Being Kind Charter: Free Printable Chart for Year 1

Being Kind Charter is a free printable chart for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1. Choose rules for a kind class It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, a growing library of free printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795.

It is two A4 pages. Page 1 is the activity for children. Page 2 is for the grown-up: it has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, and a stretch idea. Print it at home or in the classroom. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

This chart includes a checklist to tick off and lines for writing.

A look at what children will meet:

• We say please and thank you
• We share
• We listen when others speak
• We help someone who is sad
• We let everyone join in
• We tell the truth

Who this is for

Year 1 (ages 5 to 6) in Key Stage 1.

Key Stage 1 covers Years 1 and 2, ages 5 to 7. Children are building secure foundations in reading, writing and number, and short playful practice at home helps those foundations stick. Use it at home, in class, on a rainy afternoon or at a family gathering.

What children practise

• Kindness
• Class rules
• Respect

Children think about ways to be kind and agree on rules that many families and faiths share.

Learning focus and curriculum link

Subject: RE. Key stage: Key Stage 1. It supports the subject at this level through short, focused practice.

This sheet is a practice and play activity. It supports classroom learning and is not a replacement for it.

How to use it

1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for the child. Keep page 2 for the grown-up.
2. A class or family, about 15 minutes. Read each rule aloud and let children say what it looks like in practice before ticking it. Display the finished charter.
3. Work through the activity together the first time. Talk about each choice.
4. Check against the notes on page 2.
5. Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.

If it feels too hard

Act out each rule with toys or puppets so the child can see what it looks like before choosing.

To stretch confident children

Teachers can add kindness rules from the faiths or traditions their class is studying, written in the child's own words.

Make it a game

Kindness spotting: a child who sees someone following a rule says what they saw, and the group claps.

Tips for parents and teachers

• Print on plain A4 paper. Black and white printing works too.
• Work through it together the first time, then let children try alone.
• Praise effort and thinking, not only correct answers.

A screen-free re activity for Year 1

Children spend a lot of time on screens. This is a screen-free re activity that needs only paper and a pencil. It works as quiet time after school, a rainy day activity, a holiday boredom buster or a calm moment before bed. Screen-free learning gives eyes a rest and gets children talking, thinking and writing by hand.

Free re resources for teachers

Teachers can use this chart as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task, a supply teacher resource, a homework task or a table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. The learning focus and skills are listed above so you can match it to your planning, and page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.

RE ideas for parents at home

You do not need to be a teacher to use this. Read the sheet through, sit with your child for the first go and let them lead. Short bursts of ten to fifteen minutes work better than long sessions. If you are looking for free re worksheets for Year 1, or simple home learning for the weekend or school holidays, this is a good place to start.

Home education and tutoring

Home educators and tutors can print this as part of a wider re plan. It pairs well with books, outdoor play and everyday talk. Because the sheet is free and printable, you can use it again for brothers and sisters or for revision a few weeks later.

Why it helps children learn

Hands-on, paper based activities slow learning down in a good way. Children read carefully, think before they answer and see their own progress on the page. Games and challenges add a reason to keep going. That mix of play and practice is why printable activities like this are popular with parents, teachers and home educators.

Why kindness matters

Parents often say they want their children to be happy, to be good and to be well liked. A kindness charter is a small way to work on all three. Children agree some simple rules together, such as sharing, listening and including others, and then notice when they keep them.

A study by Layous and colleagues, published in PLoS ONE in 2012, begins with that thought. The authors write that these goals "may not only be compatible but also reciprocal". The study is worth knowing about, but it is also easy to over-read, so we set out exactly what it did below.

This is a sheet for everyday classroom and home life. It is not a behaviour programme and it does not replace the way your school handles behaviour or bullying.

What the research says about kindness and children

We looked for research on kindness with Year 1 children in the UK. We did not find a study we could open and check, so we have not claimed one. What we did find is one experiment with older children, and some official guidance.

• What the Layous study did. It was a longitudinal experiment in 19 classrooms in Vancouver, Canada, with 415 students aged 9 to 11. Students were asked to perform three acts of kindness per week for 4 weeks. A comparison group visited three places per week instead.
• What it found. Students in both groups improved in well-being. The students who performed kind acts had significantly bigger increases in peer acceptance, which the authors also call sociometric popularity.
• Why the authors cared. They write that increasing peer acceptance "is related to a variety of important academic and social outcomes, including reduced likelihood of being bullied."
• What it did not cover. The children were 9 to 11, not 5 to 6, and they were in Canada, not England. The study did not test a charter or a tick-list. We should not claim that it shows this sheet works for Year 1.
• What the authors suggest. They say teachers can build on the study by introducing intentional prosocial activities into classrooms, and recommend that such activities are performed regularly and purposefully.

