. Kindness is one of The Bidgee School's core values. We can help our kids learn to be kind by encouraging the following:

• Practice social skills. Whether you’re arranging IRL playdates with someone or setting up “pretend school” to normalize hand-raising, practicing good behavior can translate to actual good behavior.

• Be a good friend. This isn’t just about BFFs. It’s also about sitting next to the lonely kid at lunch, reaching out to the child who’s been bullied, or making a friendship bracelet for a new kid.

• Volunteer. Even if we’re still not quite out-and-about, kids have lots of at-home options to help others, like posting kind signs to uplift a neighbour’s spirits or writing letters to nursing home residents, or taking on extra jobs around the house.

• Practice an attitude of gratitude. Encourage kids to keep a gratitude journal or leave secret thank-you messages on rocks, or write a thumbs-up piece about someone or something they have seen recently.

• Be kind to the environment. Whether it’s as simple as leaving sticks, rocks and flowers where they are so creatures don't lose their home or food, being mindful about waste and recycling, or doing a cleanup around where we live, kids have plenty of ways they can be nice to the Earth — and therefore to other people.