Everyone can develop empathy, but it needs to be taught. Parents can model kindness with their own little everyday acts. Help plant the seeds of empathy by:
- Asking the other children to notice when one of their peers is sad or hurt, and imagine why they’re feeling that way. What might they do to make that person feel better? Praise all efforts at empathy.
- Inviting children to stand in someone else’s shoes. Literally! Switch shoes and imagine what the person whose shoes they’re wearing would say and do. (No meanness allowed!)
- Playing a “compliments” game: Pick one person as the “star of the day.” Others can come up with one nice thing to say about that person. The next day, choose a new star until everyone has had a chance.