Over the past month, Hongkou Campus carried out a series of heartwarming kindness education initiatives. From Personal Growth Lessons to the Charity Fair, children experienced kindness through action while spreading warmth to others.

Personal Growth Lessons: Learning Kindness from the Heart

The Kindness Month journey began in the classroom. Through thoughtfully designed Personal Growth Lessons, Grades 1-2 students discovered the power of kindness and transformed this warmth into tangible actions.

Grade 1: Linked Together by Kindness and Love

The first-grade students embarked on a journey of exploring “kindness” during this month’s Personal Growth class. Through three engaging key lessons, they gained a deep understanding of the power of kindness.

In the lesson “Wrinkled Heart,” the teacher played a video story and handed out a piece of paper to each student. As they watched the video, the children used the paper to represent a heart affected by unkind words. Every time they heard something unkind, they crumpled the paper and then tried to smooth it out. Through this activity, the students learned how hurtful words can leave lasting 'wrinkles' on the heart, helping them understand the lasting impact of what we say.

In the lesson “Compliments,” the children generously gave sincere compliments to every classmate. They wrote their kind words on heart-shaped paper, allowing kindness to spread warmly among them.

In the final lesson, “Spreading Kindness,” students created a symbolic “LOVE paper chain” to represent connection. They wrote kind and encouraging words on colorful paper strips, which teachers then linked together to form the word “LOVE.” Each link in the chain carried warm and thoughtful messages, connecting the students’ hearts one by one. This chain of love vividly demonstrated how kindness can bring everyone together and highlighted the powerful magic of being kind.

Grade 2: Throw Kindness Around Like Confetti

Building on Grade 1’s foundation, second graders focused on translating kindness into action—scattering warmth like colorful confetti throughout their world.

In "Generosity" class, students explored the meaning of giving through a touching video story. Their enthusiastic discussions turned into action as they created "Generosity Posters" illustrating ways to share—whether treasured possessions, valuable time, or unique talents.

During "Appreciating Others" sessions, students moved beyond compliments to express genuine gratitude. They carefully wrote thank-you notes acknowledging classmates’ help, teachers’ guidance, and family support. These notes gathered like tiny stars, illuminating their appreciation for others’ efforts.

The "Spreading Kindness Like Confetti" activity transformed students into "Kindness Ambassadors." They recorded small acts of kindness—smiles, encouraging words, hugs, or helping pick up dropped items—on paper "confetti" to show how gestures brighten our world. All second graders collaborated to assemble these kindness notes into a large poster. The falling confetti symbolized how small acts collectively add color and joy to our world, teaching children that everyday kindness creates meaningful change.

Kindness Challenge: From Small Acts to Large Impact

As a key initiative, the campus-wide "Kindness Challenge" allowed students to experience kindness firsthand while witnessing how individual actions build a caring community.

Each student received a Kindness Task Card suggesting achievable kind acts and a colorful Kindness Ball awaiting decoration. As students completed acts—earning stickers for each achievement—they adorned their balls until they became unique, shining testaments to their efforts.

In the lobby, the large "KIND" installation became a focal point. Classes adopted individual letters, filling them with decorated balls recording acts of daily kindness: helping classmates, cleaning up, and writing thank-you notes. As balls accumulated, the glowing "KIND" display became a campus landmark—visibly demonstrating how small actions create ripples of kindness.

Charity Fair: Giving from the Heart

The May 28th Charity Fair buzzed with energy as students showcased creativity and compassion through handmade crafts and interactive booths. Families joined to support charitable causes amid the festive atmosphere, promoting empathy, responsibility, teamwork, and the value of giving.

On June 10th, SHSID students, teachers, parents and guests witnessed the most touching moment of this love-driven initiative—the grand Donation Ceremony. The ceremony commenced with the host warmly welcoming every compassionate individual present and revisiting the original purpose of the campaign. A thoughtfully prepared, heartwarming video allowed attendees to relive the joy and moving moments of the charity fair. Ms. Zhu Dan, Director of SHSID Hongkou Campus, revealed the total amount of funds raised during the charity fair. She also shared the profound goodwill power embodied by these charitable acts, emphasizing the deep significance of "kindness" for both individuals and the community. These funds, embodying the collective love of the entire school community, will be channeled to support multiple charitable initiatives, such as the Shanghai Children's Foundation. As Director Zhu, representing the school, and the student representative received the donation certificates, enthusiastic applause resounded throughout the venue.

Recounting their experiences at the fair, Baobao from class 1-1 described the joy of preparing goods, while Ian Zeng from class 2-2 celebrated his first time managing a booth. Their words reflected genuine growth.

The resounding success of this charity fair was made possible by the overwhelming support of parents. Particularly moving was the dedication of parent volunteers, whose selfless contributions formed a solid foundation for success, from event planning to on-site execution. Kai's mother from Class 1-2 shared with us, "Through participating in charitable activities, we not only witness our children learning to care for others but also feel the power forged by close home-school collaboration. This shared journey of growth has made the home-school bond warmer and stronger."

Finally, the ceremony drew to a close with the host's heartfelt summary. Gratitude was extended once more to everyone for their selfless dedication, and students were urged to cherish the warmth of this moment. The host called for making kindness a daily habit, encouraging all to join hands in using tangible acts to "light more hopes."

The spark of Kindness Month has been kindled in every child at the Hongkou Campus. Moving from awareness to action, and from giving to growing, the children have demonstrated through their deeds that kindness is not a fleeting flash, but an enduring flame.

Written by Nina Kang, Becky Yang

Pictures by Elaine Zhu, Rachel Wu, and parent volunteers

Video by Rachel Wu