Blogging A to Z: Empathy

Today is brought to you by the letter “E”. And it’s all about empathy. Empathy is a skill that seems to be sorely lacking in today’s society. Empathy is not only the realization of another person’s feelings, wants, needs, or even motivation. It’s the idea that you can understand the “why” behind it all. It’s a valuable skill and yet more and more people are choosing divisiveness over empathy.

I know that social emotional learning or SEL has become the new buzzword in schools and for a good reason. Math, science, and literature are all valuable subjects that children need to learn. But, it seems more and more the children also need to learn decision making, social awareness, self management, and relationship skills. I know that the school district where I live is lincorporating these ideas into the curriculum.

Guess what? I’ve got a great way to begin introducing these skills before kids reach Kindergarten. The answer? Books, specifically stories. There have been some studies done that show fictional stories can help to strengthen a child’s empathy. When you read, you can discover people from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, religions, and more. If you live in an urban setting, a child may not understand the life of a child who lives on a farm or ranch. Books can help shine a light on experiences that your child may not be familiar with.

Books can also help kids to identify and understand emotions. They can provide tricks and tips on processing emotions and choosing how to express those emotions. What about decision-making? Books can be amazing at helping kids understand consequences or help to reflect back on an experience. Books are powerful tools for families. Reading aloud is the perfect time to open up a discussion about something that happened earlier in the day. Or if a child is having a particularly rough time sharing, for example, head over to the library to pick up some books to share. Read the books together and then reference back to them when you’re in the middle of a sharing situation. Kids will remember and understand a lot more than most parents realize.

Notice, that today’s tip specifically states fictional stories. This means that we’re not focusing on history textbook or nonfiction, specifically stories. And I think that’s because stories can create situations and characters that are very well developed, and also relatable. In addition, reading stories allows us to experience all sorts of situations from a safe distance. It allows us and kids to take time to process a wide variety of experiences from the comfort of our home. Standing up to a bully in a book is one thing, but doing it at school is completely different. Having had the experience play out in a story, a child may be more comfortable reaching out to a teacher, standing up to the bully, or providing a kind gesture to the bullied.

Today’s list is a beautiful list of books that are wonderful examples of books that can help to strengthen your child’s empathy towards others. As always, this is just a dozen titles, there are thousands more available!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Book List #5 – Empathy

1. Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Jen Hill
   A wonderful book full of concrete examples of what it means to be kind.
2. Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won
   The power of sharing and a good mood go a long way in this story.
3. I Am Human: A Book of Empathy by Susan Verde, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
   Being human is hard, but Verde and Reynolds provide an accessible look at empathy that’s perfect for little ones!
4. The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Patrice Barton
   Teaching kids how to be friends isn’t easy, but a kind gesture can be powerful.
5. Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour, illustrated by Daniel Egnéus
   A story of a young refugee and the pebble she tells all her stories too, until someone new comes along who needs it more than she does.
6. My Heart by Corinna Luyken
   Part of empathy is not only about the world around you, but also about you.
7. The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
   Sometimes the best thing a person can do is listen.
8. Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall
   Red is a blue crayon with a red label and has to travel through their world finding a way to be true to themselves.
9. Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
   A little boy isn’t allowed to bring his elephant to Pet Club, so makes a decision to include everyone.
10. We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
    Making friends is hard when your classmates look so yummy, but this little dinosaur learns the importance of friendship means not eating your classmates.
11. We’re All Wonders by R. J. Palacio
    A wonderful introduction for children about people with disabilities and that it’s okay to look different, everyone deserves to be shown kindness.
12. Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah Ohora
    A story of sibling rivalry and standing up for those around you!

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the titles on this list, please use my affiliate link for Bookshop.org. When you purchase from this link, I will earn a commission as an affiliate.

For the month of April, I’ll be sharing early literacy tips and book lists as part of the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Learn about the importance of early literacy and ways to incorporate tips and tricks into your family’s daily routine. Developing language skills before kids head to school helps them to be ready to learn when they reach school-age. In addition to great content, you’ll also get a new book list for each letter, resulting in over 300 board book and picture book suggestions for your family to enjoy!