Five ways to empathic children this Easter

March 10, 2008

Imaginif you knew how important empathic intelligence is! Empathy helps stop our kids from doing the wrong thing, teaches them about cause and consequence, leads to better relationships with people and even helps concentration at school.

Empathy means having the ability to objectively put yourself into another person’s situation and more fully understand that person - particularly what the other person may be feeling. An empathic child considers how their own actions can hurt other people and are therefore unlikely to harm another person. A child without empathy is a warning sign of future problems that I watch for in my work with kids!

While we are busy teaching our kids to be the best person they can be, we also need to ensure they become the most intelligent person they can be. But, did you know that the two go together? Academic intelligence (Logical-Mathematical intelligence) is only one type of nine intelligences?

Interpersonal Intelligence (emotional and empathic intelligence) is just as important as academic intelligence. Interpersonal Intelligence is about children becoming leaders among their peers, being good communicators and understanding others’ feelings. Children who possess these qualities are less likely to be bullied, to be a bully or to get into trouble. Children with interpersonal intelligence are empathic.

It can be difficult to all of a sudden start teaching children about their inner emotional world and that of other people. Most parents struggle with their own emotional and empathic intelligence so encouraging it to develop in their kids is a hard thing to do. But….good parents will do almost anything to help their kids become good people so I’m sure you will want to start teaching empathy today.

Using Easter as an empathy teaching tool, start talking about what it might be like for others (empathy):

Fair trade chocolate: Do you know that many children are slaves, forced to collect the beans that make the chocolate we enjoy. The kids get appalling wages for working appalling hours in appalling conditions. Buying ethical or fair trade chocolate though, ensures sending a message to the slave traders and lets them know we do not support using child labour. When shopping, check out whether there’s fair trade chocolate available - buy it and talk about how you are not eating a treat at the cost of children’s lives. If you do not do chocolate, buy an ethically made Easter gift from The Body Shop. The Body Shop is an activist organisation committed to social and environmental justice on a local and global level. They rock.
Christ was murdered and we do not want to be like a murderer: The symbolism of an egg has been used all through out history and mostly represented the rebirth of nature. When Christianity became popular, the symbolism of the egg changed to represent, not nature’s rebirth (the changing season), but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose (taken from History of the Easter Egg). How dreadful that Christ was murdered. How cool to give Easter Eggs that remind people not to murder but to rise above the bad stuff and do good to others, a bit like Christ.
Easter holiday emotion moments with other kids: Teachable moments always present when kids are with other kids. Over the Easter holiday use moments with other children to teach about emotions. That way your child can practice empathizing - Tim looks sad today, I wonder what is the matter?
Giving to others: Many children will go without Easter Eggs because their parents have no extra money. Encouraging children to give to others less fortunate helps kids to think about what other children may be going through emotionally. This is empathy in action. Let your child pick an egg or two and take it to a shelter or a food agency that provides for children.
Art and stories: Make cards of egg heads - each egg character has a different emotion on their face. Rather than the usual verse inside the card, have your child write a little story about why the egg has that emotional expression. Story telling is a great way to teach empathy because we remember stories before a Mum or Dad boring lecture.

Further reading for raising super intelligent kids:

Save the children: the difference between sympathy and empathy
The Nine Types of Intelligence By Howard Gardner
Teaching empathy to our children
Ways to Teach Empathy Skills
Slave to coffee and chocolate
How to teach empathy
Indian Child Labour

Credit: One very cool pic of a wee Hispanic girl dressed and ready for an Easter Egg hunt compliments of iofoto of stock.xchng. Check their incredibly helpful iofoto blog.

Posted by Megan Bayliss | Filed Under Blog, emotional intelligence

Comments

One Response to “Five ways to empathic children this Easter”

Graça Duarte on March 11th, 2008 5:44 am

Hello!
I’m a Portuguese Kindergarten teacher and
I just found this post today through Google search.
I found it very, very interesting!
To be attentive to emotional intelligence is one of the keys for happyness, I think…
Nice to meet you :))
You are welcome in our blogs too: http://pequenos-jornalistas.blogs.sapo.pt
and
http://friendstogetherportugalpoland.blogspot.com
I hope you’ll leave a comment in our blogs as well :))
Thanks!
Graça D.