Although it may feel counterintuitive, we must focus on ourselves before we can learn empathy and compassion. We need to easily recognize and label our own experiences and emotions before we can understand others may have similar feelings. Luckily, there are fun and easy activities you can do with your child/students that can assist them with this connection.
- Make exaggerated facial expressions and verbalize the feeling that corresponds with it. ie: "I feel sad" while pretending to have a deep frown, furrowed eyebrow, soft crying Then announce, "Now you pretend!" and have your little one look at themselves in the mirror and match the emotion. Continue with other contrasting emotions. If you pretend sad one turn, do excited or joyful on the next.
- Once your child has mastered labeling and modeling at least a few of the practiced emotions, you can use that prior knowledge to help them internalize the labeling of the emotion while they are genuinely feeling it. For example, if you see they are sad and crying try verbalizing, "I see it looks like you are feeling sad. Your mouth is frowning, your shoulders are droopy, and I see your tears." If they are able to make conversation during this moment invite them to share what led up to their feelings of sadness so that they can continue to make connections with events and their inner thoughts and emotions. Continue to help your child label and connect with as many emotions as possible.
- Take a Feelings Observation Field Trip! Maybe sit on the bench at the park and watch people go by. Discuss how you each think others might be feeling and share why. ie: "I think that little girl is happy because she is smiling and laughing. I think she likes to swing." "I think that boy might be feeling sad. He is frowning and he is all alone. I think he might wish someone would play with him." This is something you can do anywhere you go: waiting at the doctor's office, noticing people around you at the grocery store, or even while watching characters on TV or in movies.
Extending: Once your child is able to routinely recognize probable emotions on real life people, you can extend that activity while looking through favorite picture books. Have them study illustrations for hints about how the characters in the stories may be feeling and look for clues within the storyline to back those guesses up. In Bodhi Cheetah Always Wins, Bodhi notices how her friends' facial expressions and actions can give clues about how they are feeling too.