{"id":1490,"date":"2020-02-13T04:30:26","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T04:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/?p=1490"},"modified":"2020-02-13T04:30:27","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T04:30:27","slug":"teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Teach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The day has arrived, everyone\u2019s favorite day to embrace something everyone loves (whether they admit it or not)\u2014love! While it can be fun to celebrate with bright, cheery cards, candy and lots (and lots) of pink and red, how about something more lasting? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add more meaning to the holiday by spreading love in the form of kindness, generosity and caring with these kid-friendly activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Emotional IQ Card Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy some QT with your child learning how to identify and understand the feelings of others. This DIY activity based on favorite kids\u2019 card games will help them pick up on physical and situational cues and work out appropriate, caring responses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

To make the cards: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Gather 16 clear, easy-to-read photos online or on your device showing faces expressing a variety of emotions. These could be of your own kids and family members or those of other people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Print out two copies of each so your deck has a pair of each photo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Cut them into squares and glue them to uniform-sized squares of card stock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

\"Emotional<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Games could include Emotional IQ Go Fish, Memory or even just asking your child to identify the emotions in the pictures and come up with hypothetical situations that could be causing the person to be feeling what they\u2019re feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out these examples and game ideas from notimeforflashcards.com<\/a> and start playing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Spread Smiles From Scratch <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For a little extra thoughtfulness, skip the Valentine\u2019s Day isle and help your child craft a few decorative cards by hand to let friends and loved ones know how much they appreciate them. Handmade valentines are a more personal, creative way to share caring messages, and it just so happens, we made this super-cute printable for just the occasion!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Valentine's
Click<\/a> to download!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Nurturing Compassion? We Have a Book List for That. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In our post, Reading & Empathy: A Bridge<\/a>, we talked about how reading helps promote empathy in kids and how to choose the right books to nurture this vital skill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

\"The<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Check out some of our favorite picks, from picture books to chapter books, for encouraging kindness, inclusion and compassion in your child here: 5 Reads to Promote Empathy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

4. Do Good for a Day & All Year Long<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What better way to get into the spirit of compassion and kindness than to put that caring into practice? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Anyone can do something kind for someone, like talking to the new kid in class or letting someone go ahead of them in line at school or the grocery store. 
Show your child how the power of a good deed, no matter how small, can go a long way. Check out these and many more here<\/a>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Surprise a family member<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, bring the love home by encouraging your child to do something special for a member of your family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could be secretly doing someone\u2019s chore for them, calling up a grandparent or distant relative to show they care, or leaving a handwritten compliment somewhere unexpected where a sibling can find it. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"100
100 Acts of Kindness for Kids, courtesy of <\/em>Coffee Cups and Crayons<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

However you choose to share the love this Valentine\u2019s Day, we hope you\u2019ll agree that candy and hearts may be sweet for a day, but genuine human kindness are sweet all year long. ?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The day has arrived, everyone\u2019s favorite day to embrace something everyone loves (whether they admit it or not)\u2014love! While it can be fun to celebrate with bright, cheery cards, candy…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1493,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,1],"tags":[],"powerkit_post_featured":[6,4,3],"class_list":{"0":"post-1490","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-parents","8":"category-uncategorized"},"yoast_head":"\nTeach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day | 5 tips for practicing kindness and caring. | Epic!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Valentine\u2019s Day is about more than candy hearts and cute cutout cards. Show your kids the value of kindness this Love Day and all year long.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Teach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day | 5 tips for practicing kindness and caring. | Epic!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Valentine\u2019s Day is about more than candy hearts and cute cutout cards. Show your kids the value of kindness this Love Day and all year long.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Epic Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/epic.books.for.kids\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-13T04:30:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-02-13T04:30:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday-1160x773.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1160\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"773\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Epic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EpicKidsBooks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EpicKidsBooks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Epic\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Epic\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/78f64f20bec4f7f2ebbf46d6c0717e93\"},\"headline\":\"Teach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-13T04:30:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-02-13T04:30:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/\"},\"wordCount\":560,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Parents\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/\",\"name\":\"Teach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day | 5 tips for practicing kindness and caring. | Epic!\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-13T04:30:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-02-13T04:30:27+00:00\",\"description\":\"Valentine\u2019s Day is about more than candy hearts and cute cutout cards. Show your kids the value of kindness this Love Day and all year long.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday.jpg\",\"width\":6240,\"height\":4160,\"caption\":\"Mother and daughter showing caring\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Teach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/\",\"name\":\"Epic Blog\",\"description\":\"Ideas and Inspiration for Parents and Teachers to Help Children Build a Love of Reading\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Epic!\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/logo.png\",\"width\":960,\"height\":960,\"caption\":\"Epic!\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/epic.books.for.kids\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/EpicKidsBooks\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/78f64f20bec4f7f2ebbf46d6c0717e93\",\"name\":\"Epic\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/06284101cae1934f6141b38730b7827d64a0e1c743003a7bc685a697620f668f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/06284101cae1934f6141b38730b7827d64a0e1c743003a7bc685a697620f668f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Epic\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/author\/bonnie\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Teach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day | 5 tips for practicing kindness and caring. | Epic!","description":"Valentine\u2019s Day is about more than candy hearts and cute cutout cards. Show your kids the value of kindness this Love Day and all year long.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Teach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day | 5 tips for practicing kindness and caring. | Epic!","og_description":"Valentine\u2019s Day is about more than candy hearts and cute cutout cards. Show your kids the value of kindness this Love Day and all year long.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/","og_site_name":"Epic Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/epic.books.for.kids\/","article_published_time":"2020-02-13T04:30:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-02-13T04:30:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1160,"height":773,"url":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday-1160x773.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Epic","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EpicKidsBooks","twitter_site":"@EpicKidsBooks","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Epic","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/"},"author":{"name":"Epic","@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/78f64f20bec4f7f2ebbf46d6c0717e93"},"headline":"Teach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day","datePublished":"2020-02-13T04:30:26+00:00","dateModified":"2020-02-13T04:30:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/"},"wordCount":560,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday.jpg","articleSection":["Parents"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/","url":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/","name":"Teach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day | 5 tips for practicing kindness and caring. | Epic!","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday.jpg","datePublished":"2020-02-13T04:30:26+00:00","dateModified":"2020-02-13T04:30:27+00:00","description":"Valentine\u2019s Day is about more than candy hearts and cute cutout cards. Show your kids the value of kindness this Love Day and all year long.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday.jpg","width":6240,"height":4160,"caption":"Mother and daughter showing caring"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/teach-kids-kindness-this-valentines-day\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Teach Kids Kindness This Valentine\u2019s Day"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/","name":"Epic Blog","description":"Ideas and Inspiration for Parents and Teachers to Help Children Build a Love of Reading","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#organization","name":"Epic!","url":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/logo.png","width":960,"height":960,"caption":"Epic!"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/epic.books.for.kids\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EpicKidsBooks"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/78f64f20bec4f7f2ebbf46d6c0717e93","name":"Epic","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/06284101cae1934f6141b38730b7827d64a0e1c743003a7bc685a697620f668f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/06284101cae1934f6141b38730b7827d64a0e1c743003a7bc685a697620f668f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Epic"},"url":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/author\/bonnie\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/featured-image-vday.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1490"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1509,"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1490\/revisions\/1509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1490"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getepic.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=1490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}