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• Grades 6-12
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Check Out These 33 Empathy Prompts!

Create a classroom of caring and understanding students.

Although it’s currently a hot topic politically, 80% of parents support their children learning social and emotional skills . Getting students to think about others and having empathy should be at the heart of every lesson and interaction. These 33 empathy prompts will help you create a classroom of caring and understanding students.

Here’s how you can use these empathy prompts in your classroom throughout the year:

• Have a slide displayed on your board when students walk into class and have students write down an answer on a sticky note.
• Share the slideshow in your online classroom along with a link to a Google doc for students to respond.
• Put up a prompt for students to read and have a class discussion about what they would do or how they feel about the situation.
• Pair students up and have them share their ideas based on the prompt. Bring students back together to share their ideas as a class.

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1. You and your friend auditioned for the lead role in a play. You found out that you got the lead role. Your friend is upset with you. How would you handle this situation?

2. Your friend has told you about a problem they had but you don’t know what to say or how to help them. How might you make them feel better?

3. A friend has opened to you about how they’re feeling at home now that their parents have divorced. How do you respond to your friend?

4. If you asked your friend how they were doing and they told you everything about their day that went wrong, how would you respond?

5. A new student has started in your class, and they don’t know where anything is on campus and don’t have any friends. How can you make them feel comfortable?

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6. Your friend just tried out for the basketball team and didn’t make it. How would you comfort them?

7. A classmate shared that their dog passed away over the weekend. How would you respond to the classmate?

8. You heard another student call your friend a bad name on the playground. How would you handle the situation?

9. Your friend did poorly on a test at school and is nervous to tell his mom. What would you say?

10. You see a new classmate on the playground sitting by themselves reading a book. What would you do?

11. A student walks into your classroom with their arms folded and head down. How might they be feeling and how can you help them?

12. A classmate is really struggling with solving a math problem. They break their pencil and throw it to the ground. How would you handle the situation?

13. Your friend told you they had a tough morning before getting to school. They don’t really want to tell you what happened, but you can tell they’re pretty upset. How would you handle this situation?

14. You are trying to tell your siblings a story, but your mom keeps interrupting you. How does this make you feel?

15. You notice a classmate taking money out of another classmate’s backpack. How does this make you feel? How would you handle this situation?

16. During a social studies test, you notice a classmate looking at their social studies book inside their desk. What should you do?

17. Your friend is being disrespectful to the teacher during a lesson. How does this make you feel? What should you do?

18. Your friend tells you that they’re really excited about being on the basketball team, but you haven’t told them yet that you didn’t make the team. How would you handle this situation?

19. Your friend is upset with you because you earned a higher score on the math test than they did even though you studied together. How does this make you feel? How would you handle this situation?

20. Your brother lied to your parents about where he was going after school. You don’t want him to get in trouble, but you also want to be honest with your parents. What do you do?

21. You’re all taking turns reading aloud in front of a small group in class. A classmate doesn’t want to read aloud, so he storms out of the classroom. What would you do?

22. You notice a classmate walking alone behind you and your group of friends who are walking together. How does this make you feel? What would you do?

23. A friend doesn’t understand the assignment in class but is too afraid to ask the teacher. How would you help?

24. You hear classmates making fun of the new student and the way he speaks English. How does this make you feel? What would you do?

25. Your friend is frustrated because she has too much work to do for her English class. She also has dance class and other family commitments. She has told you she is overwhelmed and starts crying. How does this make you feel? What would you do to help?

26. Your two friends, who have been friends for a long time, are not talking to each other anymore. How would you handle this situation?

27. You know your friend isn’t happy because they aren’t telling you as much as they used to and they’ve been distant. How does this make you feel? How would you handle this situation?

28. Your friend is feeling like they can’t do anything right. They haven’t made any sports teams they’ve tried out for, and they keep forgetting to turn in assignments. How might you help or encourage your friend?

29. You have a new friend who is learning English. They have trouble understanding assignments and making other friends. How does this make you feel? How would you help?

30. Your friend can’t get the latest fashion or even the trendiest shoes. You know she’s upset that everyone else has new clothes. How does this make you feel? What should you do?

31. A classmate comes to school every morning wearing the same clothes. Some people don’t want to sit next to him because he smells. How does this make you feel? What would you do?

