"It's not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It's our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless." - L.R.Knost
Teaching Children Empathy - Amazing Empathic Babies
"One of the best ways of understanding human nature is to study children. After all, if we want understand who we are, we should find out how we got to be that way. Until recently most philosophers and psychologists thought that babies and young children were profoundly amoral creatures. They also thought that children were irrational and egocentric — unable to think logically or take the perspective of others. Jean Piaget and later Lawrence Kohlberg, the founders of the study of moral development, argued that children did not have truly moral concepts until adolescence. Instead, children simply thought that whatever other people told them to do was right." [read more]
Reading Corner
Title: Stand In My Shoes
By: Bob Sornson Ph.D.
Ages: 3+
"When Emily asks her big sister what the word empathy means, Emily has no idea that knowing the answer will change how she looks at people. But does it really matter to others if Emily notices how they're feeling? Stand in My Shoes shows kids how easy it is to develop empathy toward those around them. Empathy is the ability to notice what other people feel. Empathy leads to the social skills and personal relationships which make our lives rich and beautiful, and it is something we can help our children learn. This book teaches young children the value of noticing how other people feel. We're hoping that many parents read it along with their children." - Publishers
By: Bob Sornson Ph.D.
Ages: 3+
"When Emily asks her big sister what the word empathy means, Emily has no idea that knowing the answer will change how she looks at people. But does it really matter to others if Emily notices how they're feeling? Stand in My Shoes shows kids how easy it is to develop empathy toward those around them. Empathy is the ability to notice what other people feel. Empathy leads to the social skills and personal relationships which make our lives rich and beautiful, and it is something we can help our children learn. This book teaches young children the value of noticing how other people feel. We're hoping that many parents read it along with their children." - Publishers
Recommended by Cubs Editors
Be the Change
Every child inherently is deeply empathetic. As they grow older the different perspectives and world views can sometimes crowd their little minds and hearts. This includes adults as well. The moments of how your own child showed you empathy are priceless and sometimes often stored in a deep down memory. Take this moment to pause and rewind into their lives and yours. Share with each other those moments when 'they' reached out to 'you' or just gave you a tiny shoulder to hug you when you needed it the most. I truly believe that when parents share with their children, kids empathy is tuned much higher and they understand the love that is reached out to them, even while it may seem that they don't get it!
