Helping children to develop a sense of empathy, kindness, and compassion towards others may seem a bit challenging at times. While temperament may seem to come naturally to some, there are still a few developmental challenges that toddlers face such as their limited impulse control and their insatiable need to come first. By encouraging toddlers to think of other people’s feelings on a daily basis, a child’s ability to sympathize can be nurtured. This can be done by promoting kindness, providing guidelines, monitoring friendships, and fostering goodwill.
Teaching Toddlers Compassion
Promoting kindness helps to show toddlers how being compassionate towards others and, in turn receiving compassion from others, makes everyone feel good. Demonstrate to children how to be nice and temperate by modeling those kinds of behaviors. Minding manners, touching gently, and practicing other favorable acts of kindness introduces toddlers to acceptable conduct, as they are most likely to imitate what they see. Teaching preschoolers how to identify different facial expressions for particular feelings is an effective strategy, as well. This will help them to see the effect of their actions, whether positive or negative. Speaking softly and acknowledging caring actions will foster the development of empathy in early learners.
Providing guidelines can help teach children how their actions affect others. Explaining and enforcing rules for daily interactions can benefit toddlers by showing them that both acceptable, and unacceptable behaviors, have consequences. Keep a structure by always having the same outcome for specific behaviors. For example, if an action is unacceptable (such as hitting), it will always be enforced as unacceptable, regardless of the context of the situation. On the other hand, if an action is acceptable (such as saying please), it will always be recognized and praised.
Monitoring friendships is another great way to instill empathy in toddlers. By observing how children interact with each other, from playing in a group with a ball or one other child with building blocks, different types of behaviors can either be applauded or discouraged. Take notice of children’s positive actions by explaining how nice it is to see them sharing or what a good friend they are being by helping. Discourage negative actions by implementing unfavorable outcomes. By discussing the unacceptable behavior and then enforcing the undesirable act with a brief time-out or similar consequence makes children aware of the way their actions affect others. If a little assistance is needed in this area, introduce similar situations during puppet play. Sometimes seeing the behaviors of others from a different point of view helps children to understand their own actions.
Fostering goodwill actions in children raises their awareness of helpful behaviors and promotes their independence. Preschoolers are usually ready and willing to participate and get involved when asked. By including early learners in decision making processes and asking for their ideas about how they can help increases the likelihood that they will carry on cooperative and favorable behaviors in the future. Assigning chores, participating in charitable events, and discussing positive role models are all influential ways to foster a willingness to engage in helpful behaviors for toddlers.
With a little bit of patience, consistent direction, and commitment, toddlers will learn to become more empathetic, compassionate, and caring individuals. Providing opportunities for positive behaviors, helping children understand the feelings of themselves and others, and focusing on enforcing acceptable behaviors will benefit the growth and development of kindness in preschoolers.
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