Children need to be aware of others and how they feel. Sometimes it is hard because young children tend to be very ego-centric. One way to help build empathy is to have some activity with a purpose that involves the child and another person(s).
Here are some ideas:
• Have the child make a card for a sick friend and deliver it if possible
• Help out an elderly friend or neighbor with a task that is appropriate for the child (rake leaves, plant flowers, make cookies and deliver, walk their dog, etc)
• There are many disasters and unfortunate incidents in this world the child may see on the news, some that affect children your child’s age. Talk about it (low key and appropriate for your child’s age). There is always a need for monetary donations to a relief agency. Perhaps your child might donate all or part of his or her allowance, or do some kind of fund raising activity to send to the Red Cross or another agency to help.
• When you see your child doing something helpful or considerate for someone else, let your child know it was a good thing to do (being specific about what you saw him or her do) . . . “I noticed that you helped Larry when he fell down.”
Afterwards it is important to reflect a bit on how helping someone else made the child “feel” inside. Use words appropriate for the child’s level of understanding: (good, proud, happy, satisfied . . .) It is not a bad idea to have the child keep a journal to write down some of his or her thoughts about how it feels when he or she helps others. In the case of very young children a “journal” may be drawings with an adult acting as a “scribe” to interpret what the child says about his or her journal drawing.
By helping your child build empathy with others, you are helping him or her become a caring individual who will grow into a compassionate adult. Adult nurturing to help a child become more empathetic will pay dividends for the future.
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