As children grow, their social interactions with other individuals increase. As interaction increases, they must learn to set limits for themselves and to respect others' boundaries. And that requires empathy.
How can we as schools and families help children develop more empathy and self-awareness? What would be the contribution of gaining empathy skills to the child?
For this, we must first understand empathy
Why is empathy important?
For some parents, the idea of learning empathy for the child who hasn't even learned to tie shoes may seem a bit silly. In fact, empathy is a skill that can support other skills while gaining all the skills in life, that children can begin to develop this awareness of how others feel and learn how to behave.
Empathy is not just about thinking about others. It's about being aware of the other's feelings and thoughts and supporting them to set and protect their own boundaries, and this requires practice.
How to help children develop empathy?
Empathy, in general It is considered a skill that we can acquire as adults, but from the age of 3, most children instinctively see that when they are worried about a friend who is crying, they try to empathize.
Ask the right questions to develop empathy skills.
p>How do you think Ali felt when he forcibly took his toy from your hand?
Or how did your friend feel when you didn't share his ball with your friend? How would you feel if the same were done to you?
Questions asked by parents and teachers to understand feelings help improve empathy skills.
Give information about rules and private space to develop empathy skills.
People are responsible for their own bodies, and it's not okay for you to touch them if they don't want to, just as it's okay for someone to touch you in a way you don't like. Sometimes things that seem fun to you may not be fun to the other person. Jumping on your friend's back may sound fun to you, but your friend isn't ready for it. It is inevitable that one of you will be injured. It is necessary for the development of the skill that the parents and teachers explain the reasons before giving instructions.
Practice setting boundaries.
No matter how empathetic a child is when it comes to social interactions, it's hard to keep boundaries when the other child is aggressive. In such situations, it is the responsibility of the teacher and parents to make the child learn some phrases to defend himself.
For example, "What is the way to make Ayşe understand that you don't like being hugged without asking?" After you ask him, you can make him learn some sentence patterns. "Please stop." "I don't like it." "Now it's my turn."
Find examples and discuss.
Another way to make empathy part of the conversation is to highlight examples of good or bad behavior. For example, if a character on television is being bullied, you might ask: "How do you think he felt when other kids called him stupid? Would it ever be okay to say something like that to someone? What could he have said instead?"
To embrace differences.
Another important part of developing empathy is encouraging children to interact with people different from them on a regular basis.
Don't teach forced behavior.
Adults should avoid forcing children to be affectionate when they are not comfortable. Rather than force them to kiss someone or forcefully apologize Suggesting that he choose a path that he feels comfortable with contributes to self-development.
Take the child's limitations seriously and listen.
When the child tells you what is appropriate and what is not, really listen and possible. take their requests into account. Every child has boundaries and their boundaries must be respected.
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