Teaching Our Kids to be Kind: The Best Way to Prevent Bullying and Social Cruelty
Showing empathy is a lot more than just being able to see another person’s point of view! Con artists and even child molesters can use this kind of tactic to convince their victims to trust them. True empathy means that we value, respect, and do our best to understand where another person is coming from, even when we don’t feel the same way! Empathy involves both kindness and seeing another person’s point of view. This is why empathy is so important to teach children – it prevents not only bullying but all sorts of cruel and unfair ways of treating others. According to Rick Weissbourd, co-director of Making Caring Common Project, there are five main ways for parents and teachers to help develop empathy in kids. The first way is to practice showing empathy to the children in your life, whether they are yours, relatives, or your students. Be kind and openly express goodwill and compassion for others. Kids feel valued when we show intere...