No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.

–          Amelia Earhart

E’s teacher spent some of her weekend reading about nut allergies to become well informed and ease my worries.

A friend delivered home cooked meals to us when my husband was in the hospital last year.

My husband’s aunt who lives in another town and has few resources always sends E a thoughtful birthday gift each year.

Grandma noticed that E’s feet were always cold so she sent him cozy slippers to wear in the wintertime.

A fellow Mom from preschool days with older children emailed me this summer and gave lots of back to school tips on uniforms, supplies and procedures to support our transition to kindergarten.

Without asking or realizing our family was sick, our neighbor shoveled our driveway during a snow storm.

My husband picks up dinner on occasion to give me a break from cooking.

These stories of kindness may seem simple, even mundane, but that is the point. Simple acts can significantly improve the quality of a person’s life. How do you show kindness to individuals in your family, your child’s teachers, the grocery store cashier or people driving next to you on the highway? Let your children observe you being kind. Make a point in celebration of World Kindness Day on Wednesday, November 13th to involve your children in doing a kind act for another and they will learn from the experience.

Some of my favorite children’s books on kindness:

Bear Feels Sick (2007) by Karma Wison and Jane Chapman. NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Bear Gives Thanks (2012) by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

A Visitor for Bear (2008) by Bonny Becker and Kady MacDonald Denton. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Nico and Lola; Kindness shared between a Boy and a Dog (2009) by Meggan Hill and Photography by Susan M. Graunke. Carpentersville, IL; Genuine Prints.

One Snowy Night; A Tale from Percy’s Park (2003) by Nick Butterworth. Hammersmith, London; Harper Collins.

Dewey; There’s a Cat in the Library (2009) by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter. NY: Little, Brown and Co.

Also, watch this moving eight minute YouTube video on Pitt River Middle School that began a “Breakfast Club” for the purpose of doing random acts of kindness in their school.