If you watch local news on a frequent basis, you might find yourself wondering where the “human” in “humanity” has gone. Amidst the weather, traffic, and sports stories, there are usually some depressing pieces about stolen wheelchairs, bullying, and vandalism. But occasionally, a gem of a story shines through, showing that the kindness in some people overrides the hatred in others. We wish these stories would triumphantly take over news broadcasts every night.
Maybe the road to a society where bullying and hateful vandalism are a thing of the past is paved by today’s children. Today, we’re highlighting The Art of Education University’s philosophy on kindness through art.
Approaching Bullying Differently
Inspired by the “You Are Beautiful” project, Abby Schukei writes about little acts of kindness that can make kids feel more supported by one another. Through this art form, classmates give each other supportive stickers that say “you are beautiful” or “whale be alright.”
But Why Stickers?
These pre-made stickers are only used to get the ball rolling. Art teachers can encourage creativity by asking their students to think about a time when words hurt them. Then, students can think about words or images that would make them feel better in these situations. The results can be drawn through symbols or words and transformed into stickers. Stickers are cheap to print, easy to store, and perfect for distributing to classmates who need some support. They can serve as constant reminders rather than fleeting words by sticking them on notebooks.
What Does Art Have to do with Bullying?
How could a sticker possibly do something to stop bullying? Well, in two small ways that can be amplified in big ways. First, giving children an artistic channel to express themselves may allow children who have been bullied to stand up and ask for what they need. They’ll be recognized by their classmates for their ideas and art in a safe space where it’s okay to be “bad at art.”
When individuality shines through, like in art, bullying struggles to continue. Secondly, this project urges children to talk about difficult things, recognize when their classmates are having a hard time, and provide them with something that can help, even just to put a smile on someone’s face. But most importantly, this project starts the conversation about bullying. Teachers and parents are then able to have deeper conversations about bullying prevention and why kindness is the answer. These aren’t just stickers – they’re physical symbols of kindness.
Adults Need Kindness Reminders Too
Bullying, rudeness, and unkindness can take place in adult interactions and the effects can be just as serious. If we teach our children to be kind, we owe it to ourselves and our communities to act the same way. But we’ve all had moments when we’re not kind to others or even to ourselves. We need these reminders that our words and actions have consequences—and we all deserve to live in a world where we support each other and spread kindness rather than hatred. Once again, art can be a great reminder that kindness is an art itself. Below are two murals that inspire adults and children alike to be kind and, like the beautiful art work, remind us that kindness is beautiful on all of us.
Kindness and Collaboration Through Art
We could all use these daily reminders that what we put out into the world really matters. It affects others and it affects us. To give you the opportunity to tie art and kindness in your own way, Yaymaker has a variety of projects to choose from. Here are three of our kindness inspired favorites:
At yaymaker.com, you can find these and many other paintings that will inspire you and those around you to spread kindness every day. And our events for families are perfect for teachable kindness moments for your kids too!
Looking to inspire kindness through art in your workplace? We can help! Yaymaker offers corporate events featuring collaborative canvases. In these events, team members work together to create a work of art across many canvases with the help of a master artist.
Planning corporate events is easy with the help of the Yaymaker private event specialists. You can learn more and get in contact with a specialist through our corporate events page. Together, with one tiny act of kindness at a time, we can make a happier, healthier, kinder world for all of us.
Yaymaker has a vast project library full of one of a kind originals created by Yaymaker Hosts. All Projects featured here may not be available in your area.