32. A classmate’s family is very well-known in your community, but everyone knows that your classmate is not the nicest person. He doesn’t have many friends, but always uses his family to get on the teams at school. People talk badly about him behind his back. How does this make you feel? How would you handle this?

33. A friend just lost a grandparent to cancer. They were very close to their grandparent and not their parents. How does this make you feel? What would you do?

The majority of teachers, students, and parents agree: Social Emotional Learning (SEL), like this empathy activity, belongs in schools. Visit the Leading with SEL website for actions you can take to support SEL.

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40 Empathy Activities & Worksheets for Students & Adults

While many of a child’s everyday activities, such as playing, going to school, and interacting with caregivers, will provide natural opportunities to develop these critical traits, there is plenty we can do to proactively develop a child’s kindness and empathy.

Likewise, imagine how different classrooms, offices, organizations, and homes around the world might be if more adults stopped to consider how they might demonstrate more empathy and kindness in their regular interactions.

To this end, this article will walk you through a range of fun activities, exercises, and worksheets to help both children and adults develop the capacity for kindness and empathy in everyday life.

Kindness and empathy are important in fostering emotional intelligence. Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Emotional Intelligence Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will not only enhance your ability to understand and work with your emotions but will also give you the tools to foster the emotional intelligence of your clients, students or employees.

This Article Contains:

How to teach kindness to children, 7 kindness activities for elementary students, preschoolers, and middle schoolers, world kindness day activities.

• How to Teach Empathy to Children & Adults

3 Empathy Worksheets for Students & Adults (PDFs)

Other fun empathy exercises for the classroom, a take-home message.

How do you teach something as important as kindness to children?

This likely sounds like a very daunting task. The good news is that kindness is a natural human response that likely won’t need much prodding or encouragement. However, it is something that should be practiced regularly to ensure that it will stick with kids throughout childhood and into adulthood.

Kindness can be taught at home or in the classroom, and preferably, it’s taught in both contexts.

There are many strategies for teaching kindness—far too many to include them all here—but below are six solid strategies to start with (Proud to be Primary, 2017).

Brainstorm ideas as a class (or a family)

Children (and adults) are more likely to be engaged and involved in something they helped create or develop (Dirks, Cummings, & Pierce, 1996). With this concept in mind, brainstorming ideas on how to be kind as a class should instill a sense of ownership in kids that helps them feel excited about practicing kindness.

You can brainstorm as a large group with open-ended questions like, “What was something kind you saw someone do lately—big or small?” Write down the students’ responses on a whiteboard or chalkboard and break them into two categories (big vs. small), but be sure to emphasize the importance of small acts of kindness in addition to grand gestures.

You can also have students brainstorm independently by passing out a notecard to each child and instructing the students to write down something nice that someone else did for them lately and how it made them feel. Once the students are done, collect the notecards and read them aloud in order to help the students understand acts of kindness.

Random acts of kindness

Once students understand what acts of kindness are, introduce them to the idea of random acts of kindness. Sharing this idea with students can encourage them to show kindness to their friends and families in unexpected ways.

One method is to use complimentary notes or positive sticky notes. Provide the class with a supply of sticky notes and explain that anyone can take a sticky note at any time and write down a compliment for another student. They should sneak the sticky note onto that student’s desk when he or she is not looking to make it truly random and fun.

Another method is to use thank-you notes. Give your students some time to write down their appreciation for someone who recently did something nice for them, and encourage them to deliver their notes as soon as they can.

Acts of kindness challenge

Challenging your students to a competition can be an effective motivator for increasing kindness. In this challenge, students will recognize when someone does something nice for them unexpectedly and surprise others with random acts of kindness themselves.

Give the students a goal to meet, such as performing three kind acts per week or noticing five kind acts per week. To keep them excited about the challenge, give them star stickers to add to a classroom chart or a paper cutout to stick on a bulletin board when they meet their goal.

While you are encouraging students to be kinder to others, make sure to practice some kindness yourself. Give each student at least one compliment before the end of the day. Before letting your students go for the day, tell them that you purposely complimented each of them during the day and that you noticed a positive change in the classroom mood.

Explain that these positive changes are common outcomes of practicing kindness.

