Tips for parents on developing empathy in a child
The psychological term "empathy" is related to the abilityempathize with people. This is one of the factors of communication, without which it is impossible to build a full-fledged communication. A person who knows how to feel others, is able to build up sincere friendships, he has less resentment towards others.
To instill a sense of compassion to the child, read to him the talesPhoto: Getty Not every person is given the opportunity to feel empathy. Begin to work with this need in stages, given the age of the child:
- Infection. Until 1 year, the baby "reads" Mom's emotions, and later "returns" them to her.
- Compassion. At 2 years old the baby is already acquainted with the emotions of children and adults. He does not separate himself from the outside world, therefore he perceives other people's sufferings as his own. For example, if another person is hurt, the baby will cry. If the mother shows how you can regret your grandmother or calls to stroke the cat, the baby learns to feel compassion.
- Ability to understand the feelings of others. At 3-4 years old, the baby is already separating himself from the outside world. He shares his feelings and experiences of others. At this time, he can empathize with his relatives, for example, help a tired mother bring a book or give grandmother glasses. However, at this age the child is more occupied with his own feelings.
- Sympathy. The kid already understands the results of his and others' actions. He is ready to help, but he does not always realize how it can be done.
- Joy for another. By 6-9 years, with successive actions of parents, the child is open to help others. He seeks to help his comrades and does it according to the situation.
Altruism, as the highest stage of empathy, allows people to help by sacrificing their own interests.
Development of the emotional sphere of the child
Empathy is impossible without developing the emotions of the baby. To do this, you can use:
- joint games to recognize emotions in pictures;
- game expression of emotions in a voice, for example, laughter or crying;
- story games and fairy tales;
- the image of the emotions of animals;
- Discuss what the child and mother feel;
- discussion of moral issues, for example, why animals can not be tortured;
- education of an active life position.
The latter is due to the indifferent attitude towardssuffering of others and helping them, for example, making houses for birds. It is necessary to develop empathy from childhood. An unfeeling child will have problems with communication and will not be able to adapt well in society.
