Why Should We Practice Kindness
Helps Us Grow to Become Christlike
Friend July 2020 “Small and Simple” Boy does small, kind acts to help others which help him grow too.
Kindness Can Soften Hearts
Friend March 2022 “Cake and Kindness” Juli didn’t think her aunt liked to her because her aunt was so strict and never smiled. She decided to be patient, kind, and brave in trying to speak Spanish with her aunt. She agreed to help her aunt make a cake for Juli’s parents anniversary. Her aunt was patient with her as she tried to speak Spanish and was less strict and even smiled. Juli was glad her prayer was answered.
Being Kind Helps Us Feel Happy
Friend June 2022 “Coloring the Boring Day Away” Clara was bored and frustrated because there wasn’t anything to do. Her brother decides to color some pictures for their new neighbors. She joined in. It was fun helping bring happiness to others.
Setting an Example of Kindness
Friend April 2018 “A High-Five Example”Students in a special needs class we’re trying to give Lily’s classmates high fives as they walked by, but nobody did it until Lily gave them all high fives then everyone behind her did it.
Friend April 2022 “Brave Friends” Anisha had only been in the country for a few months and was still working on learning English. She was afraid to give her history report because some of the words were hard. Molly helped her practice, but the kids still giggled while Anisha gave her report. When it was Molly’s turn she started by complimenting Anisha on her report and her hard work learning English. After class, several others went to Anisha and complimented her too.
Friend February 2023 “The Happy Note” Riley’s new teacher is nervous when he teaches and the kids can’t hear him very well and are talking about him and laughing. Riley decided to cheer him on. She invited some kids to her house and they made a poster for him. They wrote things they liked about him and things they had already learned from him. He looked so happy when he read it, and Riley heard a kid say they couldn’t wait to go to his class that day.
Caring and Consideration
Friend August 2023 “The Broken Water Bottle” Sophia noticed her friend wasn’t drinking any water on a hot day after school. Her friend said she broke her water bottle and she couldn’t get a new one. Sophia worried about her friend because clean water was hard to come by, and they needed to bring clean water from home. Sophia started bringing plastic bottles of water to school for her friend. Her friend was so grateful. Then Sophia’s mom let her friend use a spare water bottle they had. Her friend was so happy and Sophia felt warm inside. She knew she had helped her friend, like Jesus would.
Friend February 2021 “A Perfect Fit” As they played basketball, Tony noticed that his friend Sean’s shoes were coming apart. Sean explained that he couldn’t get new ones until his dad found a job. Tony wanted to help Sean. He said a prayer. The next morning he noticed some shoes in his closet that his older brother had given him that didn’t fit. Sean was happy when Tony gave them to him and they fit him perfectly.
Friend March 2020 ” The Birthday Markers” Marcus loves to draw and was excited to get a new set of markers for his birthday. He notices that his friend looks sad when Marcus got his markers. Marcis then remembered that his friend had a birthday recently and probably didn’t get any presents because his dad recently lost his job. There are two of each color in Marcus’s new set of markers, and he decides to take one of each of the colors and wrap them up to give to his friend.
Friend June 2019 “Waiting for Ian” Ian was in an accident and was in the hospital and then in recovery for several months. The Primary kids asked if they could postpone the Primary Program until Ian was better because they knew that Ian loved participating in it.
Friend May 2019 “The Red Cupcake” Sam couldn’t wait to have one of Ryan’s birthday cupcakes. But when he finally got to the front of the line to get his cupcake, it was the last one, and Jenny was still behind him. She looked sad, so Sam told the teacher that Jenny could have his cupcake. Jenny suggested that they share it, and they were both happy. Friend May 2019 “Family Fun Night”Cupcake refreshment idea.
Friend February 2019 “Ways to Show You I Care” Action rhyme of things to do to show you care about someone.
Friend December 2017 “Warm Hands, Warm Heart” Monroe notices some of her friends don’t have gloves to keep their hands warm at recess, so she brings some gloves to share.
Friend December 2017 “The Red Ticket” Matteo’s Friend was always getting into trouble at school. He had to pay with tickets that could be used for prizes. He ran out of tickets one day and Matteo offered to pay with his own ticket so his friend wouldn’t have to miss recess.
