56 Kindness Tree Bulletin Board Ideas for a School Project (2024)

A kindness tree bulletin board is a beautiful and creative way to encourage and acknowledge acts of kindness within a classroom or school. As a whole school kindness challenge, it's a heartwarming way to foster caring and supportive relationships amongst students and teachers as EVERYONE gets involved in this kindness project (principal and parents too)!

If you're looking for February bulletin board ideas, Random Acts of Kindness Day is a great celebration and I totally recommend a tree of kindness. Students just love to watch their tree come to life as good deeds are added. Positive feelings encourage everyone to think about their words and actions to improve behavior. It's such an effective way to reinforce positivecharacter traitsand reduce bullying.

Be inspired by these amazing kindness trees from schools around the world!

There are a lot of wonderful kindness projects for elementary students, but a kindness tree bulletin board is a favorite. As you'll see by the wonderful kindness tree ideas below there are many variations, some big, some small, but each one beautiful and unique.

There are no rules when it comes to creating your display. Look at the kindness tree bulletin board ideas below and encourage student involvement to come up with your own unique kindness display.

For the tree itself, you can use paper, fabric, paint, crepe paper or real tree branches. Kindness leaves upon which good deeds are written can be made from paper or card. As well as leaves, you can also make some hearts and even trace around hands.

"Kindness trees have bloomed at Goodnoe! Each hand represents our commitment to spread kindness throughout the school!"

- Michael Catalano‏, Goodnoe Elementary, Newtown, Pennsylvania, United States

They even have a nook where kids can snap a photo and change the text on the board to suit themselves... "my big dream is", "when I grow up".

- Wilson Elementary, Spokane, Washington, United States

This lovely kindness tree display was made by a teacher using a kit he received from us. He printed many of the elements but opted for a 3D look as we suggest in our instructions and made his trunk from brown paper.

Students were delighted to come back to school and watch the tree come to life as they added their acts of kindness on heart shaped leaves. Thank you for sharing your wonderful creation, Bill from Ohio!

"At Mountain Valley School, creating a positive culture and climate is at the forefront of our work. This year, staff members have been focusing on self-care while building positive relationships with each other as well as every student at our school. The adults in the building set the culture of a school, and I couldn’t be more proud of Mountain Valley staff. They are kind, caring, and compassionate while holding each other accountable for doing what is best for kids."

- Mountain Valley School District, Saguache, Colorado, United States

"The week of February 11th happened to be “Random Acts of Kindness Week” so I challenged the staff to a Kindness Challenge — I challenged them to complete some simple, kind acts that would make our students’ and colleagues’ days just a bit brighter! To go along with this kindness challenge, I was Inspired by Bethany Hill (see her tree below) and we added a school Kindness Tree to our main hallway and challenged our STUDENTS to brainstorm ways they can be kind friends & spread kindness."

- Melissa Kartsimas, JFK Elementary, Schiller Park, Illinois, United States

"We have a tree that changes seasonally. All kids contribute to it. This one was for kindness. Staff and kids brag on others for acts of kindness."

- Bethany Hill, Central Elementary, Cabot, Arkansas, United States

"Ms. Jaracz made a kindness tree and kindness leaves and surrounded it with our caught being kind certificates. Lots of great ideas for being kind at West."

- West Memorial Elementary School, Peabody, MA, United States

"It might be fall outside, but the weather is perfect indoors for our kindness tree to sprout some new leaves."

- Chris Gray, Principal,Donges Bay Elementary School, Mequon, WI, United States

- John Ward Elementary, Houston, Texas, United States

Our Kindness Tree @UTEschool is coming along great. Each heart represents an act of kindness shown at our school last week.”

- Laura Terpstra, Upper Thames Elementary School, Mitchell, ON, United States

Celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Week from Feb. 12-16, 2018 this massive tree bloomed from students sharing kindness throughout the school. “So many are stuck in their math and English scores, we aim to help students get high character,”

- Dr. Robert Anderson, Gowanda Elementary School, New York, United States

Submitted byLisa Ray Barrickman

And today this incredible paper chain was hanging in the lobby!! The kids wrote their acts of kindness on links during the initiative. So cool to see the beauty they created together."

