Kindness is Oxford Children’s Word of the Year for 2024 according to Oxford University Press (OUP). 61% of children chose kindness, followed by a quarter opting for artificial intelligence and a small proportion (7%) selecting conflict.

Awareness of mental health & the impact of current affairs

The research, which surveyed opinions from over 6,000 children aged 6-14 years across the UK, revealed mental health to be a reason for some children selecting kindness, with teachers also citing a growing awareness among young people of the wider impact of kindness on mental wellbeing. Numerous references to global violence and current conflicts further emphasised how attuned children are to current affairs; with words such as ‘need’ and ‘should’ frequently used in their responses.

A quarter of children choose artificial intelligence expressing cautious optimism

The research also demonstrated children’s enthusiasm in embracing AI, with artificial intelligence voted runner-up for Oxford Children’s Word of the Year by 25%. Whilst children expressed concerns around fake online content and superintelligence, of those who selected artificial intelligence, 53% gave positive responses, such as ‘excited’ and ‘optimistic’.

A study of the of the Oxford Children’s Corpus, the world’s largest database of writing by and for children in English language containing over half a billion words, reveals AI is a keen topic of interest for children who express varying viewpoints on the subject. Analysis, which includes looking at the stories submitted for the BBC 500 WORDS 2024 story competition, shows the phrase ‘take over the world’ is commonly used in relation to AI, whilst there are also themes around AI machines being empathetic to humans.

Top slang word slay used by children to support and encourage peers

Children were also asked to choose their favourite slang word, with more than one in four (28%) opting for slay, citing it as a term of approval and expression of support. Whilst slay has appeared on the colloquial shortlist for the past two years, 2024 saw a rise specifically in younger children voting for the word, with a 16 percentage point increase from 2023 among six-eight-year-olds. The terms sigma and skibidi were voted as second and third choices respectively (16% and 15%) highlighting the influential role social media plays on children’s language.

Andrea Quincey, Director Early Years and Primary Publishing, Oxford University Press, said, “It is so encouraging that kindness has been voted—by a considerable majority—as the Oxford Children’s Word of the Year for 2024. We know from previous years that young people are very conscious of the big issues that can divide us as a society and attuned to the important role which language can play in bringing people together. This choice suggests something more personal: an awareness of mental health issues and of the hidden challenges others may be facing. It tells us that empathy, and tolerance and the language we use matter, and that kindness is not only a solution to so many problems but is something everyone and anyone can do to make a difference.”

Here's what the children had to say about the winning word Kindness, "It’s always important to be kind as a lot of people struggle with their mental health."

"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about. We should treat everyone with kindness. You never truly know how much it could help someone."


"Because it’s important to be kind as you don’t know who is suffering."

For more than a decade, experts and academic researchers at OUP have been tracking Children’s Word of the Year, analysing the evolution of children’s language and how it is used to reflect their emotions and experiences. In response to the latest findings, the Children’s Language department at OUP have published the Oxford Children's Word of the Year 2024 report, which can be viewed in full here.

Previous Oxford Children’s Word of the Year

The Children’s Word of the Year has reflected the influence and impact of media news stories and important topics of conversation in the grown-up world on young minds and imaginations:
2023 Climate Change
2022 Queen
2021 Anxiety
2020 Coronavirus
2019 Brexit
2018 Plastic
2017 Trump
2016 Refugee
2015 #hashtag
2014 Minion

OUP has put together a ‘kindness toolkit’ for parents here, including recommended reads to develop empathy and kindness, and tips for parents on how to foster kindness at home.

To explore more children's books that celebrate kindness, check out our collection Be Kind With This Selection of Children's Books About Kindness

 @TeamKindnessUK

#SpreadTheKindness