Friend April 2023 “Margo and Paolo” Margo and Paolo invite a friend to dinner who is going to be alone for Easter.
Friend October 2023 “How My Bad Day Got Better” Tucker was having a bad day but had to go to his baseball game. He was sitting sad and alone on a bench and his coach and teammates encouraged him to come play. They helped him feel better.
Kind Words
Friend May 2019 “Choosing Kind Words” Selene called Adriana a mean name when she missed the ball. Adriana told Selene that it hurt her feelings and asked her not to say that. Selene apologized. (Also a lesson idea about kind words children can use and when to use them. Have children tell which ones Adriana and Selene used.)
Friend January 2018 “Lucas and the Bully” Lucas stood up to a bully, but the words he used hurt the bullies feelings. Lucas apologizes and invites the bully to play and they become friends
Friend September 2016 “Super Spencer” Spencer’s friends make fun of his note from his mom, and that makes him feel bad. His mom teaches him that words can hurt, but they can also make people feel happy. Spencer uses kind words and helps people be happy.
Encouraging Others
Friend February 2020 “Keep Going, Josie” Josie had been sick and was tired, but she needed to run in the big race with her teammates. She was worried about letting them down. In her first race, others kept passing her and she felt like giving up. But as her teammates passed her they encouraged her to keep going. Their words gave her strength and she was able to finish the race.
Friend August 2017 “I was the fastest runner in my class when we were timed for the mile run. I noticed one girl who was having a hard time running, so as soon as I finished, I cheered her on. It made me feel good inside to encourage her.” Josh C., age 8, California, USA
Being Kind to Someone Being Unkind
Friend August 2024 “The Kindness Test” Melanie kept being made fun of by a boy at school, so she asked her sister what to do when someone is being mean to you. Her sister suggested doing something nice for him. A few days later, she shared a treat with him and she found out he was funny and fun to be with when he wasn’t teasing her. Now he was her friend.
Friend November 2019 “Giving Kindness Back” Brooklyn was sad because someone at school was being mean to her. Her mother told her that sometimes people try to make you feel bad when they’re sad about their own lives. Brooklyn decided to try and cheer him up, so she made a card for him with candy on it. He was nice to her from then on. (If someone’s not kind to you, try being kind to them. It might take a month or a year. By Brooklyn)
Friend September 2022 “Different but Not Alone” Megan is the only member of the church in her school. One day a boy named Bennett scoffed at her religious beliefs. Another boy, who was the only Hindu in the school, helped her feel better. They both wondered if Bennett had been mean because he didn’t feel happy inside and needed a friend. They became his friend, and he apologized for being mean.
Helping Others
Friend July 2023 “The Making Things Better Club” Josie and Ashlyn start a “Making Things Better Club.” They looked for people to help, like kids that need a friend. Soon Josie was doing it without thinking and realized that it was making her better.
Friend January 2022 “Carolina Reaches Out” Carolina’s friend was losing his hair and Carolina wished she could help him feel better. During recess she looked for him and found him being made fun of and bullied by two boys. She rushed over and asked her friend if he wanted to play with her. They walked together to where a teacher was. Her friend smiled and thanked her. She was glad she was able to help.
Friend September 2021 “Hopscotch with Friends” Daya helps her friends by finding more stones for them to play hopscotch with.
Friend May 2021 ” Locked Out! Emma noticed a little girl crying while she and her mom were on a walk. They found out the girl was locked out of her apartment. They helped push the button and call her mom on the intercom. The girlsa nd her mom were so grateful for the help, and Emma felt warm inside.
Friend February 2021 “Lost at the Aquarium” Krista noticed a little girl crying and alone at the aquarium. Krista and her mother waited with the girl until her mother found her.
Friend October 2020 “Lonely Lunchtime” Kali was lonely at school because she didn’t have any friends yet. Her mom sometimes said, “Look for the kids who are lonely.” She saw a boy sitting alone and went over and talked to him. Afterwards, she felt happy knowing she had made someone else’s recess a little better.
