Developing Empathy and Understanding Others' Perspectives: Building Social Intelligence in Children
Last Sunday, my 7-year-old was upset because her friend didn’t want to play her game at recess. “She’s being mean!” she declared. Instead of immediately taking her side or dismissing her feelings, I remembered our family’s commitment to the Life-Ready approach. I sat beside her and asked, “I can see you’re hurt. I wonder what your friend was feeling? Do you think there might be another reason she didn’t want to play?” The look of frustration mixed with growing thoughtfulness on her face told me we had a perfect opportunity to practice empathy in a low-stakes environment. ...