Early childhood and elementary age students participated in the TIKI program. Translated as My Knapsack, the role-playing series encourages the lessons of sharing, consideration, and inclusion. Helping to deliver an anti-bullying message, students report and compare their reactions with those of yeshiva students across the country.

Students develop interpersonal skills by directing the course of interactive exercises. Cause and effect are learned with an emphasis on consideration and social consciousness. Students learn significant skills that help achieve acceptance into their peer groups. Students are taught how to share, delay gratification, compliment one another, how to be assertive, how to control emotions, how to display good sportsmanship, and how to respect one another.

A strength-based model is used by giving students jobs and responsibilities. Children have an inborn need to want to help out so students are involved in helping others. Students are encouraged to develop empathy and think about how another student might feel in a given situation. Students are taught to practice effective conflict resolution skills. This can open a wonderful window into the world of shalom, achdut, and ‘ben adam lechavero‘ lessons.

Kindness is modeled and encouraged in the classroom and throughout the school which has ripple effects in our larger communities in other words kindness is contagious!