When your preschooler refuses to share their favourite toy, it’s easy to worry. But have you ever wondered why some children naturally seem to be cooperative and friendly, while your little one keeps playing without noticing? That’s because children aren’t born with empathy. Their brains simply haven’t developed the ability to see the world from someone else’s perspective yet. That’s why parents have to take active steps, especially during their kids’ early years, to develop empathy. When children learn empathy early, they build stronger friendships, manage emotions better, and navigate social situations with confidence—skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.
The most effective tool for teaching empathy? Play. Through everyday moments of play and interaction, you can help your child develop this essential life skill. In this blog, we will share practical, play-based strategies to nurture empathy in your little one. But first, let’s understand what empathy is.
What is Empathy?
Empathy is the ability to understand and share others’ feelings. It goes beyond feeling sorry for someone. It means recognising emotions, understanding perspectives, and responding with kindness.
In young children, empathy develops gradually. Children first learn that others have feelings separate from their own. Then they begin recognising emotions, naming them, managing their reactions, and eventually learning how to comfort or help others. This doesn’t happen naturally. Like language and social skills, empathy grows through everyday experiences, nurturing relationships, and playful interactions. When children practise empathy early, they build stronger friendships and feel more confident navigating social situations later in life.
Read More – Cultivate Empathy in Toddlers
How to Teach Empathy to Kids?
Play is one of the most natural and effective ways to nurture empathy. Through games, role-play, storytelling, and everyday moments, children learn how to understand and respond to others’ emotions. Besides that, there are different ways parents can teach children empathy. Here are some ways of teaching children empathy:
1. Encourage Role-Play and Pretend Play
Role-play helps children step into someone else’s shoes. When they pretend to be parents, teachers, doctors, or friends, they begin to imagine how others feel.
Try simple scenarios like:
- “Your friend is sad. What can we do to help?”
- “Pretend the baby is crying, how will you comfort them?”
These simple scenarios help children understand other perspectives slowly and gradually. Additionally, role-play also improves communication, cooperation, and confidence.
2. Use Toys, Puppets, and Stuffed Animals
Children often use toys as a way to express emotions they don’t yet know how to talk about. Dolls, action figures, and stuffed animals become “characters” through which children act out real-life situations. This gives parents a natural opportunity to gently guide emotional learning without turning it into a lesson.
Instead of watching from the side, try joining your child’s play and becoming part of their imaginary world. Pick up a toy and introduce a small, relatable problem in a soft and playful way. For example, you could say, “My teddy is feeling sad because he lost his favourite toy. I don’t know how to help him. What do you think we should do?”
When children respond, they begin thinking about feelings, solutions, and kindness in a way that feels fun and natural. These brief conversations during play help children learn to recognise emotions, consider how others feel, and practise caring responses without pressure or instruction. Over time, this playful practice translates into real-life empathy.
3. Encourage Team Activities and Group Play
Young children naturally focus on their own ideas and needs first. Group activities gently introduce them to the idea that others have thoughts and opinions, too. When children work together on something—whether it’s completing a puzzle, building a block tower, cooking a simple snack, or going on a mini scavenger hunt—they begin to practise listening, sharing, waiting, and compromising.
4. Build Emotional Vocabulary
Children experience big emotions long before they have the words to describe them. A child who feels frustrated may cry or throw a toy simply because they don’t know how to say, “I feel upset.” This is where playful emotional learning comes into play. You can turn everyday moments into small learning opportunities. Make funny faces in the mirror and name the emotion. Play games where your child guesses feelings from expressions. While reading stories, pause and ask how a character might feel.
When children learn words like happy, nervous, excited, disappointed, and frustrated, they become better at expressing themselves and understanding others, too.
5. Teach Sportsmanship Through Games
Games are full of emotional highs and lows. There is excitement, disappointment, pride, and frustration, all packed into one activity. Instead of avoiding these moments, use them as teaching opportunities.
After a game ends, have a gentle conversation. Ask your child how they felt when they won or lost. Then ask how they think the other player felt. These simple questions help children understand that everyone experiences emotions differently.
Over time, children begin to learn that being kind, encouraging, and respectful matters more than simply winning.
6. Use Stories to Build Understanding
Stories are one of the easiest ways to introduce empathy. When children listen to stories, they naturally connect with characters and imagine their experiences.
After reading together, ask simple questions like, “Why do you think the character felt sad?” or “What would you do if you were in their place?” These conversations help children practise perspective-taking in a safe and comfortable way.
Through stories, children learn that people can feel happy, scared, nervous, or excited, and that all feelings are valid.
7. Model Empathy Every Day
Children learn far more from what we do than what we say. The way adults speak, react, and treat others becomes their example of how the world works.
Small daily actions, like saying please and thank you, listening patiently, apologising when wrong, or helping someone in need, teach powerful lessons. When children consistently see empathy in action, they begin to copy those behaviours naturally.
Read More – Teaching Toddlers About Emotions
Other Benefits of Play-Based Teaching
Teaching empathy through play supports overall development in many ways:
- Improves communication and language skills
- Strengthens emotional regulation
- Encourages teamwork and cooperation
- Builds confidence and creativity
- Helps children practise real-life social situations
- Develops self-awareness and problem-solving skills
Conclusion
Empathy isn’t something children are born with; it grows through guidance, practice, and everyday experiences. By using play as a teaching tool, parents can nurture compassion in a natural and joyful way.
Through role-play, teamwork, storytelling, and simple daily habits, you can help your child become a kind, respectful, and emotionally confident individual. And along the way, you will create meaningful moments that strengthen your bond with your little one.
You can visit the EuroKids blog for more insightful and fun articles on your baby’s growth, health, and learning. Don’t forget to check out EuroKids Preschool Admission for the perfect start to your little one’s learning journey.
