15 WAYS TO FOSTER COMPASSION IN YOUR CHILD

According to Psychology Today, the ideal age for kids to learn about compassion 

is between five and seven years old. To ensure that your children can develop the necessary 

empathy, they must begin learning about kindness at a young age.

 

 

 

 

There are many ways you can teach your kids how to be compassionate, including guiding them  

with useful phrases like "I am sorry" and "I care." Children also need physical activities to develop 

their sense of empathy. 

 

These activities need to be interactive and have the child constantly contributing to 

the task.

 

 

Activities to Help Foster Compassion in Your Child

1. Art Projects

Many art activities can be created for kids during the learning process of empathy. 

One of these art projects is a finger painting picture called "The Circle of Compassion."

The circle generally has the child grouping together all the rainbow colors in one place--

that way, when you're coloring in, you're bringing the colors together. Bring a child into 

this project with you, help you color in the group of colors, and then tell them what the 

project is about.

This visual art project is a fun way to get children thinking about compassion. Showing 

this sort of imagery to children and explaining it is an excellent start toward developing 

understanding. The more they can connect with empathy, the more likely they will exhibit 

it in their daily actions.

 

 

2. Color By Numbers

Another productive way to teach children about compassion is to use a color-by-number 

book. It can be fun and encourage the child to think about what colors go well together. 

Some colors you may want the child to notice are blue, yellow, red, and orange. You can 

also find books showing how all the colors go together, which will help in encouraging 

your children to show compassion by using other colors.

3. Sculpting

Sculpting is another excellent art activity that can help teach kids about compassion. 

For example, you can use clay and let the child shape a picture of something that he or 

she knows or sees, like a bunch of people sitting together in peaceful harmony. It will 

give your child away to show compassion when he or she sees something similar.

4. Finger Painting

Another great way to encourage children to exhibit compassion is to get the whole family 

involved in finger painting together. It can be done with any homemade picture and is a 

great way to teach empathy to children.

 

 

5. Writing Letters

Another way to teach children about compassion is to have them write letters on how they 

feel for others. Explain that the letter should be from them but written for someone who 

needs someone to listen or help them out. It helps children see life from someone else's 

point of view, which allows them to understand what it means to be compassionate toward 

another person.

6. Singing

Singing is a great way to encourage your children to feel empathy for others. You can 

allow them to choose songs they want to sing and then help them understand what the 

song is about. If they're singing "I care," for example, discuss with them that they are 

showing compassion through the music. It will allow children to learn empathy in a fun 

and engaging way.

7. Games

Another effective way of teaching children about compassion is by playing games with 

them that teach them about it in an educational way. You can ask them to color a match 

or make up a new game that teaches compassion. To make sure that children learn the 

lesson about kindness, you'll need to explain it after playing the game.

 

 

8. Make A Movie or Book

To help your child learn what compassion is, you can have them read or watch a movie 

about it. It will allow children to connect with empathy in a fun way while also teaching 

them about how they can contribute to their community to help out those around them.

9. Writing Poetry

Another great way to teach children about compassion is through a poem. You can ask 

the child to write a short poem that leads him or her about compassion for others. They 

can also write a book of poetry that they enjoy while showing the child how it is similar 

to how they would feel if it were their brother or sister who was in trouble.

10. Talk To Children About Compassion

To help your children understand compassion, talk to them about it in everyday 

conversations. You can explain to them the concept of empathy and learn about it in a 

fun way. You can also teach them points of reference for compassion, such as their feelings 

for others and the times they have helped someone out. It helps children understand what 

compassion is and what they can do to be compassionate.

 

 

11. Tell Stories

Another effective way to teach empathy is by telling stories. You can use it to teach 

compassion and how people can help each other out. You can also encourage your 

children to write stories for you that they feel similar to charity. For example, children 

can write their version of "The Three Little Pigs" while showing them what the story 

is about. They can then explain to the child what they did to help the wolves in the story, 

which will make their reading lesson about compassion more enjoyable and valuable.

