Homemade Learning Games to Teach Kids to Read
Without a uncertainty, 2020 was a difficult year for all of us. For schoolhouse-aged children, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic safely also entailed adjusting to virtual learning and distancing from their friends. Just as many students return to the classroom — and equally some enter a classroom for the showtime time — some other hurdle looms. Just like adults, kids will take to learn to be effectually other people once again, including peers with identities and experiences that differ from their own.
With this in mind, information technology'south of import to develop strategies to teach kids empathy and kindness early, especially equally they begin to socialize in person once again. Activities like office-playing and reading are but a few ways to assistance students connect with their emotions as well as the emotions of others. Here, we've rounded up a few neat activities that teach empathy — for kids and adults.
Having story fourth dimension with younger children or offer new reading material to older children can be a great opportunity for children to acquire empathy. If illustrations are used in the story, you tin can see if younger kids can name the emotions of the characters' faces. Ask the children how these characters might exist feeling and if they have ever felt the same way (scared, excited, etc.). Additionally, let them see that you are concerned for or connected to the characters equally well so they can meet that information technology'south important to care for the well-being of others.
For kids who are older, teachers or parents can provide special questions or journal prompts to better understand the characters in their books. The questions may inquire scholars to imagine what the characters might feel when making different choices or in their current circumstances.
Older Children Can Write Out Feelings in an Emotion Periodical
An emotion periodical is a great way for kids to begin to connect with their own feelings. Teachers and parents alike can comprise periodical fourth dimension at a certain point in the solar day to permit them to write most their highs and lows.
Children tin can share parts of their journal entries with their peers if they are comfortable. Ultimately, writing out their feelings (and maybe sharing them with others) allows them to learn to express themselves healthily. If kids discuss their feelings — or let them out in a good for you way — they can brainstorm to build empathy by relating to each other.
Random Acts of Kindness or Volunteering Will Encourage Kids to Prove Empathy
Doing random acts of kindness or taking part in a volunteer experience will help kids acquire to call up about other people's feelings, and perhaps put them alee of their ain. Teachers or parents tin can create a jar or chart where a pupil tin can track one human action of kindness completed during the week.
It'south too not bad for children to discuss how being kind makes people experience proficient every bit opposed to bullying or mean acts that make people feel bad. Their behavior tin can be reinforced also by talking about how volunteering or the act of kindness fabricated them experience also. Likely, they will be excited and happy that something they did helped someone else.
Children Tin can Create 'Feelings Collages' to Acquire Emotions
For younger kids, specially those who are shy and quiet, creating a "feelings collage" will assistance them express their emotions. With this unique collage, they can learn to read faces, body linguistic communication, and the emotions of others too.
Children can cut and glue pictures from magazines onto poster boards or structure newspaper. These pictures would have people expressing whatever kind of feeling (happiness, sadness, fearfulness, etc.). Kids could even label the images they glue with a feeling word, and, later, share with their peers if desired. The collages tin be used at schoolhouse or home to do identifying and labeling feelings. If they want to really get creative, kids can endeavor their manus at creating drawings of different people with various emotions.
Imaginative Roleplay Helps Students See Emotions in Real Life
Roleplaying allows kids to run across circumstances from a completely different perspective than their own. Teachers or parents can encourage children to step into the shoes of someone different from them, request them well-nigh unlike scenarios like, What if you were at a new school without whatsoever friends? or If yous saw someone getting bullied, what would you do — and how would you feel?
While watching someone act out a "role," other kids could chime in most the faces or body linguistic communication of the person. This allows them to learn to read people improve, which can be a major pro in the future equally an adult. Roleplaying similar this actually helps put circumstances into perspective and fifty-fifty helps alter behaviors. Plus, younger kids love to play pretend, so information technology's a win-win!
Teachers and Parents Should Model Empathy to Kids
Yous've certainly heard of the saying, "Do as I say, non as I do." That volition certainly non help teach empathy. While kids may option up some good habits that are taught by parents, teachers, and other dominance figures, children model what they see, even if the adult isn't aware that they're being observed. Kids are always paying attention, so it'south important to model empathetic behavior as much as possible.
For case, teachers should be mindful of their interactions with other adults whether in-person or on screen. Parents should be conscientious non to snap at or belittle each other or their children at home. While trying to completely avert conflict is impossible, how we speak to and treat each other matters.
Resource Links:
- "Developing Empathy: 8 Strategies & Worksheets for Condign More Empathetic" via Positive Psychology
- "xx+ Strategies for Teaching Empathy" via Pathway 2 Progress
- "Empathy Activities" via Education Development Center
- "v Activities for Edifice Empathy in Your Students" via Brookes Blog
Homemade Learning Games to Teach Kids to Read
Source: https://www.symptomfind.com/health/activities-that-teach-empathy?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740013%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex