b kinder workbooks

Prospective users

Aims & approach

b kinder is about creating a wave of change through small, consistent conversations around kindness. The b kinder workbooks initiate discussions surrounding emotions that can be difficult for the young to communicate and empower children to become kinder, more empathetic, and more compassionate. The more we can embed values like kindness and empathy from the very beginning of education, the more likely we are to prevent harmful cycles.

The 4 b kinder workbooks are aimed at children in their pivotal years of the ages 3 to 13. Children relate to the interactive workbooks as 12-year-old Billie Kinder, whose story is real. Billie's inspiring writings and artworks are the cornerstone of the b kinder workbooks, which have been designed with the help of psychologists and teachers.

The workbooks are age-appropriate:

• Kindergarten/Preschool: Blue b kinder workbook (Once upon a time)
• Grade 1 - 2: Yellow b kinder workbook (Sunflowers and Rainbows)
• Grade 3 - 4: Red b kinder workbook (Hope)
• Grade 5 - 6: Orange b kinder workbook (The Bigger Picture)

The activities within the b kinder workbooks support teachers to embed the explicit teachings of wellbeing and offer learning activities that provoke students to ask questions, to ponder and explore and to see things from another's perspective.

The units of work (for the orange, red and yellow workbooks (grade 1-6) have been designed to be taught over the course of 10 weeks. They are written to be picked up and taught as is, but schools have the option to use them as a sample and alter them as needed. No teacher training is required.

Flexibility of the b kinder workbooks means that they can work alongside a school's existing programs.

Evidence

With over 500 paired sets of data from an independent organisation evaluating statistical subjective wellbeing, evidence shows that children who practice pro-social behaviours through b kinder benefit from improved wellbeing outcomes such as increased self-confidence, feelings of independence, higher levels of positive reciprocity in relationships and a deeper sense of connectedness with their school and community.

The associated units of work align with the Australian Curriculum: Personal Development, Health, and Physical Education K-6. These units of work focus on the strands of Health, Wellbeing and Relationships.