Teaching Children Empathy, the Social Emotion (with CD)

Teaching Children Empathy, the Social Emotion (with CD)

By Tonia Caselman

Helping children develop greater empathy-related awareness and skills can help prevent negative social behaviours such as bullying, meanness and alienation. Empathy is a fundamental social emotion because it brings a sense of emotional connection to others. It is this awareness that is not only basic to all healthy relationships; it is the root of prosocial behaviour, altruism, kindness and peace. Empathy has cognitive, affective and behavioural components that can be learned and improved upon by children.

The lessons and activities in this book are designed to:

• Teach students the value of empathy.
• Assist students in recognising their own and others' feelings.
• Help students put themselves in someone else's shoes.
• Instruct students how to exhibit understanding and acceptance.

Each topic-related lesson includes five inviting worksheets that can be reproduced and used repeatedly with primary school-aged students.

Topics include:

• What is Empathy?
• Knowing Your Own Feelings
• Learning to Read Other's Feelings
• Listening
• Feeling Others' Feelings
• Temporarily Putting Your Own Feelings Aside
• Making Supportive Statements
• Doing Supportive Things
• Making / Keeping Friends
• Conflict Resolution
• Accepting Diversity
• Developing Self-Respect

The reproducibles in this book are now available on a CD-ROM.

Age Suitability: 5-12

ISBN-10: 1598500147
ISBN-13: 978-1598500141