James Harden gave a group of NYC kids a day they'll never forget Monday ... showing up to a Harlem playground to help them paint -- and provide them words of encouragement.
Harden teamed up with Publicolor -- a not-for-profit youth development org. for at-risk and low-income NYC students -- for the gesture ... and pics from the event show it was all awesome.
The Beard helped paint walls -- using all of his 6-foot-5 frame to splash on swaths of yellow and blue -- and he also posed for a ton of pics with the kids as well.