How to build empathy in your child

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, and it's an important skill for kids to learn. As a parent, you can play a key role in helping your child develop empathy. Here are a few tips for raising empathetic kids:

1. Model empathetic behavior: As a parent, you are your child's biggest role model. Show empathy towards others by using kind words, listening to others, and showing understanding and compassion. Your child will see you do this and copy you. 
2. Encourage your child to express their emotions healthily: Help them Help your child understand and express their own emotions. This can help them better understand and recognize the emotions of others. You can use any of the social-emotional activities on the activity tab on the Earlybird app for this! The best part is you can teach your kids these skills while they play.
3. Teach your child about different perspectives: Help your child understand that people may have different experiences, perspectives, and feelings. Encourage them to consider the feelings of others and try to see things from their point of view.
4. Encourage volunteering and helping others: Volunteer work and helping others can be a great way to teach your child about empathy and the importance of giving back. Look for opportunities for your child to get involved in your community or school.
5. Read books about empathy: Reading picture books about empathy and emotions can be a great way to spark discussions and help your child understand different perspectives. The social-emotional books activity on the Earlybird app has a bunch of recommendations for you.
6. Practice empathy in everyday life: Encourage your child to show empathy towards others in everyday situations, such as offering a hug to a friend who is feeling sad or helping a classmate who is struggling with a task.

Overall, raising empathetic kids requires modeling empathetic behavior, encouraging healthy emotional expression, teaching about different perspectives, volunteering and helping others, reading books about empathy, and practicing empathy in everyday life. Teaching your child these skills can help them develop empathy and become more understanding and compassionate towards others.

For more parenting tips and tricks check out the other articles on the *FREE* Earlybird parenting app in the Apple app or Google Play store.