- Chadds Ford Elementary School, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, United States

"In recognition of World Kindness Day, our Ravens proudly shared their acts of kindness by adding leaves to our Kindness Tree!"

- Rosendale Ravens Elementary School, Niskayuna, NY, United States

"In recognition of World Kindness Day, our Ravens proudly shared their acts of kindness by adding leaves to our Kindness Tree!"

- Hopewell Elementary School, Niskayuna, NY, United States

"To celebrate #AmericanEducationWeek, students at Birchwood Intermediate listened to #TomorrowIllBeKind by@jessicahische. After, students wrote down ways they can show generosity towards others!"

-Meghan Kaminski, Birchwood Intermediate, Melville, NY, United States

Barbara Hinsz shared that "staff and students "planted" a kindness tree where everyone is invited to share the good deeds they have done or the good things that others have done for them. Every day more hearts show up around the tree and everyday everyone gets to see how kindness makes a difference."

- Mesabi East School, Aurora, Minnesota, United States

"Students August and Jonas along with third-grade teacher Taylor Wherrel show how much the school’s kindness tree is growing."

- White Oaks Elementary School, Burke, Virginia, United States

Kindness tree display submitted by Maureen.

- Irving Elementary, Bloomington, Illinois, United States

"The students and staff have been challenged to show kindness in every way possible. Whether in the classroom, hallway, cafeteria or on the playground, kindness is always appreciated. Students are recognized for displaying acts of kindness and are given a leaf to add to their Kindness Tree."

- Central Elementary School, Van Buren,Arkansas, United States

- Mount Holly Township Public Schools, Mount Holly, New Jersey, United States

A kindness tree in the cafeteria is part of the Kindness Starts with Me program. Students fill out smile cards, color-coded by class, to acknowledge each other for the kind things they've done which are then attached to the kindness tree.

- Alta Vista Elementary School, Sarasota, Florida, United States

A "crazy" Kindness Tree created by an art teacher. It even features bugs and Disney characters!

- Christ the King Catholic School, Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Character development is an important part of the school climate. Students receive “kindness leaves” to place on their Kindness Tree for acts of service, compassion, and cooperation.

- Evergreen Country Day School, Evergreen, Colorado, United States

"All the kids had the opportunity to fill in a paper heart of a way they are going to be kind this year, and we put them all on the kindness tree!"

- Wilshire Park Elementary School, St. Anthony, MN, United States

"YECA and CHA Pre-k, Kindergarten and 1st grade students reflected on steps and actions we can take to show kindness every day!"

- Yonkers Public Schools, Yonkers, NY, United States

When fifth-grade students said their schoolmates needed to practice more kindness, counselor Tausha Caldarella, created a kindness tree located in a prominent hallway wall.

The tree features leaves and apples of love and kindness, created by students and staff. The paper tree is a reminder of “loaning someone your strength instead of reminding them of their weakness”.

“The tree is positioned at the highest volume traffic area in our school so that as students walk into school and head to class or to specialists upstairs, they see all the kindness shared and can gain strength and encouragement from seeing all the words on those especially hard days,” Caldarella says.

"Students received a lesson on respect and kindness before working on the tree to help them understand the importance of their words and actions and how they impact others.

At Fisher, we want to build a community of learners that use their words to build others up and help others become the best version of themselves,” Caldarella says.

- Fisher Elementary, Lynden, Washington, United States

"This beautiful tree graces the 8th-grade hallway. Students sign and attach leaves that they’ve earned. Sometimes it’s for working hard to achieve a personal best, other times it’s for mastery of a difficult concept. It can even be for showing empathy, compassion, kindness and care. Regardless, each leaf represents individual parts of an incredible whole that’s still growing as we finish strong." - Barbara Gruener

- Friendswood Junior High, Friendswood, Texas, United States

“The Kindness Tree is a way for students to learn what kindness is, what it can look like, and what it can do,” said teacher Jackie Bergeron. “It’s a tangible way for them to recognize kindness each and every day.”

