Oxford Children’s Word of the Year 2024 is Kindness
We’re excited to share that the Oxford Children’s Word of the Year for 2024 is Kindness. This year, children have chosen a word that reflects their growing understanding of how small acts of kindness can make a big difference in our lives.
A Look at Children’s Language
For over ten years, Oxford University Press has been tracking how children’s language and vocabulary change. Each year, we ask children to pick a word that feels important to them. This year, 61% of children chose kindness, with artificial intelligence and conflict also being popular choices.
Past words have included climate change (2023), queen (2022), and anxiety (2021). These choices show how children’s language is shaped by the world around them.
Why Kindness Matters
Many children connected kindness with mental health, sharing thoughtful ideas like:
- “We should treat everyone with kindness. You never know how much it could help someone.”
- “It’s important to be kind because you don’t know who is struggling.”
Teachers noticed that children are becoming more aware of the challenges people face, even if they’re not always visible. They believe that small, kind actions can have a big impact.
What’s in the Report?
The Oxford Children’s Word of the Year 2024 report explores why children chose kindness as their word of the year. Over 6,000 children aged 6–14 participated in the research, sharing their thoughts on why kindness matters. The report highlights how children connect kindness with mental health and the importance of being kind to others, especially when you don’t know what someone might be going through.
The report also includes insights into how children’s language and awareness of global issues evolve over time. It’s a great resource for understanding how children think about kindness and empathy and how these values shape their interactions with the world.
You can download the full report to dive deeper into the findings and see how kindness is influencing children’s lives today.
Free Kid’s Activity Pack for You
We’ve created an activity pack to help you talk about kindness with your children or students. It’s full of ideas to encourage kindness and thoughtful conversations.
Download for Free the Oxford Children’s 2024 Word of the Year Activity Pack
Let’s Talk About Kindness
Kindness is a simple but powerful idea. It’s something we can all practice every day, and it’s wonderful to see children recognising its importance. We hope these resources help you bring more kindness into your homes and classrooms.
Stay tuned for more updates and resources from Oxford University Press East Africa.
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