Kindness Tree Craft

Bare Branch Kindness Trees

At its most basic, a kindness tree is created by cutting the shape of a tree trunk and branches out of brown kraft paper. The trunk may be decorated with paints or markers for added detail. In school settings, the tree may cover a bulletin board in a classroom or grow to mighty oak size on a library wall and serve as a community-building activity. In the home, a smaller version may be displayed on the refrigerator. Trees need not be elaborate to provide inspiration.

Leaves and flowers are cut from brightly colored paper and kept at the ready to record acts of kindness. Children report a kind act they performed or share something kind they observed someone else do. Teachers let students know that they will be on the alert for kind behavior. The child's name and the kindness are written on the leaf and taped to a branch of the tree. Placing a focus on kindness raises children's awareness and inspires them to treat others well, resulting in a tree that rapidly comes to flower.

As kindness-tree crafts have caught on, their possibilities have expanded and grown as well. Use real tree branches secured in a pot or a small planted tree for a three-dimensional kindness tree. Some schools take a pro-active approach and attach tags with directions for kind actions to the tree. Students select a tag and perform the chosen activity. Painted kindness-tree murals form a permanent part of some schools' landscape, as a symbol of their commitment to positive behavior.

Kindness trees can be adapted to reflect the seasons and to emphasize additional positive values. As November approaches, the tree can be transformed into a thankfulness tree and display autumn hues and grateful thoughts. If a school or family collects donations for charitable giving, the tree could be covered with symbols or pictures of the toys or food collected. The simple visual reminder of the kindness tree serves as a reminder and inspiration to increased giving and community involvement.