Bully-Proof your Preschooler - Part 2: EMPATHY
In our last article, Bully-­‐Proof Your Preschooler, we featured tips and signs for helping young children deal with aggressors. Today we'll take a look at empathy and its role in prevention. Why empathy matters Empathy is the ability to understand and identify with another person's feelings. It includes regulating one's own emotions and is central to success in social relationships. Children who are empathic are less likely to use aggression. Empathy has to be taught Although there is evidence that the human brain may be pre-­‐wired for empathy, just ask a group of toddlers to share a toy and you'll see plenty of evidence that empathy doesn't come naturally! It has to be taught. That's why you play a crucial role in the development of empathy skills -­‐ starting in infancy. Where to start The first step in teaching empathy is to help your child learn to recognize and label emotions. "The feelings that adults label for infants and toddlers on a regular basis are the foundation for emotional vocabulary," says Emily Adams, a training specialist for the Early Head Start National Resource Center. With sign language, you can help your child begin to identify and label feelings even before your child begins talking. The Signing Time video "Family, Feelings and Fun" teaches signs and songs for feelings that appeal to children of all ages. You can also see demonstrations of signs for feelings in the Signing Time Video Dictionary. Online resources
For parents, Dr. Gwen Dewar, creator of parentingscience.com, has several fascinating research-based articles
on empathy:
•
•
•
•
Empathy and the brain
Teaching empathy: Evidence-based tips
Social skills activities for children and teenagers
Empathy in children and teens: A guide for the science-minded
For teachers, the NAEYC publication The Visible Empathy
of Infants and Toddlers summarizes a research study on
empathy in a child care setting. It includes examples of how
non-verbal communication (signs) enhanced children's selfcontrol in peer interactions.
Also, an evidence-based classroom program for teaching
empathy is available through Roots of Empathy.