Read books about kindness

Depending on how old your students are, you might want to read them one of these age-appropriate books about practicing kindness.

For kindergarteners to second-graders, Nancy Elizabeth Wallace’s The Kindness Quilt is a good book to read and discuss.

For more advanced readers, Carol McCloud’s Have You Filled a Bucket Today? will teach students the idea that everyone carries an invisible bucket that can be filled with compliments and kindness.

Classroom lessons

Classroom lessons on kindness can also have a big impact on how kind students tend to be. There are many lessons out there of various lengths that utilize different methods of teaching kindness.

For ideas on how to incorporate classroom lessons on kindness into your teaching, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has several useful lesson plans and curriculums targeted toward a range of different year and age groups on their website.

Rewards and positive reinforcement

Finally, you can use  rewards and positive reinforcement to encourage more kindness in the classroom. This can be as simple as a moment of praise or a sticker, or something more personal like a kindness card or a certificate of kindness.

You can even recruit the other students to help you pass out rewards for students caught being kind.

Many of these can be adapted for use in the home as well as the classroom.

However, the most important thing to remember when it comes to teaching kindness is to model the behavior you hope to see in the children—be kind yourself, and they will be more likely to mirror that kindness (Radke-Yarrow & Zahn-Waxler, 1984).

A quick Google search will reveal dozens, if not hundreds, of kindness activities for children and students. We’ve listed some of our favorites below.

1. How are you?

How Are You? is a very simple activity, but its potential to encourage a positive emotional state should not be underestimated. Integrating it into your lessons is as easy as asking a single question at the beginning of class:

“How are you feeling today?”

Not only will this let the students know that someone cares about how they are feeling, but it also signals to them that sometimes they’ll be feeling something negative—and that there’s nothing wrong with that.

We can all use this reminder that we are human and are all subject to emotions and feelings that we’d rather not have.

This reminder can be especially helpful for teenagers, who are likely dealing with more intense and varied emotions than people of other age groups.

After asking this question, you can instruct students to turn and talk to their neighbor, or share with the whole class.

Starting the day with this activity can get students in the right frame of mind to be more kind and empathetic towards one another, and it can alert you to potential problems with specific students.

2. Group circle

Before beginning this activity, choose a “talking piece”—this is an object that is passed around the group and signals that the holder has exclusive speaking rights. You can use a stuffed animal, a small beach ball, or any object that is easy to hold and pass around.

If you can, remove the desks or tables from the classroom. If this is not possible, you can either push the desks and chairs to the perimeter of the room, arrange the chairs in a circle, or sit on the floor with the whole class.

Tell your students that in the Group Circle , only one person may talk at a time and everyone else must listen quietly and respectfully.

Show the class the talking piece and explain that only the individual holding the talking piece may speak.

• First, have the students pass the talking piece around the circle as a way to check in with each student. This is a good opportunity for everyone to practice holding and passing the talking piece, as well as an opportunity for students to say a few quick words about how they are feeling or what is on their mind.
• As the teacher/facilitator of the activity, introduce a topic or ask a question that you would like the circle to respond to. However, after you have sparked the conversation, make sure to take your seat in the circle, and become a member rather than a leader.

This activity can be a good way to start the day, end the day, or simply encourage community and kindness at any time.

It is especially useful after something particularly emotional or traumatic happens, whether that event took place in the classroom, in your city, or on another continent.

The Group Circle exercise helps students relate to one another, and it can encourage students to accept and share feelings that may be difficult to talk about. This lesson outline also contains tips and suggestions to help you get started.

3. Nice things

This is a quick and easy activity you can try with children of nearly any age. It’s an especially good idea to use this positive, mood-boosting activity to start class (or your day, if you’re at home).

Instruct each student to turn to one of their neighbors and tell him or her something good. Specifically, you can have them finish one of these positive “talking stems,” or prompts:

• One nice thing in my life is…
• Something nice that happened is…

Encourage the kids to be creative with their “nice thing,” but if they’re having trouble coming up with something, assure them that the nice thing can be as small as eating something they liked for dinner last night.

Once all students have shared a nice thing with their partners, open it up to the entire classroom. Ask for volunteers who would like to share their nice thing with the class, or volunteers who have given their neighbors permission to share their nice things for them.

