Activities on the Kindness Quilt
- Kindness quilts may be as simple as a classroom art activity or they may serve as the centerpiece of an integrated unit of study, combining art, literature and social studies with community outreach. For younger children, listening to Aesop's Fable of a rabbit removing a thorn from a lion's paw is an age-appropriate introductory activity. For groups wishing to expand on the kindness quilt theme, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is an exceptional resource. They are committed to promoting kindness, and their website offers an abundance of related activities and easy ideas for daily kind acts.
- Kindness quilt projects are suitable for all ages, from small children to adults. Creating a kindness quilt may be as simple as pasting pictures of kind acts that children have drawn on a larger sheet of paper. A kindness quilt could also be made of intricately pieced and sewn fabric images inspired by the childrens' drawings. Either quilt could be kept on permanent display as a community builder or auctioned as a raffle quilt to raise funds for a charitable organization.
- For a simple version of a fabric kindness quilt, let children draw their acts of kindness on squares of solid-color fabric with fabric crayons. Heat set the drawings by ironing to make the images permanent. A colorful fabric border around the drawings will dress the quilt up and unify the drawings. The quilt can be machine-quilted by an adult or tied with bright pieces of yarn for a more casual patchwork look. Tying the quilt is an easy and fun activity for older children. Much like at a quilting bee, working together to finish the quilt offers the children a chance to talk about what they've learned and encourage each other in further kindnesses.
- Kindness quilt activities need not stop with the creation of a physical quilt. Teachers have gone high tech and posted their students' drawings online with a link to the children's voices talking about their acts of kindness. Notecards made from the drawings are another great idea that could be used as a fundraiser for charitable giving. Children have made posters, buttons and T-shirt designs promoting kindness. The many resources available for kindness quilt activities and people's willingness to share these ideas is a welcome confirmation that promoting kindness does indeed work.