Teaching Kids About Empathy
Making empathy a part of your character education program can be truly beneficial, and it’s the next stop in my Character Education Series.
Dr. Michelle Borba’s Unslefie: Why Empathetic Kids Succed in Our All-About Me World skillfully breaks down why empathy is one of the most important characteristics to instill in children. She writes that empathy “…is composed of teachable habits that can be developed, practiced, and lived.”
Unselfie explores the importance of empathy in today’s world. Dr. Borba shares how parents and educators can help children develop this much-needed skill, and she provides research-based exercises you can implement into your school counseling program. It’s a good book to check out if you aren’t sure where to start.
Let’s talk about why it’s important to teach this trait.
Why Empathy is an Important Trait to Teach
Empathy means putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and trying to understand how they feel. It’s important for kids to be able to see things from someone elses point of view, even if they don’t agree with them or feel the same way they do.
When students learn about empathy, they are more equipped to recognize when someone is angry, sad, happy, or scared. Once they learn how to recognize other’s emotions and feelings, they are better able to respond with understanding and kindness. Doing this will help them to build relationships and connect with others.
When children have more empathy, they are also less likely to bully other kids. They will think more about how their actions will affect others. These same children will be more likely to be upstanders when they recognize someone being targeted by a bully.
These children will also become better problem solvers because they will be better able to look at different perspectives in a variety of situations. It will also help them value the opinion of others.
Let’s check out three books you can use to supplement your school counseling lessons about empathy.
Books About Empathy
These three books about Empathy would be excellent additions to your school counseling library.
Stand in my Shoes goes perfectly with the phrase we tell kids many times: “Put yourself in his shoes” or “Imagine if you were in her shoes.” With its relatable storyline, this book by Bob Sornson takes students on a journey to understanding what empathy is really about with its main character Emily. This book is perfect for lower-grade students who are just learning about this important trait. Check out this read-aloud video of Stand in My Shoes.
A Little Spot of Empathy by Diane Alber is a great book for multiple grade levels in my opinion. It explains things enough for younger grades, but it also can spark good discussions with upper elementary grades. Check out this read-aloud video of A Little Spot of Empathy.
I Am Human by Susan Verde is a quick read and perfect for sparking good conversations with your students. Although her books are listed for lower grades, I tend to lean more toward 3rd. As are the other books in her “I Am” series, this one is beautifully written and describes the many possibilities we have as humans as we learn and grow as well as recognizing that we aren’t perfect and can learn from our mistakes. Check out this read-aloud video of I Am Human.
Teaching empathy to young kids is important because it helps them to recognize others’ feelings, to be less likely to bully others, and to become better problem solvers. You can help your students learn empathy by giving them opportunities to practice and by modeling how to be empathetic. Starting this journey during the elementary years will have a huge impact on who your students will be as you send them off to middle school.
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2 Comments
Nicole Scott
Although I totally agree that we need to teach about empathy we need to acknowledge that humans are terrible about understanding someone else’s perspective. Geoffrey L. Cohen talks about this in his book Belonging (which I highly recommend). We need to include that the best way to have empathy is to ask questions to get their perspective on things.
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Nicole! I’ll have to check out Belonging.