February SEL Playshop | Kindness & Mixing

Research-backed, interactive Playshop to help students focus on empathy, acts of kindness, and building inclusive, supportive friendships.
About this Event

In this interactive playshop, educators will receive an exclusive preview of the February SEL Calendar theme, "Kindness & Mixing: Celebrating Individuality and Differences." This month’s focus is on cultivating empathy, fostering kindness, and building strong friendships among students. Participants will explore how encouraging students to engage in acts of kindness, celebrate individuality, and embrace diversity within their community can lead to more supportive and inclusive relationships.

This playshop will model four hands-on activities from the February Calendar, formatted as a Morning Meeting/Advisory session. Each activity is grounded in research-backed practices, providing educators with evidence-based strategies to enhance social-emotional learning (SEL) in their classrooms. You’ll discover how these activities promote empathy, celebrate diversity, and strengthen friendships while aligning with proven educational frameworks.

Target Audience: This playshop is designed for school leaders, teachers, school social workers, and counselors who are looking to enhance their SEL practices by fostering empathy, kindness, and inclusivity in their classrooms, while encouraging students to celebrate individuality and differences.

Educator Take-Aways:

A comprehensive understanding of how to help students develop empathy, build friendships, and celebrate individuality and diversity through acts of kindness.
Research-backed strategies for fostering an inclusive and supportive classroom environment where students feel valued for their uniqueness and learn to intentionally show kindness.
Four interactive, SEL-based activities from the Kikori February SEL Calendar, aligned with the Responsive Classrooms framework, that can be immediately implemented in Morning Meeting or Advisory sessions to promote empathy, kindness, and friendship building.
Practical tools to create a classroom culture where students feel empowered to celebrate differences, build meaningful connections, and embrace the diversity within their community.

Presenter Bio: Kendra Bostick, Doctoral Candidate, LCSW, MEPD

As the Co-founder and CEO of Kikori, Kendra is on a mission to democratize access to experiential SEL practices, providing educators with practical, research-based tools to foster inclusive and supportive learning environments. Through Kikori, Kendra helps teachers build emotionally safe classrooms that promote resilience, connection, and social-emotional growth, ensuring these transformative practices are accessible to all.

Kendra Bostick is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of New Hampshire, where she studies the impact of experiential learning on building student connections, community, and belonging. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and holds a Master’s in Education with a focus on experiential programming, combining her expertise in trauma-informed practices and social-emotional learning (SEL) to enhance student engagement and well-being.