It’s the time of year for the Kindness Elves to make their appearance in our household. They have been flying in from the North Pole the day after Thanksgiving for the last two years and have been shining examples of love, care and KINDNESS to our children.
You see, our Kindness Elves (which were named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego by my oldest son), bring with them lessons in being kind, helping others and showing love to those around us. On rare occasion you might find them causing a little merry mischief around the house, but unlike their mischievous counterpart (Elf of the Shelf), these little kindness elves promote long lasting family lessons. (Side note: If you have an Elf on the Shelf, you can absolutely incorporate some kindness into your season as well; the sky is really the limit!)
In our household the elves don’t act as Santa’s watchdogs and we don’t use them to report poor behavior back to the North Pole. Our alternative elves help celebrate the true meaning of the season while sprinkling in some magical fun that lights up our children’s eyes.
Our elves move to a different location in the house each night (unless Mommy and Daddy accidently fall asleep and forget…oooops!) and *most* days the elves will bring a note with them. The note oftentimes has a task to complete (i.e. bake cookies for a neighbor, buy someone a Starbucks, etc.); sometimes there will be a Bible scripture to talk about, other times they will set out a special book to read together.
There is a plethora of ideas on Pinterest when it comes Kindness Elves. Here are some of my favorite links:
Kindness Elves in the Classroom
100 Acts of Kindness for Kids
Random Acts of Kindness Printables (FREE)
25 Ideas for Kindness Elves
Kindness Elf Notes (FREE)
Cute Elf Arrival Letter
The original Kindness Elves were started by a company called The Imagination Tree in the UK. I loved the idea but could not justify the expense of shipping. (Let’s be real for a minute — I couldn’t even justify the expense of an Elf on the Shelf. How do y’all afford those bad boys??) I found our little elves at Target and they were originally ornaments! A few snips here and there to remove the tags and yarn hanger and VIOLA! $6-$9 later and we had three exceptionally cute Kindness Elves! (Thanks Target, you make this Mama happy, happy, happy!)
I just so happened to be browsing the Christmas aisles at Target last week and found these ornaments that would work great as elves in your home or classroom! $3 a piece!
Not digging the commitment to an elf? Don’t want the responsibility of moving elves or dealing with another thing on your to-do list? I found this cute little (inexpensive) elf that would make a magical, hassle-free holiday tradition! (It was cheapest at the Christmas Store in Pigeon Forge, but Amazon might save you a few bucks in gas!)
