Teaching empathy to kids sounds theoretical and complex until you realize that empathy is nothing more than a fancy word for the ability to care about others. Raising kids who are able to notice, articulate, and respond compassionately to those around them means raising kids who are able and ready to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world.<\/p>\n
Sounds good, but how? As we\u2019ve consulted with experts across the country, we\u2019ve realized the endeavor isn\u2019t nearly as overwhelming as it seems. Chances are good that many of these are things you\u2019ve already worked into your daily lives. Read on for some helpful, and practical, tips.<\/p>\n
Model, Model, Model<\/strong><\/p>\n As the old adage goes, your kids are watching. Whether it\u2019s being rude to the waiter who misunderstands an order or rolling your eyes at your partner, your kids notice how you interact with the world around you and mirror the behavior. Let\u2019s revisit the disorganized waiter example. Instead of showing frustration, ask your kids \u201cI wonder how he felt when he delivered the wrong meal? How would you feel?\u201d And then listen.<\/p>\n Validate Feelings\u2026 Even Unpleasant Ones<\/strong><\/p>\n Kids are walking feeling machines. Every feeling is a big one. It\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of dismissing \u201cirrational\u201d feelings and pushing your kids to \u201cget over it and get going.\u201d But, as time consuming as it can be, validating your kids emotions does more than make them feel better. It models a truly empathetic response to the emotions of others and gives kids a blueprint for responding to the feelings of their peers as they develop.<\/p>\n Catch Your Kids Being Kind<\/strong><\/p>\n Reinforced behavior sticks around. It\u2019s a parenting fact as old as time. Rather than embarking on one lengthy conversation about feelings and kindness after another, catch your kids being kind to their siblings, friends, and relatives. If you see your son lift his brother up to get something off a shelf or you witness your daughter offer a friend a hug, praise them for their kindness. Chances are high that your positive reinforcement will have a much longer lasting impact than even the best conversation can.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As always, we welcome tips from you! Feel free to visit our Facebook page and let us know how you\u2019re teaching empathy to your little ones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Teaching empathy to kids sounds theoretical and complex until you realize that empathy is nothing more than a fancy word for the ability to care about others. Raising kids who are able to notice, articulate, and respond compassionately to those around them means raising kids who are able and ready to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world. Sounds good, but how? As we\u2019ve consulted with experts across the country, we\u2019ve realized the endeavor isn\u2019t nearly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":464,"featured_media":3262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[17,18,104],"tags":[132,134,133],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/professortoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/empathy-bears-.jpg?fit=900%2C605&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbUtEq-QB","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3261"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/464"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3261"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3263,"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3261\/revisions\/3263"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professortoto.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}