Parents' Guide to

Channel Kindness

By Erin Brereton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Young writers' posts convey compassionate messages.

Channel Kindness Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this website.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

age 8+

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Is It Any Good?

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Kids say (1):

This site/blog contains a mix of written pieces, videos, and audio clips, which should help engage kids to make a difference in their community. The different types of content include narrative stories about receiving kindness, a Q&A with a teen about how she views the topic, and commentary from a politician about his initiative to spread respect for others. Overall, the items are well-produced. Some contain statistics that offer research-based support for encouraging kindness, and the site gets kudos for using stories contributed by real teens that kids can relate to. The site is new, so there isn't a ton of content -- there are currently just about 21 posts from March and April 2017. That's likely to become less of an issue, though, as more items are added. Links at the end of posts direct kids to the foundations that are mentioned, which can help them learn more about the organizations.

But the actual posts aren't always overly descriptive about what needs the organizations fulfill. A post about NICU donations, for example, doesn't go into too much detail about what a neonatal intensive care unit is or does, which younger users may not know. To make the site even more of an educational resource, Channel Kindness could incorporate ideas to help kids get involved in their community and/or start committing their own acts of kindness to drive the point home, helping them both develop and share a sense of compassion for others. Additional information about some of the causes mentioned would also give kids a bit more background -- but that type of content, much like the overall amount of posts, may be something that will increase in time.

Website Details

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