Friend March 2020 “I Like to Be a Friend” Kiera and her friend help a girl who is crying because she doesn’t have any friends.
Friend January 2019 “Show and Tell”
There was a new boy in my class in school who couldn’t speak English. In the computer lab, I sat next to him and helped him with the assignment we were given. I felt good after I helped him.
Helping Someone who is Sad
Friend May 2023 “Origami Friends” Ari noticed that the librarian seemed sad when they went to the library to do crafts. They found out that her car had been broken into and several belongings had been stolen. They wanted to help her feel better so they made her a bag full of origami.
Friend May 2020 “I’ll Be Kind” Action Rhyme about ways to help someone who is sad.
Helping Those Being Bullied or Teased
Friend August 2024 “A Hug for José” José was new to the school. At first, no one talked to him. Then some of the other kids started to tease him. They always called him names and laughed at him. Adam felt like he should help José, but he never knew what to say. One day after a math test, Jose got a 100% and the kids started calling him a cheater. Jose started to cry. Adam walked over to him and gave him a hug. Pretty soon everyone was coming over and apologizing and trying to cheer him up.
Friend May 2024 “Lunchtime Kindness” Dave’s mom shared a scripture about charity with the family in the morning before school. At school Dave saw some boys bullying another boy. He wanted to help but it was scary, but then he remembered the scripture and he stood up and told the bullies to stop.
Friend May 2024 “Sharing God’s Love” Thais saw a little girl crying during recess. The girl said the other kids were teasing her for being chubby, and they said she wasn’t pretty. Thais told the little girl they were wrong because she was pretty and special, she was a child of God. She explained how important Nicol was to Heavenly Father, her family, and many others who loved her so much. Bit by bit, Nicol began to smile and be happy again.
“Shine On” Friend April 2024 On her way to play kickball, Lynn saw some kids pointing and laughing at a girl named Awesome. Lynn went over and asked if she was okay. Soon they were drawing with sticks and giggling. Lynn invited her to church. At church some of the boys that had made fun of Awesome were there. During the Primary lesson about helping others feel loved, the boys apologized to Awesome.
Friend April 2022 “Go Sit by Him” The Holy Ghost tells Sierra to go sit by a boy who had been bullied and was sad and alone. She felt peaceful all day after she listened to the Holy Ghost.
Friend April 2021 “The CTR Reminder” Raish was afraid to say anything to her friends who were being mean to a new girl, but then she saw her CTR ring and remembered something her teacher had said. Remember who you are and what you stand for. So Raish stood for the right and asked her friends to stop being mean, and then she went and apologized to the new girl and asked to be her friend.
Friend October 2021 “Matt and Mandy” Mandy befriends a girl who is being made fun of because of the religious clothing (hijab) she wears. She shows respect for the girl’s faith and beliefs and invites her to meet her friends.
Friend May 2020 “A Blue-Ribbon Friend” Preston helps Jacob when some kids were making fun of his art. Preston likes Jacob’s art and asks for one of his pictures. He then entered the picture in the fair along with his own. They both won blue ribbons.
Friend June 2019 “Friendship Feud” When some girls won’t let Sadra play with them anymore, one of the friends of the girls decides to be a friend to Sadra even though the other girls threatened not to be her friend anymore too.
Friend October 2018 “I was in school when I saw a new boy. A few days later, some of my classmates hit him in the hallway. They gave him a black eye. I felt so much pain for what they had done to him. I found out where he lived and offered him my friendship. The gospel teaches us that we should be helpful, and I love that.Jeshua O., age 11, Illinois, USA”
Friend August 2017 “A bully was picking on a boy I didn’t know. I told the bully that he should be nice. The bully made fun of me. Then the boy I had stood up for helped me. He said that we should all be friends. I felt good that we could help each other.” James W., age 6, Arizona, USA
Friend September 2016 “Show and Tell” A boy tells a bully to stop being mean to another child.
Friend April 2016 “School Bus Hero” Ryan helps Jason because Jason doesn’t have anyone to sit with on the bus and the older kids tease him.
