At The Nest Schools, we believe kindness is more than just a nice thing to do—it’s a powerful force for emotional growth, cognitive development, and lifelong learning. While kindness often gets praised for its social benefits, research shows it also plays a vital role in early childhood education, supporting healthy brain development in children and helping young learners build strong emotional and social foundations.
Let’s take a closer look at the science behind kindness—and how teaching it in the preschool years can help shape confident, capable, and compassionate children.
How Kindness Shapes Brain Development in Young Children
When your child offers a helping hand, comforts a friend, or shares a toy, their brain lights up in powerful ways. Studies show that acts of kindness activate the brain’s reward system, releasing feel-good chemicals like:
Kindness isn’t just good for others—it builds critical life skills for your child. Practicing kind behavior helps children develop emotional intelligence, or the ability to recognize and respond to their own feelings and those of others.
Research shows that children who regularly engage in prosocial behavior (like helping, sharing, or comforting others) tend to experience:
- Lower levels of cortisol, the primary stress hormone
- Higher levels of empathy and resilience
- Stronger peer relationships and classroom success
This type of social-emotional learning in preschool helps children become more confident, emotionally aware, and ready to thrive in group settings.
Kindness also supports the growth of key mental skills, like executive function and perspective-taking—both crucial parts of a child’s learning journey. Through kind interactions and group play, children enhance their:
- Perspective-taking: Learning to understand another person’s point of view
- Impulse control and planning: Important executive function skills
- Language development: Putting thoughts and emotions into words
- Working memory: Remembering information during social situations
By embedding kindness into our daily routines and classroom culture, we help children grow not just smarter—but more thoughtful and self-aware.
- Oxytocin: Known as the “love hormone,” it fosters bonding and trust while reducing stress—benefiting both heart and brain health.
- Serotonin: This mood-stabilizing chemical helps kids feel calm and emotionally balanced.
- Dopamine: The brain’s “motivation molecule” that creates a sense of reward and encourages repeat positive behaviors.
How We Nurture Kindness at The Nest Schools
Kindness is at the heart of everything we do. Across all ages, our teachers model and guide kind behavior in ways that match each developmental stage:
This play-based learning approach supports both emotional and intellectual growth.
- Infants: Teachers use gentle touch, soothing tones, and responsive care to build trust and empathy.
- Toddlers: Through play and daily routines, we teach sharing, turn-taking, and basic expressions of gratitude.
- Preschoolers: Role play, storytelling, and group projects help children explore emotions and practice empathy.
- Pre-K and School Age: Children build on those skills by resolving conflict with words, expressing appreciation, and initiating kind acts on their own.
Parenting Preschoolers: Try a Family “Kindness Calendar”
Looking for a fun way to reinforce kindness at home? Create a Family Kindness Calendar and choose one small act of kindness to complete each day:
- Write a thank-you note
- Help a sibling clean up
- Share a favorite toy or book
- Give a compliment
- Hold the door for someone
Reflect with your child on how it felt to be kind and how it might have made someone else feel. This builds empathy, self-awareness, and emotional vocabulary—important skills for preschoolers and beyond.
👉 Want a more detailed break down of this activity? Check out our Kindness Calendar Family Activity Blog Post Here.
Kindness Is Smart: The Neuroscience Behind Raising Good Humans
At The Nest Schools, we’re committed to helping children become not only confident learners, but kind, emotionally intelligent humans. Science backs what parents and educators have always known: teaching kindness to children supports better behavior, stronger relationships, and more joyful learning.
Because being kind isn’t just nice—it’s neurologically smart.
Bonus Resources
Want to learn more about how early childhood education shapes a child’s emotional growth? Check out these expert resources to explore the science behind kindness in the early years:
- Children’s Learning and Development Benefits from High-Quality Early Care and Education: A Summary of the Evidence
- The role of play in children’s development: a review of the evidence
- Children’s Engagement within the Preschool Classroom and Their Development of Self-Regulation
- The impact of social pretend play on preschoolers’ social development: Results of an experimental study