This book is beautiful and inspiring and filled with, as the title says, kindness cards for kids (and others) to use. Plus, it inspires and uplifts simply by the words within!

Disclaimer: I got a digital review copy of this book from Netgalley originally and these are my honest opinions of the book. Please note that the review is based on a more recent reading of the book (library/personal copy)

Perfect little set to use in an educational setting to foster a greater understanding on specific ways that everyone can be a little kinder to each other in the classroom, throughout the community, and throughout the world.

These cards were more than adequate but, in general, they did not seem to be highly original. Unless you and your children/students particularly like working with card decks, I would label this as a fun but non-essential purchase.

What a sweet way to teach children different ways of being kind. I love this idea and hope to share it in my classroom and with my colleagues.

I work in a kindergarten classroom and think this book is a great resource for our classroom! I love the bright colors, as well.

The world needs more kindness, and these cards a great way for kids (AND their adults) to practice being kind.

Ways to Be Kind to Self, Others, and the Planet

This is an interesting set of 52 cards that encourage kindness. The author defines this as a combination of compassion, empathy, courage, and responsibility, providing 13 cards for each topic. The author interprets compassion as self-compassion, being kind to yourself. Throughout the deck, the author encourages mindfulness, sympathy, and empathy—for the child, those around him or her, and their environment. Most cards are suggestions of a simple act, like reading something you enjoy as an act of self-compassion, giving a 6-second hug as an act of empathy, or doing a random act of kindness (like holding open a door) as an act of responsibility. Some suggestions aren't as simple, and as the author states, may require the right time and place. I think this deck would be great for a child to go over with their parents and siblings as a family. Make kindness a new family project! As some of these suggestions are open-ended (or could have more possibilities), working with others can help fuel creativity for how to precisely perform a certain act of kindness. Also, while this deck is aimed at children, it certainly has ideas that could help adults practice kindness.

I didn't receive an actual physical deck. Rather, I got a PDF ARC copy. In this version, I didn't think the colors for the empathy and responsibility cards stood out enough; they were faint and hard to read. I hope this is better with the physical deck! I thought two cards gave conflicting messages. On one card, the author suggested the child keep a plastic bag in his or her backpack so they have a place for their trash if needed. Yet another card was actually about not using plastic bags. Also, I also wasn't wild that on a few cards the author suggests the child tell the adults to do something. I think these cards would have been better if they were strictly about the child's self-responsibility to themselves, others, and the planet rather than asking them to nag their parents!

Kindness Cards for Kids should be in every family's home! This card deck has so many wonderful ideas to help children become more kind. There are four main types of cards in this deck: compassion, empathy, courage, and responsibility. Each card has an activity to be performed. Some can be done by yourself while some require other people to complete the task. Children will have so much fun with Kindness Cards!
Unfortunately there is very little kindness being spread in the world today but if people start to implement the practices in this card deck, then we can start to turn that around.

The author of this deck for children begins by explaining what kindness is.  It is distinguished from "being nice."  Kindness is described as having elements of compassion, empathy, courage and responsibility.  The deck of included cards is then divided to represent each of these qualities.  It is noted that some cards may be used more than once, some may be used right away, while others may require just the right time.


I think that these cards will work best with an adult's encouragement and modeling.  The directions are very easy to follow yet I think that it will help children to know that adults also need to practice kindness.  Make it a game with a child you know.  You will both benefit.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.