Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
12 Days of Kindness Calendar: Free Printable Planner for Year 3
- ForYear 3
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
12 Days of Kindness Calendar is a free printable planner for Year 3 (ages 7 to 8). Each of the 12 days has one small kind act. Children do it, then tick it off. It takes about 5 minutes, needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help for children who find it hard, and a stretch idea.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children get a calendar with one kind act for each of 12 days. The acts are small and doable, such as saying thank you, giving a compliment or helping set the table. Each day they do the act, then tick it off. A grown-up checks in each evening and asks how it went. The sheet also works as a simple checklist.
- Day 1: Say thank you to someone
- Day 2: Give a compliment
- Day 3: Help to tidy up
- Day 4: Draw a picture for a friend
- Day 5: Hold a door open
- Day 6: Share a toy or book
- Day 7: Write a kind note
- Day 8: Smile at someone new
- Day 9: Help set the table
- Day 10: Ask someone how they are
- Day 11: Include someone in a game
- Day 12: Say sorry if you need to
Fitting kindness into the day
Pick a regular time
Choose the same moment each day, such as breakfast or after school. A set time turns the calendar into a habit, not a chore.
Look at the day ahead
Read the next act together and think about when it could happen. Day 3 might fit after dinner. Day 5 might happen on the way to school.
Tick it off yourself
Let your child hold the pencil and tick the box. Marking their own progress makes the calendar feel like theirs.
Talk for a minute each evening
Ask what they did and how it felt. Keep it short and relaxed. A quick chat does more than a long one.
Why practise kindness on purpose?
Kindness is something children learn by doing. At seven and eight they are making firmer friendships and starting to see how their actions affect other people. A small act, like holding a door or including someone in a game, gives them a clear way to try out caring behaviour and see what happens.
A calendar helps because it turns a big idea into small, specific jobs. Children are not told to be kind in general. They are given one thing to do today. Looking back each evening helps them notice how others reacted and how they felt themselves. That noticing is the heart of empathy.
Day 8 asks children to smile at someone new. Do this in safe, familiar places such as school, a club or a family gathering, with a grown-up nearby. Remind children that kindness never means going off with someone they do not know.
Skills and curriculum link
- Kindness
- Empathy
- Planning
- Noticing others
- Talking about feelings
What children will be able to do
- I can notice when someone needs help.
- I can do a small kind act.
- I can say how it made me feel.
Ideas to help kindness stick
- Start smallA smile or a thank you counts. Small acts are easier to repeat, and repeating them builds the habit.
- Notice the other personAsk your child to look at how someone reacts. Noticing faces and words helps children understand how others feel.
- Kind is not the same as easySome acts can feel awkward at first. Saying sorry can be hard. Talk about why it is still worth doing.
- Praise the effortSay what you saw them do, such as "You let her join in." Specific praise helps children know what kindness looks like.
Key words
- KindnessDoing or saying something to help or care for another person.
- EmpathyUnderstanding how someone else feels.
- ComplimentA kind thing you say about someone, such as praising their work or their help.
- IncludeTo make sure someone is part of what you are doing.
- ApologiseTo say sorry and mean it when you have upset someone or got something wrong.
- ConsiderateThinking about other people's needs and feelings before you act.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes for you.
- Read the 12 days together the first time. Talk about which acts feel easy and which might feel harder.
- Each morning, look at that day's act and think about when and where it could happen.
- Check in each evening. Ask what they did, how the other person seemed and how it felt. Then tick it off.
- Come back to the calendar another time. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Choose the act together each morning. Say it out loud and think of one place it could happen that day. Practise the words first, such as "Thank you for helping me." Pick the easiest days to start with, and come back to the harder ones later.
To stretch confident children
Write one line each day about how it felt. It could be how you felt, or how the other person looked. At the end, read all your lines together. Which act felt best? Which one was hardest, and why?
Make it a game
Make your own ideas to carry on past day 12. Write each one on a small slip of paper and fold it. Put them in a pot. Each day, pick one slip and do that kind act. Swap ideas with a friend.
Talk about it
- What kind thing did you do today?
- How do you think it made the other person feel?
- Which act was easiest, and which was hardest? Why?
- Has anyone been kind to you this week? How did it feel?
- What could you do tomorrow that would help someone?
- Why might saying sorry be hard, and why does it matter?
Take it off the page
Kindness jar
Decorate a jar and drop in a slip of paper each time someone in the family notices a kind act. Read them aloud at the end of the week.
Thank you cards
Make a card from paper and pencils for someone who helps you, such as a teacher, neighbour or relative. Draw a picture and write one line inside.
Kind acts role play
Act out short scenes with soft toys or family members. Show someone being left out, then show a kind way to include them. Talk about what changed.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit with your child for the first read through, then let them lead. Check in for a few minutes each evening. Ask open questions, listen to the answer and avoid pushing. If a day gets missed, simply carry on with the next one.
Teachers
Use it as a starter for PSHE, a form time routine or a home task over a fortnight. It fits the theme of caring friendships and relationships at Key Stage 2. Ask children to share one act in a circle time, and keep the sharing voluntary.
Home educators
Fit it in around everyday life. Many of the acts can happen at home, like helping tidy up or setting the table. Pair it with a story about friendship, then talk about how the characters showed kindness. It works well for siblings of different ages.
Where this fits in
Before this, children usually start with simple ideas about being kind to friends and sharing. Kindness Bingo on the Mini Minds Hub is a good first step for the year below. It uses a lighter game format to introduce the same kind of acts.
After this, children can move on to thinking about their own goals and how they treat others over time. New Year Resolutions for Kids, written for the year above, asks them to plan ahead and choose what they want to change.
Check it worked
Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.
- What kind thing did you do today?
- How do you think it made the other person feel?
- What kind act could you try tomorrow?
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is 12 Days of Kindness Calendar for?
It is written for Year 3 (ages 7 to 8), in Key Stage 2. Younger children can try it with more help, and older children can use the stretch idea to make it harder.
- How long does it take?
About 5 minutes. Children do the act during the day, then the grown-up checks in and they tick it off together in the evening. The calendar runs across 12 days.
- Do we have to do the days in order?
No. Order is a suggestion, not a rule. If a day does not suit, such as one that needs a friend nearby, swap it for another and come back to it later.
- What if my child finds some acts hard?
Choose the act together each morning and practise the words first. Saying sorry or asking how someone is can feel awkward, so start with the easier days and build up.
- Is it free to print?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or for another round of kindness a few weeks later.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, form time routine, homework task or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and children can share their acts if they wish.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children can add colour with pencils or pens if they want to.
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Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.