12. Talk About Needy People

Another powerful way to teach kids about compassion is to talk about different people 

who could use it. You can talk about children at school who may be feeling sad or lonely, 

or even talk about older people in the community who do not have many friends. When 

you speak to your child, ensure that you are always cheerful and kind in the conversation 

to show your child how they can treat others with compassion as well.

13. Have Children Write What They've Done For Others

Another effective way to teach children about compassion is to have them write down 

what they've done for others. For example, you can tell your child that they should write 

down what they did for a friend who felt sad or even asked them to mention what they 

did for a teacher when they felt angry. It will help children understand another person's 

point of view and how it could relate to their own, which will help them become more 

empathetic in the future as well.

14. Make Kindness Bracelets

Another great way to help teach children about compassion is by making them kindness 

bracelets. You can have your children make up a list of all the things they like to do for 

others and then tie them together with a bracelet. It will allow children to wear their kindness 

around their wrist in a fun way while also teaching them what being empathetic is all about. 

15. Make an Empathy Jar

Another powerful tool for teaching compassion to kids is by making an empathy jar. 

You can take a clear glass jar and write down a variety of different emotions on sticky 

notes. Then you place each letter on the inside of the jar representing how that person is 

feeling, which will help teach kids about different emotions. You can then explain to them 

why people feel those ways and teach them how they can be empathetic towards those 

feelings.

 

One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to help your child become 

more empathetic. It will allow your child to understand better what being empathetic is all about, 

which will enable them to be more kind and compassionate in the future. With that being said, 

the above methods are just some of the many ways that you can teach your children about 

compassion. 

 

 

 

 

 

 *Guest Blog

 

                                                       

 

 

GREAT TOOL/BOOKS TO TEACH KIDS:

 

 

 

 

IS ANGER THE REAL ISSUE?

Mass Shootings, school shootings, serial bombers, you name the tragedy and it is almost always someone who was upset and decided to take their revenge out on the innocent. You can turn on the news at any given time, on any given day, in the United States and these are the topics headlining the news. Guns, bombs, knives, vehicles...the weapon of choice is there; however, I believe we have a huge problem in this Country and it stems from unhappy, angry people (which for some reason, tends to be mostly white, angry males.) 

 IS ANGER THE REAL UNDERLYING ISSUE?  

We have to not only address the issues of gun violence in our Country and better security in our public places (especially schools,) but we have to address the underlying component, which in my opinion, tends to be angry, disgruntled males, who are more prone to commit these heinous crimes, that we are unfortunately seeing in our country more and more each day! Whether they use assault weapons or home-made bombs or vehicles to plow people down, there are some common denominators and one of the big ones is ANGER. Anger is one letter short of danger.   

Statistics show the number of mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and February 2018, by race and ethnicity of the shooter(s) between 1982 and February 2018, are 56 out of 97 mass shootings were initiated by White shooters. The Las Vegas strip massacre in 2017 had the highest number of victims between 1982 and 2018, with 58 people killed, and over 500 injured, also at the hands of a white male.  (Source: www.statista.com)

My 15-year old daughter survived the mass shooting on February 14, 2018 at her high school in Parkland, FL, a crime also committed by an angry white male. She was on the 3rd floor in the 1200 building that day, as the shooter came eerily close to her classroom. The reports and history of this particular perpetrator indicate he had many life-altering moments that gradually affected him and his anger towards others (his own mother, other students and neighbors,) was evident. Sadly, no one really took action to prevent the unfortunate outcome.

We can argue about crime statistics, we can point fingers at black and white, Hispanic, non Hispanic etc...but this article is mainly about the anger - the disgruntled feeling that bubbles over in the mind and soul of these individuals, that percolates to the point of literally blowing up (themselves or others.)

I cannot even begin to tell you the reasons why these people act out in such horrific ways. I mean, I can speculate: lack of love, lack of empathy, lack of self-worth? Perhaps they were bullied and had enough? Who knows? I leave that up to the psychologist, psychiatrists and those who want to analyze such things.  

