By: Ananya Singh*
Empathy is defined as the ability of an individual to understand and share the feelings of another. Human beings are naturally empathetic beings but all qualities are developed over time and thus children may need some help with this.
Here are 8 ways to teach children empathy:
1. STORYTELLING
Children love stories. What better way to inculcate important values in kids than while engaging in activities they love? Here are some books to help your little one understands empathy better:
i) Julian is a mermaid: This story, with great simplicity, explains the concept of gender identity and gender expression. It is a story about being able to authentically be ourselves without any fear of judgment in front of the people who love us.
ii) The Dot : This story helps all of us to begin trying things that we may believe that we are not good at.
iii) And Tango makes three: This is a great story to help children understand about families created via adoption as well as the diversity of families, including LGBTQIA+ couples.
iv) A bottle of Happiness : This story helps children imagine different worlds and how stories and happiness can create value when exchanged with others.
2. DEMONSTRATE EMPATHY
It is rightly said, “Children learn more from what you are than what you teach”. Being kind, understanding, and forgiving towards people around you especially in front of your child will definitely help them instil empathy better.
An important part of this is to teach children to take a pause and reflect on their emotions. This includes helping children to regulate their emotions so that they are able to manage their thoughts and feelings in a better way and are able to see the impacts of their actions on other people.
3. PRACTISING GRATITUDE
Asking your kids what they’re grateful for each day is also a great way to teach them empathy. Thinking about all the things they’re grateful for could help them be more thankful to people for their efforts towards making them happy. This could make them grateful for being surrounded by people that care for them.
4. RESPECTING DIVERSITY
Getting the kids to meet people who are different from them in various ways and getting them to accept, empathize, appreciate and help them could work wonders for their personality development. For example – visiting shelters where they could interact with people who look different from them and connect with them on a personal level just like they would with any other could help them realize that DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES EXIST.
5. HELPING
You could ask children to help as many people as possible and maintain a little diary noting all these experiences. Ask them to note down the little ways in which they made someone’s everyday life a little brighter and better. This could help them start understanding people better along with their likes and dislikes.
6. BEING OPEN ABOUT THE HARSH REALITY
Oftentimes parents choose to let their kids remain in the dark about how important it is to have a roof over their head, food to eat, a school to attend, toys to play with, loving parents who are there to protect and nurture them, and other things they may otherwise take for granted. Letting them know about how these little things are not so little and that being thankful for them is never a bad idea.
7. ENGAGING IN GROUP ACTIVITIES
Encouraging your kids to work with other kids will get them to closely work with other people their age and will make it necessary for them to understand other people, respect other people’s points of view, be considerate of other people’s feelings and get them to respect other people’s principles and decisions.
Another child could want to create scenery including dragons and swords whereas your kid could want to create a rainbow with clouds. The majority of the kids could be in agreement regarding the dragon scenery which helps your kid accept certain disappointing situations without throwing a fit.
8. APPRECIATING EFFORTS
Even as adults we love to be appreciated for making an effort. Make sure to show gratitude towards your kids’ willingness to change and better themselves as this motivates them to work further towards being empathetic and caring individuals.
Conclusion
It is important to understand that empathy is both: a trait and a skill. While some children may be born empaths, others might need their parents, teachers, and caregivers to help nurture empathy through everyday expressions and observations. However, in most cases, it is a combination of the two – the fact that humans are naturally empathetic beings, and that empathy can be cultivated and imbibed by everyday actions of both fellow children and caregivers.
Read: 5 Ways to foster empathy in kids
About Ginny’s Planet:
Ginny’s Planet is a social enterprise Co-founded by Dr. Shweta Verma in 2019. The brand runs on the core value of helping our teachers and parents to teach their children to become independent, smart, and better leaders by equipping them with a deep understanding of empathy, diversity, disability, and inclusion. Dr. Shweta and the team design events, workshops, and products to help guardians & schools to develop kids’ mindsets and evolve as adaptive and flexible human beings. They work with schools to organize workshops for children and teachers. EMAIL: contact@ginnysplanet.com
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*Anaya Singh is a student of a Computer Science engineering student at Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology, IP university (Delhi) . She was engaged as Intern-Empathy & Inclusion from June-July 2022 at Ginny’s Planet. She participated in several sessions on empathy and diversity at Ginny’s Planet and built her understanding on these aspects.
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