For Schools
Kindness is a skill. Skills can be taught.
Students learn what a compliment is, the three types, how to give one that is sincere, and how to receive one. Then they practice with each other, every day. From one third-grade classroom to every school in the state.
Watch · 30 seconds
What it looks like in a school.
Press play. It talks to you, with captions on screen.
Free and ready today
Everything here is free, and it works now.
Swipe
The 3 lessons
I Notice You, I Appreciate You and What an Accomplishment, with pictures from Dawn’s book and a practice question each.
Open the lessons →The 10-question kids’ quiz
Every answer explains why. Stars at the end.
Try the quiz →The Real Compliment Test
For staff and older students: 14 real moments and an honest score.
Take the test →A wall for your school
A safe, moderated wall where students and staff compliment each other by name.
How walls work →The picture book
Dawn Compliments the World, for read-aloud. Coming in paperback and ebook.
Register for a copy →Compliment ideas
Fill-in-the-blank starters for teachers, kids, parents and more.
See the ideas →A simple way to start
One week, five short moments.
About ten minutes a day. Use it at morning meeting, or whenever the class needs a reset.
- Monday
I Notice You
Do lesson 1 together. Each student notices one good thing a classmate did.
- Tuesday
I Appreciate You
Do lesson 2. Students thank someone at school and say why it mattered.
- Wednesday
What an Accomplishment
Do lesson 3. Cheer for something a classmate worked hard on.
- Thursday
The quiz
Take the 10-question quiz as a class and talk about the answers.
- Friday
The compliment circle
Everyone gives one true, specific compliment to the person beside them, and receives one with a smile and a thank-you.
Grow it
From one classroom to every school in the state.
- Free
One classroom pilot
A principal can say yes to one classroom without calling a meeting. Third grade is a great place to start.
- $600 · Title I $450
The whole school
Teacher training on a PD day. Every teacher leaves able to run the ten minutes a day.
- Planned with you
The district
Every school, trained once, running it themselves every year after.
- Planned with you
Statewide
Every school in the state, with a school wall each and a shared Compliments for Change Day.
Why it matters
Praise the effort, and kids keep going.
In a well-known study, children praised for their effort chose harder puzzles and kept trying longer than children praised for being smart. Teaching kids to notice effort in each other builds the same habit.
Mueller and Dweck, 1998, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. More on the research page.
Safe by design
- Moderated wallsA word filter on every post, and anything can be reported.
- Nothing stays up unless its owner wants itStudents can take down anything on their own wall.
- Parents say yes for children under 13The daily compliment for kids only goes to a parent.
- The workbook goes homeSo families learn the same words, and the habit follows the child.
The school program is new. We run free pilots so schools can see it working before they spend a dollar, and we will share real before-and-after numbers as pilots finish.
The book
Dawn Compliments the World
A story about kindness, courage and the magic of making people feel special. By Dawn Weir. For read-aloud in class and at home.
“A real compliment is true and kind. If it makes someone feel small, embarrassed, or hurt, it isn’t a compliment. It’s a joke wearing a costume.”
Start a free pilot
Tell us about your class or school.
Dawn will get back to you about a free pilot, staff training, an assembly or a wall for your school.
