Teaching Kids Empathy

Apr 6, 2022

Empathy is learned. Kids aren’t born with it, and they mainly learn it by observing adults displaying empathy. We want our kids to show empathy when it’s appropriate. Being kind and compassionate to others is a good character trait. In this episode, I talk about how kids develop empathy, how abstract reasoning plays into empathy development, and I explain a psychology term called “other orientation”.

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Links from this episode:
Love for our Elders: https://loveforourelders.org/

References:
Cochran, N., Nordling, W., & Cochran, J. (2010). Child-Centered Play Therapy (1st ed.). Wiley.
VanFleet, R., Sywulak, A. E., & Sniscak, C. C. (2010). Child-centered play therapy. Guilford Press.
Landreth, G. L. (2002). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (2nd ed.). Brunner-Routledge.
Bratton, S. C., Landreth, G. L., Kellam, T., & Blackard, S. R. (2006). Child parent relationship therapy (CPRT) treatment manual: A 10-session filial therapy model for training parents. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Benedict, Helen. Themes in Play Therapy. Used with permission to Heartland Play Therapy Institute.

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