- South Ridge Elementary, Ridgefield, United States

The main hallway is painted with a huge Tree of Kindness that is adorned with leaves given and received by students and staff. Names are added to leaves, which are then placed on the trees to acknowledge those who have shown kindness towards others. Signs located throughout the school ask questions like: Did You Take Time to Be Kind Today? How Do You Take Time to Be Kind? and Taking Time to Be Kind Feels Good!

- Greenbrier Elementary School, Greenville, South Carolina, United States

During Valentine’s week, students celebrated "Random Acts of Kindness Week. Each day students dressed up and participated in kindness activities. Messages on how to express kindness were read during the morning announcements, students filled out "compliment hearts" which were placed under the "Tree of Kindness" and students were encouraged to use kind words and make a new friend.

- Pasodale Elementary, El Paso, Texas, United States

To celebrate Random Acts of Kindness week, students were encouraged to "pay it forward" and document acts of kindness on a tree. “We try to get the children to understand that doing something kind for others, you don’t necessarily need a reward or expect an award back from it. When you do something nice, it’s like a trickle effect. When someone does something nice for you, they want to do something nice for someone else. I always tell them kindness is free, you don’t have to have money to give it to someone.”

- Christa Jeter, Doby's Mill Elementary, Lugoff, South Carolina, United States

When students are caught in an act of kindness, they are presented with a Kindness Heart to pin on their Kindness Tree.

- Clark Fork School, Missoula, Montana, United States

"I saw Isaac give his chair to Ariel in music. We did community of kindness leaves. These leaves we will put on are community of kindness tree. It will be fun. We write something nice about someone on a leaf. Everyone is nice in our class. Everyone is complimenting someone in our class." - Moe

- Martin J. Gottlieb Day School, Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Fourth graders added a colorful rainbow and flowers around their kindness tree to enhance their hallway.

- Virtual School House,Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Students created a kindness tree in their gym. They feel it is an important part of their school because it reinforces their Code of Conduct by being kind.

- Upper Greenwood Lake School, West Milford, New Jersey, United States

This Kindness Tree is a staple fixture in the entryway at the school. Students can both give and receive kindness leaves that acknowledge a helpful or inclusive act. Leaves are then displayed on the tree. Fifth-grade student council members said the kindness tree had been ongoing part of their school community since they were in Kindergarten.

- Memorial Spaulding Elementary School, Newton Centre, Massachusetts, United States

"Vernon’s Kindness Tree is a new addition to a wall in the cafeteria. It was painted this winter by Ms. Crowley and Ms. Rogus to help spread kindness throughout the school community."

“I’m bursting with pride over the kind hearts of the students and how they have taken the initiative to help others.”, said Ms. Rogus about her students. “I’m so happy that Vernon’s Kindness Tree is inspiring students to spread good in the world.”

- James H. Vernon School, East Norwich, New York, United States

"At our most recentUnschoolers Waterpark Gathering(UWG), we had a Kindness Tree. It was a joy to see this tree leaf out andfill with lovethroughout the week.

The tree was made from pipes and duct tape and clothespins.

Over 100 leaves of wisdom were written for our kindness tree."

- Dr. Jessie Voigts,Wandering Educators

"Here is our kindness tree that I put together at VanDerveer elementary school in Somerville, New Jersey.

Every student in the school was provided with a cut out heart, and they wrote their way that they could be kind on their heart. I got one of our education classrooms to cut out all of the hearts on the Ellison machine and cut out the letters for the wording and then put the tree together with the help of my OT students.

- Patti Clark, OTR - VanDerveer Elementary School, New Jersey

"This a photo of my 1B student's Kindness Tree. They receive a leaf after they have done something kind. We are enjoying learning about kindness this year and have been doing daily individual, weekly whole class and big end of term acts of kindness. Some of our end of term acts of kindness include Easter colouring books for the pediatric ward at the Cairns Base Hospital, gratitude cards for the ANZAC veterans attached toour local RSL and 'Worth it' boxes for all the teachers in our school (40 teachers).

We can't wait to see how big our tree will be at the end of the year!"