The honest summary is that one study of older children found that regular, deliberate acts of kindness were linked to bigger gains in how accepted children felt. It is encouraging for the idea behind a charter. It is not proof about this sheet.

What Year 1 children are expected to learn

England's early years framework, which children leave at the end of Reception, sets goals that a Year 1 child is building on. Under Building Relationships, children at the expected level of development will "Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others" and "Show sensitivity to their own and to others' needs". Under Managing Self, they will "Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly."

The Department for Education's statutory guidance on relationships education sets out content to be covered by the end of primary school, not by Year 1. We quote it to show where the Year 1 foundations are heading. For caring friendships, it says pupils should learn "That healthy friendships are positive and welcoming towards others, and do not make others feel lonely or excluded. Pupils should learn skills for developing caring, kind friendships." It lists characteristics of friendships that include "mutual respect, honesty, trustworthiness, loyalty, kindness, generosity, trust, sharing interests and experiences, and support with problems and difficulties". Under respectful relationships it includes "The conventions of courtesy and manners" and "How to pay attention to the needs and preferences of others".

A Year 1 charter fits at the start of that journey. It turns "kindness" from a big word into a few rules a five-year-old can say, act out and tick.

Why a charter can help

A charter does three things. It names the behaviour, so children know what is meant. It is agreed together, so the rules feel like theirs. And it gives a moment to notice and tick, which turns a rule into something children can see happening.

On the evidence, we can say two careful things. First, the early years framework says that "Through supported interaction with other children, they learn how to make good friendships, co-operate and resolve conflicts peaceably." That supports practising kindness in small, adult-supported moments. Second, the Layous experiment suggests that doing kind things on purpose, regularly, may matter. The study asked children to do three acts a week. This sheet does not require three, and the Year 1 evidence is missing, so please treat that number as the study's design, not a target for your child.

How to get the most out of the Being Kind Charter

1. Read each rule aloud. Ask: "What would that look like?" Let your child answer in their own words.
2. Act it out. Use toys or puppets to show a kind choice and an unkind one. Ask which one felt better.
3. Agree it together. Let children choose which rules matter most. A charter they helped write is easier to keep.
4. Tick it when you see it. Say what happened: "You shared the red pencil without being asked. Tick."
5. Play kindness spotting. Take turns noticing kind acts by other people at home or school.
6. Come back to it. Look at the charter once a week. Ask which rule was easy and which was hard.

Common mistakes, and what to say

• Saying "be kind" without showing how. Five-year-olds need examples. Say: "Kind means asking if she wants a turn."
• Ticking only perfect behaviour. Tick effort too. "You wanted that toy and you waited. That was hard."
• Treating it as a punishment chart. If a rule is broken, talk about what happened and how it can be put right. The relationships guidance says most friendships have ups and downs, and that these can often be worked through so that the friendship is repaired or even strengthened.
• Teaching kindness as always saying yes. The same guidance asks pupils to discuss "the difference between being kind to other people and neglecting your own needs". A kind child can still say no politely.
• Ignoring unkindness that is serious. A charter does not replace the school's way of dealing with bullying. If your child is being hurt or excluded, talk to the school. The guidance says pupils should learn how to get help.

Why teachers matter to us

We are a games company, and we have been making games for families since 1795. We do not think a printable replaces a teacher. The person who sees a child sit alone at playtime, and quietly arranges for someone to join them, is doing something no sheet can do. A 2011 Sutton Trust report found that for poor pupils, the difference between a good teacher and a bad teacher is a whole year's learning. It also found that paper qualifications and experience tell us little about who will be effective: gender, race, teaching experience, undergraduate university, advanced degrees, certification and tenure explain less than 8% of teacher quality.

A study of English pupils from the University of Bristol also found considerable variability in teacher effectiveness. Kindness in a classroom starts with the teacher, who sets the tone every day. We offer this sheet free to help, not to replace.

A caution on the Sutton Trust figures: the report draws on US studies as well as English ones. The figure that paper credentials explain less than 8% of teacher quality comes from US research. We use them as pointers, not as a promise about any one child.

Why education matters to us

School is where many children first learn to live alongside others. Being able to share, wait, include and apologise is part of education as much as reading is. Education widens a child's options, and games have long been one of the friendliest ways to learn how to take turns and treat people well. Jaques of London has made games for families for more than two centuries. The Mini Minds Hub carries that on with free, screen-free sheets for the kitchen table and the classroom.

