How to teach compassion

Reading to his little sister

In our modern, sarcastic society, it's difficult to teach children to be compassionate. But by providing children with good examples and helping them to see life from others' points of view, you can teach them to be caring, compassionate people. Read on to learn how to teach compassion.

Things You'll Need

• Foresight
• Strength of character

Instructions

1. Be an example. Let children see you being compassionate. Take them with you when you visit an elderly neighbor or volunteer at a service project. Have them help you write letters of consolation when someone you know is ill or suffering.

2. Ask good questions. When you watch a movie or read a book with children, ask them questions about how the characters feel. For example, ask "How do you think Charlie felt when the other kids laughed at him?" Also, ask children how they would feel in a similar situation, "How would you feel if you broke your leg and couldn't play outside?"

3. Encourage kids to look out for the underdogs. As children leave for school in the mornings, encourage them to see if there's anyone eating alone at lunch or playing alone at recess. Often, kids feel like they're the only ones all by themselves, but if they look around, they'll see that there are others alone. And if you encourage them to reach out to the lonely kids, they'll make new friends and feel better about themselves.

4. Find ways for kids to serve others. There are many opportunities for kids to serve others. They can rake leaves for the elderly, take homemade soup to the ill, and drop off cookies to someone who's had a bad day. Your family could register to be a foster family for animals in shelters, or you could offer to babysit for a single parent or couple who needs to get away for the evening. All of these experiences will help children to be more compassionate and to think outside of themselves.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't push kids out of their comfort zones. But often you'll find that they're more willing to step out of their comfort zones than you are.

• Shield kids from media that is too old for them. Too much violence interferes with a child's ability to develop compassion.