100 Acts of Kindness - Editable

It's that time of year again! Time for the 100th Day of School and Valentine's Day!

One of the things that confounded me for a few years was how to acknowledge and celebrate the 100th Day of School and Valentine’s Day when they so often occur close to one another (if not on the same day! My desire to find a way to combine these two special days resulted one year in 100 Acts of Kindness. It keeps us thinking about 100, but it also encourages thoughtful actions in service to others. Valentine cards and darling heart projects are such important parts of the holiday, but I’ve really enjoyed watching kids find ways to help others and put those sentiments into ACTION.

How it works:

Introduce students to the project. Challenge them to perform 100 acts of kindness between now and the 100th Day of School (or Valentine’s Day, whichever you prefer.)

The only stipulation is that once a student has done something, they can’t repeat it to be included in the class’s final tally. Can they repeat it to be kind? Of course!! However, more than one student can perform the same act. So for example, if Maya sets the table and counts it for the challenge, then she can’t count setting the table again. But Matthew and Karla certainly could each choose to set the table and include in the class’s project. It’s up to you to determine length of the project. If every student (or a large majority) participates, it doesn’t take much time to work up to 100.

Find a prominent display area. Put up the sign that describes the challenge a couple days early. Then, once kids start performing their acts, they will record them by writing them on heart cards and signing them. Display the hearts on the board, and watch it grow over time!

The only set up you need to do (other than with the kids and parents) is to have your heart cards run on colored paper. We just went with a random sampling of valentines colors.

This product is editable so that you can customize it as necessary. I used the Hello Natalie and Hello Lovebug fronts by Jen Jones of Hello Literacy.

This activity is not intended to replace your traditional 100th Day of School and Valentine's Day activities...think of it as a way to enrich your observations of Day 100 and Valentine's Day, with a side dish of service to others.

Thanks so much, and enjoy!