Kindness Curriculum aims to set children up for a lifetime

A new curriculum, developed in partnership with Kaplan Australia, is now available for Australian educators, to help them ensure that kindness is a trait which is embedded in the life of every child. 

The Kindness Curriculum aims to ensure that the many acts of kindness, community, connection and compassion shown during the COVID-19 pandemic continue once things return to normal by teaching children to engage as learning communities to embrace kindness and gratitude as core concepts that underpin universal and global learning, community capacity building and health and wellbeing. 

Building on the foundations of the Kindness Factory, established by Kath Koschel  after a string of devastating and life changing setbacks, including having to learn to walk again on two separate occasions, the Kindness Curriculum is a free online program that provides tailored resources for educators, parents, and local community groups to help teach children from early childhood through to secondary school kindness, drive generational change and ensure Australian youth grow up with a foundation of kindness. 

There are 12 attributes of kindness, including empathy, gratitude and perspective, which make up the core tenets of the program, and it is these traits that Ms Koschel hopes children will take on board, so that they can  inspire their peers and parents, making the momentum of kindness stronger and stronger in communities, for generations to come.

“Kindness has helped me through tough times in my life and I’m forever grateful for every single person who showed me kindness, as it gave me the courage to keep going. This is why I’ve dedicated my life to showing how powerful acts of kindness can be in touching and transforming people’s lives, by simply showing you care,” she added. 

Kaplan Australia Managing Director, Rob Regan said the project was an important one, as Kaplan shares the Kindness Factory’s passion for educating children. 

“The Curriculum is designed to exist alongside and complement the goals of Australian education. As an online resource with clear, direct steps, it allows teachers and educators from all around Australia to easily adapt the Curriculum for children’s particular needs,” he said. 

The curriculum provides more than 60 age appropriate learning experiences which promote positive mental health and kindness strategies to support students in being happy, confident, well-rounded individuals, and may be accessed here.