All children are capable of kindness. They have a desire to care and look after others.
It’s just a matter of teaching them how and developing their emotional intelligence.
At school and in their day to day, they will meet situations where they are presented with different emotions, and they need to instinctively respond. This post shares guidance from a private school in Surrey on how you can help your child to develop an awareness of others and raise a compassionate child.
How to Raise a Compassionate Child
This is a collaborative post
Emotional Intelligence
Start by labelling the different emotions and what they look like. This will help your child to identify them in real-life situations. You can do this by pointing them out around you, on TV or by asking your child to think back to times when they felt a particular way.
How to Show Compassion
As well as helping them to learn what the different emotions look like, it’s a good idea to also show children how to show compassion. For example, you may suggest that they offer a hug, ask others if they are okay, etc.
Treat Your Child with Compassion
The ways that you show your child compassion and the kindness that they receive can influence the way that they deal with the situations that they encounter. Be mindful of how you handle their feelings and try not to invalidate them.
Be Patient and Practise
Children develop at their own pace and it’s important to recognise that. What may come easily to a child of their age, may not for your child and that’s okay. Emotions are a rather complex subject and it is not until the age of 3-4 years that children can understand their own emotions and mind. Having said that, practice is crucial and doing the work above will certainly help.
Read more posts in the Parenting Category