Page 36 - 101 SEL Activities

4 Empathy
Activities targeted to help children connect with others and think outside of themselves.
Just Listen (all ages)
Time: VariesJ
Purpose: To build empathy. This helps children feel heard and validated. In turn, this helps build
self-esteem.
Instructions: Yes, we are including this as an activity because this is a skill that takes practice.
We often want to jump in and “fix.” Before you do any fixing or advice giving, just listen. Validate their
emotions and show empathy using verbal and nonverbal reactions. You can also ask “How can I help?”
You want your child to feel capable, able to problem solve, and able to manage their emotions. They
can’t do that if we are always doing it for them.
Mirror Emotions (3+)
Time: 3-5minutes
Purpose: To build empathy and the ability to read another’s emotions. This also helps increase the ability to regulate emotions as it helps increase emotional vocabulary. It strengthens connections to others and develops social skills.
Instructions: Tell your child to copy your facial expressions and body movements. Act out a variety of emotions. Either tell them what the emotion is, or have them guess. Once you’ve done it, switch and have them act out the same emotion. It is always interesting to see/hear what emotion they think you are acting out as well as what emotion they think they are conveying. This creates an opportunity to talk through when they have misread something and why. It helps to reflect on how you display your emotions moving forward.J
What Might They Be Feeling? (3+)
Time: 2-5minutes
Purpose: To develop empathy. This helps children learn to read other people’s nonverbal cues. This also helps them put themselves in someone else’s shoes. This builds empathy and awareness of others. This helps your child develop a narrative outside of his/her own.
- 30 -