What I do know, is that as a mother, as a parent of 2 young kids, step mom to three and "nana" to three little ones, my goal is to teach children what I can to make them better human beings and in turn, hopefully, my own children, will eventually raise decent human beings as well!   We have to give our children roots, a strong foundation, in which they can eventually use to fly into the world equipped to handle whatever they have to face.

MINDFULNESS MATTERS

Tragedy can strike anywhere as we know all too well.  It happens in our schools. It can happen in a church, in a movie theater, it can even happen on a soccer or baseball field.  The truth is, in today's world, we are not safe anywhere if you really start to think about it.

However, we cannot cower in fear and hide. Instead, I believe that we must demand change. We must take action.  We have to get to the root of the problem(s.) We must empower our children, (the youth of today and the grandchildren of tomorrow) to be strong in their convictions and know that they are loved and capable of great things, no matter what background, race or socio-economic demographic, they come from.

We have to teach our children from the time they are born that they ARE loved. (My thoughts are, if someone is not emotionally equipped to love a child unconditionally, they should not have one!) We have to teach them to love and show them compassion! Teach them tolerance and empathy by example. My father always told me, "todo los poquitos cuentan," meaning, "every little bit counts."  They add up. All the things we teach and show our children from the time they are young, they count. They are the building blocks to make strong decent human beings. I am not talking about raising doctors, lawyers, engineers etc...I am talking about raising loving, compassionate, empathetic human beings. All those little things we teach, they matter.

"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. - Neil Postman

Additionally, we must get rid of the taboo that comes with talking about mental health issues. As mentioned before, the majority of mass shootings are committed by white males.  We have to dissect the issues affecting these white males. We have to address the issues affecting our young boys, our youth in general.  We teach our kids from the time they are young, "big boys don't cry," and "girls are made up of sugar and spice and everything nice."  We need to focus on kids, on people as individuals, not just give them labels.  We are so indoctrinated in schools to follow the rules, to do well on standardized testing but no one teaches life skills - not the majority of public schools anyway.  Sure, there are always exceptions, but my point is that we have to start focusing on a person's emotional well-being as much as we focus on their academic and/or work performance. We have to also teach our children how to manage their anger in a healthy way.

We have a much bigger problem with society that is not being addressed as it should. For example, the bullying problem among children is this country is rampant. (And even with some well-known adults.) We have to recognize when a child has a problem or is the problem, and we have to address it - not let he/she fall through the cracks of a broken system. Obviously, when a child has already become a major problem (ie: juvenile delinquent) all the love and talking in the world may not make a difference, however, that individual still needs help, still needs counseling, still needs rehabilitation, if possible.

If you are part of the "system" then it is your obligation to do your job right and do it with passion and genuine care, otherwise, get out of the way and let someone who is willing to do the job, do it, without "passing the buck!"  We have all kinds of systems that fail our children and we must work together to fix that. We must demand change.

On a positive note, I must recognize that there are many good schools and good systems in place that do everything they can to protect our children, however it is those that fall through the cracks that can become a major problem in our society down the line.

The issue of anger and being "disgruntled" at someone (or something) has undoubtedly played a huge role in most mass shootings.   We can march endlessly, we can secure our schools, we can vote politicians out that we don't like, but at the end of the day, we must get to the underlying root of the problem. 

Sure,there will always be troubled people in the world but if you are a parent, a guardian, or a relative of a child, the very least we can do is teach by example and do our best to raise a generation of loving, decent human beings and help those with "issues," to find their way to get help.

"Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath." ~ Eckhart Tolle

No parent is perfect, no child is perfect.  There will always be problems.  There will, unfortunately, always be tragedy in the world, but as individuals, we must do what we can to make a positive difference in our own "bubbles. I have said it before, "We are puzzle makers in this jigsaw of life and we have to put all of our pieces together, to make it work." 

I still believe wholeheartedly, that we must continue to fight for gun reform now, but that we must simultaneously begin to address mental health issues and mindfulness. We must teach our children to teach their children and so on, to be BETTER HUMAN BEINGS! 

Our children's future depends on it!

Lissette Rozenblat

MommyWarriorLady.com

LissetteRo@gmail.com

(Source:  Gun Violence Archive)