How to Train Children's Empathy to Be More Successful and Happy

Train children's empathy oftenoften forgotten, even though it is important to teach this to children from an early age. By teaching children empathy, it is hoped that they will have the ability to place themselves, understand the feelings of others, and control emotions well.

Training children's empathy can be done from the small things they usually do. Everything you teach will affect the child's ability to behave, including in developing a sense of empathy for others.

Not only that, you can also cultivate empathy with your child through certain activities, such as asking him to do housework.

Timeand How to Train Children's Empathy

In general, new children can fully understand the concept of empathy when they are 8-9 years old. But at the age of 5 years, children can express their feelings about how they want to be treated, as well as how they should treat others.

At the age of 5 years, you can already start teaching children to recognize and manage their emotions so that their empathy is formed. Here are some ways to train empathy in children from the age of 5 years:

• Teach children to recognize and manage emotions

  You can practice this by providing a set of stickers with pictures of basic emotional expressions, including sad, angry, or happy faces. Each day, ask your child to choose a sticker that describes his feelings. If possible, persuade him to share the reasons for his sadness, pleasure, or anger. By listening to him tell stories, children become aware of the caring attitude of others to what they feel.

• Positioning the child as someone else

  Training children to empathize can be done by inviting them to position themselves as other people. For example, when a child snatches someone else's toy, ask how he feels when his friend takes his toy.

• Give an example of empathy

  Also, when your little one tells you something, try to be a good listener. This can also be a good example to cultivate empathy in children.

• Teach children decency

  At this age, you can train your child's empathy by teaching the value of politeness. Explain to him the importance of showing concern and respect for others. For example, when a child wants something, teach him to say the word 'please'. Also teach the habit of saying 'thank you' after being given something by someone else.

• Involve children in charity activities

  Involving children in charity activities can be done to train children's empathy and altruism. You can invite children to help pack clothes to donate, or invite children to choose their own toys to give to others in need. Give understanding to children that the help they provide can make other people happy.

• Introduce the role of others in his life

  Describe the work of the people around him, especially those that are often considered unimportant, such as street sweepers or garbage collectors. Explain that if they weren't there, trash would pile up on the streets and pose a risk of disease. From here he will learn to appreciate the presence of others who are often underestimated.

• Give a compliment

  Give praise for good attitudes and actions, even if he didn't do them. Say something like, "Wow, what a nice person that helped Grandma cross the street." This can also be done while watching TV or reading a story at home. You can point to a character who is sad and ask him, "What can he do to not be sad?" So he understands that good deeds are commendable actions.

• Be an example for children

  Parents are role models for children, so it is important to set a good example, including in training children's empathy. When he misbehaves or gets angry, be firm. Remember that assertiveness is different from being rude. Also, admit the mistakes you made. Even though it may seem difficult, apologize to your child immediately when you make a mistake. That way, your child will learn to realize that anyone can make mistakes, but the most important thing is to have the courage to apologize.

Besides some of the ways above, there are other ways such as keeping pets, letting children solve their own problems, or educating children in inclusive schools, can also be done to help foster empathy in children.

Pay attention to the actions of children who are not commendable

Practicing children's empathy is not an easy thing. You are advised to reprimand your child if he does something bad. If necessary, give consequences when he violates certain rules or regulations. Penalties that can be applied include not being allowed to play with their favorite toy for one day. Adapt these consequences to the child's age and the actions he or she takes.

The actions of children that need to be considered by parents include:

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  Reprimand your child if he or she does things that lead to rude or disrespectful behavior, such as spitting on a friend. Also remind him not to imitate other people's disrespectful behavior. Avoid making exceptions for actions that are completely unacceptable, such as hitting, for whatever reason and regardless of location.

• Make fun of or make fun of

  Remind your little one not to greet his friends with unpleasant calls, especially with words that tend to make fun of. Explain that it includes bullying or bullying, which is a despicable trait. Invite him to imagine what if this situation happened to him.

Training children's empathy cannot be done instantly, because it takes time for children to understand and apply it. To be sure, parents must be a good example so that children can know how to behave and behave. If parents find it difficult, don't hesitate to take advantage of child psychology consulting services.