3 Amazing Ways to Teach Your Child About Kindness


This post is brought to you by American Girl®. All opinions are my own.

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I want to teach my daughter about friendship and mindfulness, being kind to others, doing good deeds and being creative!  Like any other mom, I want my daughter to grow up with confidence that she can do and be anything. I want to teach her how to become a loving person and I find that creative play is one of the best ways to achieve these goals.

Kids just learn better when they’re having fun. It’s as simple as that!  When you combine creative play with a doll that is designed specifically to help kids learn more about friendship, kindness and compassion, you have a win-win situation! That’s exactly what American Girl did with their WellieWishersTM.  Who are the WellieWishers and how can they help my daughter learn about compassion? Read on to find out!

Who are the WellieWishers?

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By now you must have heard about American Girl.  Every little girl wants one! I know because my daughter wanted one as well, which was great because American Girl provided WellieWishers product to me for free for my review.  The WellieWishers, which include Willa, Kendall, Ashlyn, Emerson and Camille, are great new companions for your daughter. Their goal is to try to be the best well-wisher they can be. The 5 girls gather and play in a beautiful garden, using their imaginations while learning some of life’s important lessons, like empathy, being a good friend, and the importance of being kind to each other.

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Each WellieWisher has her own personality, passions and talents.  It is what makes them unique, just like our daughters.  Each one has a special way she helps others as well.  Whether it is encouraging others to love, care for and respect animals and nature, or knowing just how to throw the best surprise party for a friend, each girl has something special to offer.

Their colorful garden boots (wellies) help them to imagine and play. Stomping around the backyard, playing in the mud and just using their imagination is not an issue in these cool boots!  Each one of these girls has the same big, bright wish: to be a good friend. There are so many fun ways to use dolls to teach kids kindness through creative play time. Check out a few of my favorites!

Teaching Kindness & Compassion through Imaginative Play

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  • Setting up a “what would you do” scenario. Give your daughter a chance to act out different scenarios using her WellieWishers and other dolls. Each WellieWisher has her own characteristics that would play out perfectly in different situations. For example, my daughter’s WellieWisher, Camille, is a secret keeper. While this is a great trait to have in some cases, there are some secrets that do need to be told. Play the role of a friend who tells Camille a secret that should be told (make it age appropriate, please) and help your daughter work through what to do in that situation to help a friend.
  • Teach good sportsmanship. It’s hard to be kind and compassionate when you’re disappointed over a loss. Create an imaginative scenario where one of the WellieWishers is sad that she lost a big game or meet. Camille is an excellent swimmer, but maybe, just once, Willa outswam her! What should Camille say to Willa? How can she cheer herself up?

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  • Learn when to speak up for others. Camille is pretty content to go with the flow. While that makes her fun to be around because she’s up for whatever her friends want to do, like secrets, there are times when you need to go against the flow. With bullying such an important issue in schools today, teaching kids when and how to stand up for others is a major part of instilling a sense of kindness and compassion in them.

Camille has other wonderful traits that work perfect for creative play time. She’s a great listener, which makes her a good friend and confidant. My daughter loves Camille!  She has blonde hair just like my daughter and they both love the water.

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Being a girl is a very special thing, and having a WellieWisher as a friend to grow up with your daughter makes it even sweeter. The WellieWishers  are a fun avenue to teach her the skills I want her to have.  Having a best friend and learning about relationships and how to be a good person is something I remember while growing up myself.

Visit the WellieWishers’ page on the American Girl website to learn more about each of the girls, including all their wonderful character traits! While you’re there, make sure you locate the free WellieWishers app! You’ll also find excerpts from a few of the books.

How do you use creative play to teach your kids about kindness? Share in the comments!

 

32 thoughts on “3 Amazing Ways to Teach Your Child About Kindness”

  1. We must teach our children about being kinder to others. The Wellie Wisher dolls are adorable. My daughter asked me for one for the holidays.

  2. Rozilyn Branch Cool

    One of the very best parts of teaching during creative play, is that values are being instilled that will carry on into adulthood. These are things my daughter will teach her daughter.

  3. Dolls are a perfect educational tool. Not only can you teach your child about kindness but you can teach them other life skills that they need growing up. Plus, they are fun for creative play too.

  4. This is a wonderful idea. That doll is really beautiful too. My oldest would love to have a doll like this. I may just have to get her one for the holidays!

  5. I love the American Girl series, one of my favorites to recommend at work. The Wellie Wishers are new to me, so I am going to have to look into these as well. Thanks for sharing!

  6. Being kind and being caring is a basic human thing and I love that this keeps that concept in mind. Kids will love playing with this doll and it teaches kids to be nice. That is a win win!

  7. My daughter’s first doll was an American Girl bitty baby. I’ve been fond of them every since. I love the Well Wishers and those boots are too cute!

  8. I really hope my granddaughter loves the American Girl line-up. Id love to indulge her a bit. She’s 3 now… she’ll be the right age soon enough!

  9. I need to get these for my daughter. I’ve never really gotten creative and just taught them how to be kind. Where we live my kids deal with bullying and not so kind kids on a daily basis so its been rather easy for us.

  10. Reesa Lewandowski

    I am getting one of these for my daughter for Christmas. They’re so beautiful and I love the lesson they teach to our children!

  11. I love that the dolls promote kindness and friendship, something that is really important to instill in our girls at a young age. I’ll be sure to keep Wellie Wishers in mind for the girls in my family when I start my holiday shopping. I am sure they will be a big hit this year!

  12. I absolutely adore this product line for girls! Any dolls that empower my kid to be kinder and gentler and imparts ideas that will help her develop into a more empathetic individual get my vote of approval!

  13. Pam Wattenbarger

    I have always loved American Girl. They got my daughter interested in history and in different cultures. I love that these dolls promote kindness!

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