The Power of Being Seen and Heard
Our world bustles at an extremely fast pace and it can be easy to move through it without providing the time that people need to feel seen and heard. As a parent, I want to teach my children the importance of taking the time to listen to others. Listening is one of the basic skills needed to be able to build empathy. Research shows that there are three different types of empathy. There is cognitive empathy, which involves perspective taking, emotional empathy, which is more about feelings, and compassionate empathy, which goes further by stepping in to help others. Let’s provide kids with opportunities to work on these important empathy skills, which in turn build a kinder world.
With gratitude,
—MiaLisa Millares, Executive Director
Opportunities to Practice Empathy
Build Empathy. Read this blog on empathy and perspective taking to get some great ideas on how to build empathy in your home.
Expanding EQ. Read about some ways to expand your emotional quotient with your children.
Beyond Our Neighbors. Are you looking for ways to teach empathy and kindness to your child, community of children or a class? Check out this free curriculum called “Beyond Our Neighbors.” This curriculum encourages kids to go beyond their own family to show care and kindness.
Connect with Animals. What better way to grow empathy than to help animals? We have several volunteer projects that help kids to become more empathetic by connecting to our animal friends.
Read with Empathy. Reading is a powerful tool to teach kids empathy and to build family connections through talking and listening.
Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen. Spend time serving meals at a local soup kitchen or food pantry. Providing help to others when they are in a time of need is a great way to build understanding and foster empathy.
CONVERSATIONS
What was the best part of your day?
What do you value most?
How can you help someone this week?
What are ways you can give back to your school or community this fall?
Check out these books that promote empathy by teaching about feelings and emotional awareness.
INSPIRATION
"Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable."
—David W. Augsburger, Executive Director