20 Thoughtful “Each Kindness” Book-Based Activities for Kids

Use Jacqueline Woodson’s picture book “Each Kindness” as a starting point for age-appropriate conversations about empathy, inclusion, regret, and the small choices that shape a classroom community.

By Where Should I Learn Editorial · 2026-10-24

Jacqueline Woodson’s “Each Kindness,” illustrated by E. B. Lewis, gives children a quiet but meaningful way to consider how everyday actions affect other people. The story can prompt discussions about welcoming newcomers, noticing exclusion, and understanding that apologies matter even when they cannot fully undo harm. Because its ending is emotionally complex, adults should leave room for children to respond honestly rather than rushing them toward a single lesson.

1. Begin with a picture walk before reading. Show the cover and selected illustrations without sharing the full text, then ask children what they notice about the characters’ expressions, clothing, and body language. Invite predictions about who might feel included, worried, or alone. This helps young readers practice observation before they are asked to interpret the story’s larger ideas.

2. Create a kindness ripple chart. After discussing Miss Albert’s pebble-and-water image, have children draw a pebble in the center of a page and add rings around it. On each ring, they can write or dictate one small action, such as sharing supplies, learning someone’s name, or inviting a classmate into a game. Emphasize that a ripple can begin with an ordinary choice.

3. Use role-play cards to explore welcoming behavior. Give pairs short scenarios: a new student arrives, someone is sitting alone at lunch, or a child drops their materials. Children can act out an unhelpful response and then a more welcoming one. Keep the focus on specific words and actions, not on labeling children as kind or unkind people.

4. Make an inclusion inventory of the classroom. Ask students to look at the room through the eyes of someone who has just arrived. Are there clear places to put belongings, join a group, find materials, or ask for help? Younger children can draw what makes a room welcoming; older students can write practical suggestions. The activity connects the book’s feelings to the environment children share.

5. Write a character diary entry from Maya’s, Chloe’s, or Miss Albert’s perspective. Students may describe what the character noticed, hoped for, or wished had happened differently. A diary format works well because it invites inference without requiring children to claim they know exactly what another person feels. Remind writers to support ideas with details from the text or illustrations.

6. Build a class vocabulary wall around social situations. Include words such as welcome, exclude, hesitate, regret, courage, repair, and empathy. Discuss each word in plain language and let students add examples from books, school, or imagined situations. This is especially useful before asking children to discuss the ending, which may otherwise feel difficult to name.

7. Try a “notice, wonder, respond” discussion routine. After a key page, students first share something they notice, then something they wonder, and finally a response they might choose in that situation. The structure slows down conversation and makes participation easier for children who need time to form an idea. It also discourages quick judgments about characters.

8. Design friendship invitation cards for imaginary classroom situations. Children can create cards with phrases such as “Would you like to sit with us?” or “Do you want to be on our team?” The goal is not to produce perfect manners but to practice language that lowers the barrier to joining in. Display the cards as useful sentence starters rather than promises children must make.

9. Compare the book’s setting with another story about belonging. Choose a familiar class read-aloud and ask students how a newcomer, outsider, or lonely character is treated in each text. A simple Venn diagram can help them identify similarities and differences. Avoid turning the comparison into a contest over which character behaved worst; focus instead on choices and consequences.

10. Use a private reflection slip after the read-aloud. Prompts might include, “A way I can help someone feel included is …” or “One part of the story I am still thinking about is …” Students should be allowed to pass, draw, or write only a few words. Private reflection is often more appropriate than asking children to disclose personal experiences in front of peers.

11. Create a cooperative mural called “Our Classroom Has Room.” Give each child a paper square to decorate with a welcoming image, a helpful phrase, or a symbol of belonging. Assemble the squares into one larger display. The shared artwork reinforces the idea that community is built collectively, while avoiding a simplistic demand that every child must be friends with everyone else.

12. Practice repairing harm through hypothetical situations. Present low-stakes examples, such as laughing when someone mispronounces a word or leaving a person out of a game. Ask what repair could look like: acknowledging the action, listening, apologizing, and changing future behavior. Explain that repair is different from forcing forgiveness or expecting someone to feel better immediately.

13. Make a timeline of the story’s important moments. Students can identify when Chloe notices Maya, when she chooses not to engage, and when she later wants to reach out. Discuss how a series of small decisions creates the ending. This activity is a useful bridge between reading comprehension and ethical reflection, particularly for children who benefit from seeing events in sequence.

14. Hold a silent gallery walk of student responses. Display anonymous drawings, ripple charts, or written reflections, then allow classmates to leave respectful sticky-note comments such as “I noticed your idea” or “This made me think.” Anonymous work can make the conversation safer, especially when the topic of exclusion feels close to students’ own experiences.

15. Invite children to illustrate a different moment, not a different ending. They might draw a scene before Maya arrives, a moment from Miss Albert’s perspective, or a future classroom scene inspired by the book’s themes. This preserves the text’s emotional integrity while giving students creative agency. Ask them to caption their illustration with evidence from the story.

16. Create a kindness choice board for independent practice. Options could include drawing a welcoming playground, writing dialogue for two characters, making a ripple diagram, or listing ways to include someone during group work. Choice boards support different strengths and reduce the pressure to respond in only one “correct” format. Offer materials that make participation accessible to emerging writers.

17. Use puppets or paper figures with younger children. Retell a simple social scenario and pause at decision points: What could this character say now? What might happen next? Puppets create useful distance from real classroom conflicts, allowing children to rehearse compassionate responses without singling anyone out. Keep the language concrete and the scenes brief.

18. Connect the book to community helpers who make spaces more welcoming. Students might consider the work of librarians, office staff, bus drivers, counselors, or playground supervisors. Rather than assigning those adults responsibility for every problem, discuss how children and adults can each contribute to a respectful environment. A thank-you note can be an optional extension.

19. Revisit the story after several weeks. Ask students whether they notice new details in the words or artwork and whether their understanding of kindness has changed. A second reading often reveals that the book is not merely about being nice; it is also about attention, timing, and the consequences of choosing not to act. This makes it valuable beyond a single lesson.

20. End with a realistic class agreement. Instead of promising that everyone will always get along, develop a few observable commitments, such as greeting newcomers, making space in group activities, and speaking up when someone is excluded. Revisit the agreement during ordinary classroom moments. “Each Kindness” works best when its message becomes part of ongoing practice rather than a one-day display.