An elementary school in County Cork, Ireland, has replaced homework for the entire school in the month of December with a request that each student do an act of kindness. This can be anything as long as it “brightens someone’s day.”
Children use a Kindness Diary to record their acts in words and pictures and are also asked to write notes about each other expressing appreciation and kindness, something that will boost another person’s spirits. These are read out to the assembled school each Friday.
On top of this, each class is tasked to come up with a project that will help members of the community.
A Facebook post from the vice principal reads, “We are encouraging our pupils to think of the real spirit of Christmas, the spirit of kindness and giving.
“Unfortunately not everyone is in a position to be able to enjoy Christmas, some are lonely, some are sad, some might yearn for what they do not have and some might simply not enjoy the festivities. But there is nobody in this world who wouldn’t benefit from an act of kindness, and the joy of kindness is that it costs nothing.”