Cultivate Empathy In Kids

Empathy is a critical soft skill (executive function), it is the ability to understand or feel

what another person is feeling. Experiencing emotional empathy is the skill of seeing and feeling another person's emotional states or perspectives.

Children’s service projects and volunteering benefit children's social-emotional intelligence! Through volunteering youth learn to 

1. cultivate empathy
2. respect others
3. be helpful and kind
4. understand people who are different from themselves
5. develop leadership skills
6. become more patient
7. gain a better understanding of good citizenship

Cultivating Empathy In Kids Articles & Resources

[PDF]How Parents Can Cultivate Empathy in Children - Making Caring ...
How can parents' ? The following are five ... empathize with our children they develop trusting, secure attachments with us. Those attachments.

[PDF]an empathy toolkit - Be Fearless Be Kind - Hasbro
educators, parents and students working to make empathy as essential as reading ... in their curricula and culture by distinctively cultivating empathy, leadership, ...

[PDF]Helping Your Child Become a Responsible Citizen (PDF)
As parents, we all want our children to grow up to be responsible citizens and ...... others, and it allows us to empathize with them or to feel their suffering.

[PDF]A Discussion Guide for Raising Empathetic Kids and Building Caring ...
And once students grow up, a lack of empathy hampers their ability to collaborate, innovate, and problem-solve—all must-have skills for the global economy.

[PDF]Empathy - KidsHealth in the Classroom
To develop empathy, students can be encouraged to become aware of others' .... KidsHealth.org/classroom/3to5/personal/growing/empathy_handout1.pdf.

[PDF]Raising Caring, Respectful, Ethical Children - Greater Good Science ...
Research in human development clearly shows that the seeds of empathy, caring, and ... We should work to cultivate children's concern for others because it's ...

[PDF]Developing Empathy in Children and Youth - Education Northwest
This is something that education ought to cultivate and that citizens ..... students, the tutors must develop an empathic understanding of the tutees, show a certain ...

[PDF]A Toolkit for Promoting Empathy in Schools - Start Empathy
take to create a classroom where kids' social and emotional needs are met and how to cultivate the kinds of skills that are critical for success in today's (and.

Community Service Resources for Kids

https://www.nationalservice.gov

Volunteering at an early age can create positive life behaviors. Children who volunteer are three times more likely to volunteer as adults. Steady volunteering, even at a minimum of one hour a week, reduces negative behaviors. For example, youth who volunteer are 50% less like likely to abuse drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or engage in destructive behavior. It’s never too early to start to volunteer! Children have many opportunities to help their communities.

The projects below are all age appropriate under the supervision of an adult.

Pre-K to Second Grades

Make cards for nursing home residents

Contact a local hospital or nursing home to see if they would welcome having children make cards for residents. These cards can be holiday specific or just a lovely way to say hello and let that person know that s/he is being thought of.

Adopt an elderly neighbor or nursing home

They can bring cards, or small treats like handmade ornaments or cookies. It would also be a treat to have the children visit and sing or do other performances for nursing home residents.

Have a book drive

Ask children to bring books from home that they are no longer reading, or would like to give to a child in need. These books can be brought to local hospitals or shelters.

Help bake and decorate cookies

Cookies can be sold as a fundraiser or donated to an organization of the children’s choosing. This is a great opportunity to teach children about those in need in their community.

Color lunch bags

Bags can be used to package snacks, treats, or lunches that can be collected for needy children. Inquire at high schools or community service centers to see if they have a program in place that would be able to benefit from the donated bags.

Third – Fifth Grades

Make fleece blankets for children in the hospital

Blankets are easy to make and involve no sewing. The blankets can be donated to a children’s wing of a hospital or a daycare center. (http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-a-Blanket)

Collect and sort school supplies to benefit a local shelter or library

Keep a box in your classroom for the designated items; then create school kits that can be donated to needy students. Get the word out to parents, faculty, administrators and the community at large about the collection.

Rake leaves or shovel snow for elderly or disabled neighbors

Removing leaves or snow can be done as an after school program or weekend event. In warmer climates, students could plant flowers to beautify neighbors’ yards and the community. See if a local home store or nursery will donate the plants.

Create a game day at a local home for adults with disabilities

Call local group homes to see if they would appreciate a day of games and snacks for their residents. Have children bring in their favorite games to share.

Sixth to Eighth Grades

Walk or Groom animals at a local shelter

Contact your local animal shelter and ask them if they have volunteer opportunities. If they don’t have room for volunteers, children can collect food for the animals or raise money for the shelter.

Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter

Most soup kitchens are adept at having roles for all ages of volunteers. Volunteers can be used to serve food, make placemats for the tables, and read stories to younger children.

Participate in charity walks or runs

Involve your class in participating in a previously scheduled run or walk or create an event in which the school can participate.

Create a community health fair

Help students learn more about healthy eating, exercise and other factors that contribute to good health. Have students serve as teachers and facilitators of community discussions of health living practices.

Sponsor an Art Show

Have students create art projects with Dr. Martin Luther King’s teachings as a theme. Have a student panel to award prizes for various age groups or project types. A bake sale could also be included in this project to benefit a local charity. Close the event with students reading one of Dr. King’s speeches.

Additional Resources:

Do Something (www.dosomething.org) Provides the tools and resources for you to convert your ideas and energy into positive action.

Generation On (www.generationon.org) Inspires, equips, and mobilizes youth to take action that changes the world and themselves through service.  Learn more about their programs and resources!

Youth Service America (www.ysa.org) Manages, among other programs, Global Youth Service Day and the Semester of Service. Click the links below to view the toolkit and guide respectively for these initiatives.