BARNEGAT, NJ — The littlest learners in Barnegat are spreading kindness both in and out of the classroom.
Each February, Barnegat Township School District (BTSD) students participate in Kindness Week to focus on compassion and positivity in the school community. Preschoolers at Lillian M. Dundee School (LMDS) this year shared handmade creations at the local library.
Around 150 pre-K students created bookmarks that arrived at the Barnegat Library in time for Random Acts of Kindness Day, Feb. 17. To tie Kindness Week to a love for literature, students looked at picture books that highlight acts of kindness, empathy, and friendship, such as “Be Kind” by Pat Zietlow Miller or “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud. After each book, teachers would ask open-ended questions such as, "How did the character show kindness?" or "What would you do to help a friend in that situation?" Students also drew pictures of a kind act they’ve done or experienced. Kids were also able to dictate their ideas to adults who wrote them down.
“We’re providing our students with an early opportunity to build a foundation based on empathy, respect, and community,” said BTSD Superintendent Brian Latwis. “They are learning that small acts of kindness can have a big impact through activities like the bookmark-making for Kindness Week. Our goal is to teach students that these small acts help them contribute positively to their classrooms and beyond.”
Samantha Fitzmaurice, Community Parent Involvement Specialist and School Social Worker at LMDS, collaborated with other team members at the school as well as Raquel Selander, Children’s Librarian at the Barnegat Library, to bring the bookmark idea to life. Selander is also a member of the Barnegat Early Childhood Advisory Council at LMDS.
"These activities help instill valuable social and emotional skills at an early age, create positive habits, enhance emotional development, support language and literacy growth, encourage community and belonging, and teach gratitude and generosity.” said Fitzmaurice. “Students learned how to be kind to themselves and how to be kind to the community. The preschoolers enjoyed the idea of putting a smile onto someone’s face with their bookmarks.”
The goal behind the bookmarks is to teach students multiple life skills such as:
Empathy and compassion - Pre-K students learn to think about others’ feelings and the impact of kind actions.
Sharing and generosity – Students experience the joy of giving without expecting something in return by giving away something they created.
Self-esteem – Engaging in acts of kindness helps young children feel a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Fine motor and creativity skills – Making bookmarks involves coloring, cutting, and designing, which supports fine motor development.
Community engagement – Visiting the library and giving their creations to others helps children understand their role in the community.
“Some of the organizational goals of the Ocean County Library is to build communities and connect people,” said Selander. “Preschoolers coloring bookmarks for us to giveaway at the library is doing exactly that. Building connections between students and the library is a wonderful way for the children to see the library as part of their community. On the other side of that are the people taking the bookmarks. So, in a really simple but meaningful way this project connected preschoolers to their community.”
The entire district participates in activities and themed days during Kindness Week such as Bengals Show Self Love (Wear Red/Pink) and Bengals Stand Up for Each Other (Wear Favorite Sports Gear). For more information on BTSD and its initiatives, go to https://www.barnegatschools.com.