100 Acts of Kindness Challenge for Big Sisters and Big Brothers

I’ve been in love with both the 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge and the Kindness Elves since their beginnings in 2011 and 2013. I do a lot with the Kindness Elves at Christmastime, but they can be used throughout the year as well. So, like last year, I’m combining 100 Acts of Kindness with the Kindness Elves from Martin Luther King Day to Valentine’s Day.

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I originally introduced the Kindness Elves as cute Kindness Elf dolls, which my now-4-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, has always had fun with. If you want a doll-like activity, you don’t need to introduce a magical part. Of course, there are lots of fun magical activities you can do with Kindness Elves if you like. Just choose how you want to use the Kindness Elves.

I previously used the Kindness Elves to help Zoey prepare for her new baby sister, Sophia, who was born in early December.

You can read what we did in my post on using Kindness Elves to help prepare a child for a new baby.

So far, the baby Kindness Elves have only been available as a bonus at certain times. If you go to my link for Kindness Elves, you can see what’s available along with any special deals at the time. I’ve used the baby Kindness Elf as a super-fun way to introduce Kindness Elf activities about babies. I just added the little baby Kindness Elf to the red Kindness Elves to make a Kindness Elf family. You can use any Kindness Elves, though. You don’t need to use a baby Kindness Elf.

You could have messages written on hearts (as you’ll see in many of my other Kindness Elf posts) for your 100 Acts of Kindness suggestions. But I’m having the Kindness Elves sit next to a book about a new baby in the family. We’re using the book to give reminders of ways Zoey can show extra kindness to Sophia or help her  parents take care of Sophia easier. This is one way you could have your Kindness Elves ready to introduce the 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge. There are many books you can use and rotate, such as this sweet Hello Baby! book by Lizzy Rockwell.

Materials Used for a 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge for Siblings

• 100 Acts of Kindness chart
• small heart stickers (use whatever kind your child likes and will fit on the spaces on the 100 Acts of Kindness chart)
• a tray for 100 Acts of Kindness chart and heart stickers is optional but great for Montessori families
• books about having a new baby brother or sister or books about siblings a variety of ages

You don’t need to use the stickers as a reward. They can simply be a way to keep track of the numbers of acts of kindness. You can read more about how we’ve used the chart in my post on “Using Montessori Principles in the 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge.”

This year, I sent the chart and stickers home with Zoey for easy use with a new baby. When Zoey and Sophia are at my house, I tell Zoey’s parents how many kindness hearts she should put on the chart when she gets home.

Some of the things we focus on for Zoey are:

• being extra gentle with Sophia
• not disturbing Sophia while she’s sleeping
• not disturbing Sophia’s “work” (sleeping, eating, or quietly watching activities)
• sharing books or pictures with Sophia
• doing something to make her parents’ work with Sophia easier

Using Kindness Elves with Children’s Book Kindness Reminders

The Kindness Elves come in a number of different options for skin, hair, and clothing color.

There are the blue story tellers, the red potion mixers, the green nature lovers, the purple artists, the pink wish makers, the gray recipe makers. I like to use the Camp Kindness eBook as inspiration for activities for each of the colors of elves you’d like to use. But you can use any of the Kindness Elves for 100 Acts of Kindness.

I’m a Big Sister by Joanna Cole is one of my very favorite Montessori-friendly books for new big sisters. There’s also an I’m a Big Brother version available. You could have it sitting next to a Kindness Elf family.

Or it could be sitting next to the pink Kindness Elves for a big sister. The big brother version could sit next to the blue Kindness Elves.

Another of my favorite books for a discussion of ways to help care for the baby is What Baby Needs by William Sears,‎ Martha Sears,‎ and Christie Watts Kelly with illustrator Renee Andriani.

I hope that the 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge will help new big brothers and sisters develop lots of good habits with the new baby in the family. And the challenge can be used for big brothers and sisters with siblings who aren’t babies any longer, too.

The Ultimate Guide to Kindness Elves

You can find links to all of my Kindness Elf posts throughout the year in my Ultimate Guide to Kindness Elves post.

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