Friend June 1986 “Truth or Dare” Julie’s friends tease an old woman, whom Julie finds out is sad and lonely. Julie helps the lady not feel so alone.
Repenting of Bullying
Friend January 2020 “The Apology” Some classmates were making fun of a boy and Minchan joined in. Later, he found out how sad it made the boy feel. Minchin felt bad and apologized and tried to get the others to stop making fun of the boy.
Friend February 2017 “Me? A Bully?” Jeff didn’t realize he and his best friend were bullying another boy until his mom got a call from the principal. Jeff wanted to be kind like Jesus, so he decides to fix things.
Including and Welcoming Others
Friend October 2022 “The Friendship Party” Maya decides to help some kids, who recently moved in, feel welcome by having party and introducing them to other kids.
Friend September 2022 “Singing Time Together” During singing time, Sarah notices a girl sitting alone and not singing. Sarah goes and sits by her and whispers the words of the song to her so she can sing too. Sarah finds out that it was the girl’s first time in Primary.
Friend April 2022 “Samuel’s New Team” Samuel was born without a left hand, but he was a very good basketball player. He was joining a new team but was worried about what they would think. They didn’t pass the ball to him at first, but one boy saw he could play well and passed to Samuel to show the others that too. Samuel made a basket and his team cheered.
Friend September 2021 “Kindness at the Primary Program” Paul was excited to be in the Primary Program. While singing in the program he saw Mark coming in late with his family. He looked sad. Paul remembered when he came to Primary for the first time. He was glad that other people sat next to him and were nice. He waved for Mark to come sit by him and he gave him a hug. Mark gave Paul a big smile.
Friend September 2021 “A Special Lunch” When Baylor started 3rd grade he had a hard time making friends. So when two new boys arrive at school, he does his best to make them feel welcome and help them. He also had two coupons for lunch with a friend and the teacher, and he invited the two new boys.
Friend September 2021 “New Amigos” Brigit’s family had just moved to Venezuela and she was worried and scared about going to church because she didn’t speak Spanish. When they walked into the chapel, two girls her age rushed over to meet her. When they realized she didn’t speak English they told her their names, sat with her, and started teaching her Spanish. The girls helped Brigit feel welcomed and happy .
Friend May 2021 “Tara’s New Friend” Tara sees a boy sitting alone at church. She doesn’t speak his language so she decides to draw pictures for him.
There are all kinds of children in the world. And Heavenly Father loves them all! He wants us to love them too. How many hearts can you find?
Friend June 2020 “No One Was Left Out” Justin and his friends were playing a game were they had to hit a ball with their arms to keep it in the air. One of the girls who came to play had a broken arm. Justin said, “I have a great idea. We’re all going to play with one arm.” Everybody played the game using just one arm, including the girl who was wearing a cast. No one was left out.
Friend February 2020 “A Kind Primary Class” Jayden was nervous to go to a different ward when he was out of town. But when he got to Primary he felt better because the other kids included him and were kind. They shared their scriptures with him, talked to him, and helped him. They became his friends. Activity: Aria is new at church. Fill in the speech bubbles with what you could say. How could you help a visitor feel welcome?
Friend October 2024 “Kindness at Camp” “Kat had her arm amputated as a baby, and now has a prosthetic arm. She was worried about going to camp, but everyone at camp was friendly and nice. Later, she tripped during the sack race because she couldn’t grab onto the sack properly. She felt like her new friends wouldn’t want her anymore because she made their team lose, but they greeted her with high fives and hugs. When a new boy is introduced that didn’t know English. She remembered how all her new friends had welcomed her to the group and she wanted that for him as well, so she bravely went up and talked to him with a few Spanish words she knew. Rodrigo’s worried look went away, and he smiled back.
Friend September 2019 “Matt and Mandy” Mandy and her friend think about starting a club, but it didn’t feel right to invite a few people and leave out others. They decide to have everyone be in the club.
Friend July 2019 “A New Friend at Lunch” Austin sat with his friends at lunch, and they told jokes and shared cookies. Everyone was happy, except for a boy sitting alone. He was crying and sad. Austin comes up with a plan to help him. He invites the boy to sit with him and his friends, and then everyone is happy.