- Felice, Hambledon State School, Edmonton, Queensland, Australia

The kindness treewas placed in the school foyer during mental health week. Students were invited to extend a ‘helping hand’ to those in the school community who would appreciate a small act of kindness.

- Loreto Normanhurst, Normanhurst, New South Wales, Australia

"To coincide with World Kindness Day (November 13) HPS has an annual Wellbeing Week. During this week students are involved in a variety of activities which promote many areas of health and well-being, including Mental, Social, Physical and Emotional aspects of their well-being.

Some activities that students Prep – Grade 6 have participated in include; making a ‘Worry Box’ so that students can write their worries on pieces of paper and place them in the box for safe keeping (in essence ‘letting go’ of their worries and not having to carry them around) and the construction of a Kindness Tree. On World Kindness Day, every student in the school participated in the Kindness Leaf Activity. This required the students to write or draw what kindness meant to them on a paper leaf to be joined together to make a Kindness Tree."

- Heidelberg Primary School, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia

The Kindness Tree reminds us to be kind to ourselves and to others.

- Fig Pocket State School, Fig Tree Pocket, Queensland, Australia

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We also read the book ‘A World of Kindness’ which gives specific examples of how children can be kind in small ways every day.

Thanks again for the inspiration!

- Gateway Public School, Toronto, Canada

When browsing the internet for bulletin board ideas, I came across the Kindness Tree. This idea is not my original idea, but as with all great ideas, they are worth copying and sharing!

Just prior to World Kindness Day, I created a Kindness tree in the front entrance of the school. On World Kindness Day, November 13th, students, and staff were encouraged to colour and write kind quotes, phrases, or words on a handprint and place them on the tree.

It is very heart-warming to see students stop and take a look at the handprints, point out their own, and acknowledge another handprint that they like.

Students walk past the tree daily, so this was a way for us to collaborate as a school on creating positive messages and continue to promote a culture of kindness.

- Submitted byCarson Elementary School - Quesnel, BC Canada

This tree was inspired by the beautiful book Kindness Grows by Britta Teckentrup.

It teaches us that when kindness is given, something beautiful begins to grow. We brainstormed ways that we can spread kindness to others and created this tree to share with the rest of our school.

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Created by Ms. Sleilaty’s second grade class.

- Our Lady of the Evergreens School, Calgary, Canada

- Mecatina School, Quebec, Canada

Students performed 2052 acts of kindness in 21 days.

- W.J. Watson Public School, Keswick, Canada

Staff and students give each other a 'character heart' for acts of kindness which are then attached to their kindness tree.

- Carleton Heights Public School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

This Kindness Tree in the front school foyer was created to showcase good deeds during Random Acts of Kindness Week.

- Thompson Elementary School, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Students value compassion and service. Their aim is to cultivate genuine happiness and commit to treating others and the planet with respect, kindness and consideration, helping even in the smallest of ways. The Kindness Tree in the school's entrance symbolises service, compassion and kindness.

- phu*ket International Academy, phu*ket, Thailand

‘Acts of Kindness make me grow.’

"Despite the very cold weather around at the moment our kindness tree is blooming. This is because our tree grows ever so slightly every time someone does something kind here in Aughacasla National School. It is great to see everyone getting on so well with each other. The way the children are in Aughacasla the tree will be in full blossom in no time."

- Aughacasla National School, Ireland

"Visit the Kindness Tree, which has been updated with suggested coping skills to use during tough times! Thanks to our Mental Health Committee!"

- Ardscoil Mhuire, Limerick, Ireland

"Schools were invited to participate in a lesson activity that the Department of Education developed in collaboration with the DCU Anti-Bullying Centre. The children worked really hard to create their Value Statement."

- Scoil Mhuire Carlanstown, Kells, Ireland

If you're looking for kindness project ideas, a kindness tree is a beautiful way to nurture a caring culture within your school. If you'd like a to make your own kindness tree bulletin board but are short on time, check out my DIY kindness tree kit to make it super easy.

If your school has a Kindness Tree, we'd be thrilled to add it to this post or perhaps include it in our school newsletter. Please submit your photoHERE.