4 Tips to Helping Your Kids Develop Empathy

Empathy is probably the most important value that we can teach to our kids. It nurtures other values and is central to overall character development of your child. Empathy has also been tagged as the most important characteristic for your kids to become good effective leaders and to be successful in life.

When it comes to young children, one thing they do not understand very well is the concept of other people’s feelings. It’s not that your kids are selfish or unkind; it’s actually a natural tendency for young children to be a little egotistical. Now, don’t take that in a bad way. It simply means young children really think they are the center of the universe, only because their world is still very small. Therefore, empathy has to be nurtured and taught.

Different Points of View

Think about it. A young child still has so many things to experience, and as they encounter new people, new things, and new places, they learn more about life. What’s essential for you as a parent is to ensure that as your children interact with others and come across different situations, you use these moments to make your kids aware of other people’s perspectives. When you help your children see situations from various points of view, it starts to open up their eyes that how they see things is not the only way it has to be.

Read Books

You can help teach your children about empathy through reading books and discussing the characters’ feelings. Ask your children questions about why the characters do what they do. Ask your children how they think the character feels and why. Let your children put themselves in the characters’ shoes; this is another excellent way to teach your kids about different perspectives.

Model Empathy

Taking the time to talk about things you observe when you’re out and about and doing small acts of kindness for others is also a great way to model empathy for your children. When you see a young mother struggling to load grocery bags into her car while her baby screams and cries, you might offer a helping hand — let your child know it’s because you understand how that person is feeling. Roleplay and act out stories with your child to give her a chance to practice empathy.

Talk About Feelings

When your child is upset about something, don’t dismiss it with a quick, “You’re fine,” or “It will be okay.” Instead, take a moment to ask your child why she is so upset. Let her know you understand that she is very upset, and discuss the problem with her. These are the moments that make an impression on your child, and these are the moments that start to develop your child’s sense of empathy. Building empathy also helps your child recognize and handle her own emotions.

Of course, this takes time. And since all children are different and mature at different rates, some children will grasp the idea of empathy sooner than others. The most important thing is that the lessons are there.

Key Takeaways

• Some children might be more empathetic than others, but empathy can be taught and developed.
• Help your child see things from different perspectives.
• Read books about feelings to your child, and discuss things from the character’s point of view.
• Let your child know you understand how she feels. Building empathy will help your child recognize and handle her own emotions.

For more help with teaching your children about empathy, you can find some excellent resources and videos at ThinkJr Creations. Children can develop essential life skills and character-building qualities through a variety of engaging stories and songs.