Being Kind Charter: 20 questions and answers

1. What is a kindness charter?

It is a short list of kind behaviours that a group agrees on. Children tick each one when they do it.

2. Why agree the rules together?

Rules that children help choose are easier for them to remember and own. It also gives you a chance to discuss what each rule means.

3. Does research show that kindness activities work?

One study looked at this. Layous and colleagues found that 9 to 11 year olds in Vancouver who did three acts of kindness a week for 4 weeks gained more in peer acceptance than a comparison group. It was not a UK study and not Year 1, so it is encouraging, not proof for this sheet.

4. What is peer acceptance?

The study's authors also call it sociometric popularity. In plain terms, it is about how accepted a child is by the other children in the class.

5. What does the early years framework say about taking turns?

Children at the expected level at the end of Reception will "Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others".

6. What does it say about rules?

Children will "Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly".

7. What does the relationships guidance say about friendships?

By the end of primary, pupils should know that healthy friendships are positive and welcoming and do not make others feel lonely or excluded. It is guidance for the whole of primary school, so Year 1 is the start.

8. Does the guidance mention manners?

Yes. It lists "The conventions of courtesy and manners" under respectful relationships for the end of primary.

9. How do I explain kindness to a five-year-old?

Use examples. "Kind is when you notice someone is sad and ask if they want to play." Act out a kind and an unkind choice with toys.

10. What if my child will not share?

Wanting your own things is normal. Practise with a small thing, use a timer for turns, and praise the waiting. The early years framework talks about learning to "wait for what they want".

11. What if my child is kind at school but not at home?

That is common and not a sign of a problem. Children often hold things together all day. Use the charter at home gently and do not compare.

12. What is kindness spotting?

It is a game where you notice kind acts by other people and say them out loud. It trains children to look for the good.

13. Should I reward kind acts with treats?

We would suggest a tick and a few words rather than a prize. We did not find research on rewards for kindness in Year 1, so this is practical advice, not a finding.

14. What if a friend is unkind to my child?

Listen first. The relationships guidance says pupils should learn how to recognise when a friendship is making them feel unhappy or uncomfortable, and how to get support. If it continues, talk to the school.

15. Can being kind mean saying no?

Yes. The relationships guidance asks pupils to discuss the difference between being kind to others and neglecting their own needs.

16. Can I use it in a classroom?

Yes. It works for a class charter, a starter or a circle time activity. Children can take it home afterwards.

17. How many rules should we choose?

Fewer is better. Three to five rules that every child can remember beat a long list.

18. How do I handle a child who says another child broke the rules?

Turn it back to their own choices: "What could you do?" Avoid making the charter a way to tell tales. Serious problems still go to an adult.

19. Is this a replacement for how school handles behaviour?

No. It supports the work teachers already do. It is not a behaviour programme and it is not a response to bullying.

20. Where can I find more Year 1 sheets?

See the More like this section below, or browse the Year 1 printables in the Mini Minds Hub.

Sources

1. Layous, Nelson, Oberle, Schonert-Reichl and Lyubomirsky, Kindness Counts: Prompting Prosocial Behavior in Preadolescents Boosts Peer Acceptance and Well-Being, PLoS ONE (2012): pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
2. Department for Education, Early years foundation stage statutory framework for group and school-based providers: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk.
3. Department for Education, Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education, statutory guidance: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk.
4. Sutton Trust, Improving the impact of teachers on pupil achievement in the UK, interim findings (2011): dera.ioe.ac.uk.
5. Slater, Davies and Burgess, University of Bristol CMPO Working Paper 09/212 (2009): bristol.ac.uk.

Frequently asked questions

What age is Being Kind Charter for?

It is written for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1.

What will children practise?

Children think about ways to be kind and agree on rules that many families and faiths share.

How do I use it?

A class or family, about 15 minutes. Read each rule aloud and let children say what it looks like in practice before ticking it. Display the finished charter.

What if it feels too hard?

Act out each rule with toys or puppets so the child can see what it looks like before choosing.

Is it free?

Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use.

Is Being Kind Charter suitable for teachers to use in class?

Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing.

Is this a screen-free activity?

Yes. It is a screen-free printable that needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays.

Can I use it for home education?

Yes. Home educators and tutors can use it on its own or as part of a wider plan. It is free to print again for brothers, sisters or revision.

How long does it take?

Most children finish page 1 in 10 to 20 minutes. The notes on page 2 suggest ways to make it shorter or longer.

Do I need to print in colour?

No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper.

More free printables

More for Key Stage 1 | More re printables | Free printable games | All Mini Minds Hub resources