Books for Kids that Foster Empathy and Generosity
Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is a crucial skill that children can learn from a young age. Here are some ways children can show empathy and nurture emotional intelligence, as well as some highly-recommended picture books that promote empathy and emotional understanding.
Expressing care through creative gestures, such as making a card or drawing for someone who's sick or feeling down, is a simple yet effective way for kids to show empathy. Standing up for a friend who's being mistreated is another example, demonstrating support and kindness.
Letting someone else go first, even if they really want to go, shows patience and empathy. Providing comfort through physical gestures, like giving a hug or sitting quietly beside a sad sibling or friend, can provide much-needed solace. Observing and responding to a friend's distress, such as noticing when a friend is upset and asking, "Are you okay?", is an essential part of empathy.
Sharing resources with a classmate who needs help, like sharing a toy or snack with a classmate who forgot theirs, is a lesson about empathy for kids. Acknowledging unintentional harm and apologizing is also a way kids can learn about empathy. Talking about feelings, asking questions like "How do you think they felt?" or "What would you have done?", can continue the conversation about empathy.
Several empathy-themed books are available in major library systems across Canada and the United States, including the Toronto Public Library and the New York Public Library. Books like "The Big Umbrella" by Amy June Bates & Juniper Bates, which uses the metaphor of an umbrella that grows to shelter everyone to teach inclusion and compassion, are seeds planted in young hearts. "I Am Human" by Susan Verde & Peter H. Reynolds explores feelings, mistakes, kindness, and connection to embrace being human with empathy.
Other recommended books include "In My Heart: A Book of Feelings" by Jo Witek, "Little Rhino Lost" by Candy Gourlay and Jamie Bauza, "The Boy, the Troll and the Chalk" by Anne Booth and David Litchfield, "Our Tree" by Jessica Meserve, "Room on the Broom" by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, "Guess How Much I Love You" by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram, "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister, and "We're Different, We're the Same" by Sesame Street characters. These books use engaging stories and illustrations to help children see the world through others' perspectives and foster compassion, kindness, and emotional awareness from an early age.
Listening attentively when someone is talking also shows respect and empathy. By doing so, children can learn to appreciate others' feelings and thoughts, further nurturing their emotional intelligence. These actions, combined with the right books, can help children grow into empathetic individuals who understand and care for others.
- Creatively expressing care for someone, like making a card or drawing for a sick or sad individual, is a straightforward method for kids to demonstrate empathy.
- Demonstrating support and kindness by standing up for a mistreated friend is another way kids can exhibit empathy.
- Showing patience when allowing someone else to go first demonstrates empathy as well as patience.
- Providing comfort through physical gestures, such as giving a hug or sitting quietly with a sad family member or friend, offers much-needed solace.
- Responding to a friend's distress by noticing their distress and asking if they're okay demonstrates empathy and empathetic listening.
- Sharing resources with a classmate who needs help, like offering a toy or snack, is a lesson about empathy that kids can learn.
- Acknowledging unintentional harm and apologizing, discussing feelings, and asking questions like "How do you think they felt?" can help children learn even more about empathy and emotional awareness.
- Books such as "The Big Umbrella" and "I Am Human" promote empathy, inclusion, and compassion among children.
- Listening attentively to someone when they speak shows respect and empathy, helping children to appreciate others' feelings and thoughts, nurturing their emotional intelligence further.
- By combining these actions with reading the right books, children can grow into empathetic individuals who understand and care for others.