Friend June 2019 “Say Hello to Halim! Marcus puts a kind note in the new boy’s bucket to help him feel welcome because it looked like Halim was struggling with moving to a new country and a new school. Marcus’s class has buckets on their desks because their teacher wants them to write kind notes to each other to help fill the imaginary buckets inside of them.
Friend July 2018 “Show and Tell” I saw a new girl at school who was alone. I asked my friends to include her in playing with us. They said no, but I went anyway and played with her. We are now friends! Meigan P., age 10, Arizona, USA
Friend July 2018 “Helper for a Day” It’s Elena’s turn to be the special helper in class. She gets to choose someone to help her take the blue folder to the office. She choose Lucas because no one ever chooses him. She wants him to be happy.
Friend June 2018 “The Special Assignment” Oni, a refugee, isn’t included at school, and he is sometimes treated meanly. Elliot prayed about the problem and then talked to his teacher about some of the ideas he and his mom had come up with. The teacher used one of the ideas when she gave some of the students a special assignment to help Oni feel included.
Friend November 2017 “A Picture Perfect Friendship” Avery notices that Jeremy plays alone at recess and sits alone. She prays about how to help him. She draws a picture for him and ask him if he’d like to be friends.
Friend October 2017 “Everybody’s Buddy” Tyler includes someone sitting on the Buddy Bench who needs a friend.
Friend September 2017 “Earings for Jasmine” Abby wants to help those who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina, so she befriends a girl who moved from there. Abby stand she up for Jasmine even though other kids make fun of her.
Friend September 2015 – Girl is included in group that wear crazy socks. S.O.C.K.S stands for sisters of caring, kindness and service.
Friend October 2015 ” The Worth of Soles” – Boy teased by his friends about his old shoes. Other boys feel bad about the teasing and are kind.
Friend February 2015 “Marisol” Alice is kind and includes a girl who doesn’t speak English. They become good friends.
Friend February 2015 “The Trouble with Recess” Jason feels bad when the kids says mean things about the grumpy playground helper. He figures out a way to make things better.
Friend February 1988 “A Valentine for Valerie” A special homemade valentine makes a new shy girl feel cared about and included at school.
Daily Random Acts of Kindness
Friend April 2018 “Dare to Be Kind” Claudia from Australia stands up for others, comforts those who are sad, is a friend to a neighbor in need, and helps bring the Spirit through singing. (Includes photos of Claudia.)
Friend February 2018 “The Friend helps me do something nice every day. Sometimes I hold the door open at school. Doing something nice gives me a good feeling in my heart.”
Rachel I., age 9, Oregon, USA
Being Kind Regardless of Other’s Actions
Friend August 2024 “Fight Bullying with Love” When Matilda moved to a different country she was bullied for looking different than the other kids. Her mom taught her to respond to bullying with love. So now she talks to the person who is saying bad things and tries to stop the situation by explaining how it feels to hear bad things about themselves for being different. (Picture and story at link.)
Friend May 2019 “Choose to Be Kind” A girl pushed her way to the front of the line at the bus stop and sat where Samuel and his friend, Mike, had planned on sitting. This started an argument, but Samuel chooses to be kind instead of right, and figures out a solution.
Friend September 2018 “Show and Tell” “One day I wanted to sit by a bully at school to be friends with her. She yelled at me to go away. I wanted to get her back with my words. But I held my tongue and said, “It’s OK. I’ll sit by someone else.” When I walked away, I felt good for what I did.” Elijah V., age 12, Arizona, USA
Saying Sorry
Friend September 2020 “Amy and Her Trike” Amy accidentally hits Todd while riding trikes. She says sorry, gives him a hug, and asks if he wants to ride trikes with her.
Neighborly Kindness
Friend June 2023 “The Kindness Coin” Nina gave her neighbor free lemonade at her stand as a thank you for all the help he had given to her family. Her neighbor was so kind though that he put it on the porch for her to find. Nina and her neighbor went back and forth finding places to put the coin at each other’s houses. It was a fun game. But then the neighbor had the coin made into a necklace for Nina.
