It’s no secret that our jobs as teachers are much more than making sure students can add and subtract or apply phonics rules to their reading and writing or understand and explore the three states of matter. It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day between the multiple other hats we wear or plates we spin to make sure we are hitting the standards to make sure we are engaging successful students who show growth. We, as educators, share a joint responsibility to make sure that these students are not only successful academically, but also socially- contributing to society with character and social-emotional intelligence. 

Kindness Bingo

What if we treat social and emotional learning like a math lesson?

Our students wouldn’t have a complete understanding of double-digit subtraction if they watch us do it on the board. They have to apply those strategies or rules that we have taught to their own individual problems before fully comprehending the concept. It’s the same thing for SEL. Social and emotional learning is here to stay in classrooms (FINALLY!) and it’s easy to get lost in how to implement it into the gazillion other things you have to implement on a daily basis. Teaching positive social character traits is important, but allowing our students to practice those traits in their individual homes or situations is where the magic happens. 

Kindness Bingo is a great way to allow your students to practice this characteristic in their own individual way. There are multiple ways you can use this tool in your classroom- just make sure you do what works for you and your students!

How to use the Kindness Bingo Board:

  • Hand the board out to students as homework, a challenge, or as a class goal.
  • Have students look at the acts of kindness in groups, maybe even have a collaboration time where they can add more acts of kindness that they can individually add in their free space.
  • Decide on the length of time students (and you!) will have to complete this board.
  • Also decide if you are going to have students fill in as many boxes as possible or just compete for a Bingo.
  • As students move through the challenge, use morning meeting, individual check ins or a class meeting to share about the various acts of kindness that have been completed on their boards and how it’s impacted them and others.
  • Once the boards are full or time has been completed, hand out the reflection page for students to fill in their favorite act of kindness and why. Your students have spent a length of time being intentional looking for ways they can be kind and that should be reflected on! 

Some students shine academically while others struggle. One of the best things about social and emotional learning is that there is an opportunity for every student, no matter their academic levels or needs, or backgrounds, to shine. This board can be implemented with a variety of other character traits too! And who knows? The intentionality of your kids to show kindness may not end with this bingo board. 

Download your FREE version below and make sure to check out our hilarious PD bingo game here!