When was the last time you saw someone show kindness to a child? These days, most people are operating on a hustle mentality. We’re operating in a mad world where very few recognize the value of kindness. Kids can be cruel, and we adults can be just as cold and uncaring towards them. If you have children, you know how important it is to teach them early on about empathy and compassion for others. Kids learn by example. Even if they don’t realize it, their subconscious does. That’s why it’s so important that we as parents model kind behavior for our kids every chance we get. When you raise kind children, other people will naturally gravitate toward you rather than away from you. In this blog post, we will talk about some key strategies to teach children empathy.

Teach By Example:
Parents don’t have a manual in which they can look and learn how to raise kind kids. You have to learn it as you go along. But there are certain teaching activities that are easy to teach and become second nature to you and your child. Children pick up on everything, and they’re even more observant than us. And because they are so open and honest about what they see, they will pick up on the way that you are operating and choose to imitate you in many ways. Be a good person overall, and don’t be tempted to “be bad” to teach your kids how to be good. If you practice kindness and empathy yourself, you won’t need many key strategies to teach children empathy.

Be A Role Model:
Kids are often impressionable, and they want to see the good stuff in life. Kids want to know that they can be somebody better than who they are right now. They want to know that they can help people and make the world a better place. Role modeling for your kids can be done in many ways. Start by taking care of yourself, and making healthy choices. Make sure that you’re taking time to relax, reflect and recharge. Get into a routine of taking care of yourself because when you do, your kids will notice. Kids want to see their parents be kind to themselves as well as others.

Find Meaning In Everyday Activities:
Kids like to find purpose in their activities because they want to know that they are adding value to their daily lives. They want to know that they are helping others. They want to know that they are making a difference. Help your kids find meaning in everyday activities by asking them what they are doing and why they’re doing it. Let your kids know that you want to know why they are doing things. Encourage small acts of kindness within your own household to inculcate empathy through teaching activities in their day-to-day routines.

Help Children Develop A Sense Of Humor:
Kids can often take a joke way too seriously, because they want to take life seriously too. Help your kids develop a sense of humor by letting them know when something is just a joke. Let them know when something is supposed to be a joke and what happens if they take it too far. Teach them how apologizing is also a way of being kind and showing empathy.

Teach By Words And Conversation:
Kids like to exchange compliments, and this is something that you can help your kids with. Another empathy teaching activity is helping your kids to understand what it means to be nice to each other. Help your kids to understand that when they compliment each other, they are helping to build each other up. Help your kids to see the importance of being honest with each other. Kids like to be honest with each other. When they are being honest, they are helping their peers to understand the things that they do. Let your kids know that honesty is a very important value.

Use Touch To Show Kindness:
Kids can often tell when you’re being kind and when you’re not. When they touch you, they know that you are loving them. When you touch them or give them a hug, they know that you’re showing them kindness. This is a good teaching activity to help your kids feel better when they need it most and not to be afraid of their emotions. When they start understanding their emotions from a young age, it’s easy for them to be empaths when they grow up. 

Conclusion:
Kids are often impressionable and can often be seen looking up to their parents for guidance and leadership. It’s important that you model for your kids what being a kind and empathetic person looks like. There are no fixed key strategies to teach children empathy, but by practicing what you preach and letting kids explore their own emotions, you can surely teach them kindness at a young age.