This is an excellent activity to get kids in a positive mood, and it’s appropriate for kids of all ages—even teenagers can find at least one good thing in their lives.

Sharing the nice thing will put the students in a more positive frame of mind, and sharing something personal and positive with others will make them feel heard and affirmed by others.

4. Silent appreciation

Given the nature of the silent appreciation activity , it will only be suitable for classes where everyone has at least some writing ability—so it likely won’t work for a classroom of preschoolers.

First, you will need to put together a handout with sentence stems (or prompts) on it:

• One cool thing I’ve learned from you is…
• I admire your personality because…
• I am so grateful that you do/are…
• I have confidence in you when…
• Some great things about you are…
• I think it’s great the way you… 
• I enjoy spending time with you because…

Make sure to leave plenty of room for students to finish these sentences, especially if they are younger writers. Next, pass out the handouts and ask each student to write only their name at the top of the paper.

Collect the handouts and pass them out once again, randomly this time.

Make sure each student received a different student’s handout.

Instruct the students to be silent for a few minutes while they write something about the person whose handout they received. They can respond to just one sentence stem or several if they have more good things to say about the person.

After the few minutes are up, have each student pass the handout to another student (not the handout’s owner, yet).

Encourage the students to complete whichever sentence stem calls to them, whether another student has completed it or not.

After doing a few rounds of this, pass all of the papers back to their owners and give them a chance to read all of the nice things their peers have written about them.

If you’d like to continue the positivity, you can ask for volunteers to share one or two of the nice things on their handout. It will make the reader feel good, the writer feels good, and encourage everyone to be a little more positive.

5. Thank you post

Another activity that can help students practice their writing while injecting a little positivity into the classroom is called Thank You Post .

First, create a “postbox” to leave in the back of the classroom. This can be an opportunity to get creative and make a postbox that reflects the class, or you can have the class help you create the box. For example, you could have the class vote on a theme for the postbox, or each student could pick out one small space on it to decorate however he or she would like.

Wherever you place the postbox, make sure to leave small slips of paper or sticky notes nearby.

Tell students that they can use the box to write down positive messages, thank-you notes, or messages of appreciation or encouragement to their fellow students or the teacher, teaching assistant, or another adult in the classroom.

The students may need some examples of what to write. Model what a good appreciation message sounds like by reading a few sample messages out loud with the class.

You have a couple of options when it comes to reading the notes of appreciation:

• You can open up the Thank You Post every few days and read all the notes, or “mail”, to the class;
• You can take out a few notes and read them to the class every day (early in the day to encourage positivity in the classroom or late in the day to end class on a positive note); or
• You can give students a set amount of time to contribute to the postbox, then distribute the notes to their intended recipients at the end of that period (i.e., the last class before winter break or summer vacation).

You can choose any of these methods or create your own method that works for your class. The important thing is that each student should eventually get to hear or read a note of thanks or appreciation that someone has written about him or her.

This activity encourages students to be kind to one another and to be on the lookout for positive things to write down and slip into the Thank You Post.

6. Here’s to…

If you have a particularly chatty class or a class that hasn’t mastered writing yet, this Here’s To… activity can be a good substitute for the Thank You Post .

Your students will likely need some modeling to get comfortable with this activity, especially if you have a lot of shy kids in your class. Plan at least a couple of weeks of modeling these mini “toasts” before encouraging your students to join in.

There are many ways to start a Here’s To (Student) toast, but three positive sentence stems might include:

• I truly enjoy how . . .
• Here’s to ___, for their amazing. . .
• I’d like to give a mention to . . .

Use sentiments like these to thank students for their contributions, praise them for a job well-done, or call out an act of kindness .

Eventually, your students may pick up on what you’re doing and start making their own Here’s To… toasts. However, you may need to specifically encourage them to join you in calling out fellow students for praise or thanks.

This activity can be a great way to end the day. Spending just a few minutes on it at the end of class can boost everyone’s mood, give students a chance to publicly appreciate one another, and send students home riding a wave of positivity and kindness.

7. Partner up

It’s as simple as assigning each student a partner—you can let the students pick their own partners, you can choose a companion for them, or you can alternate between both methods.

If your students tend to stick with their existing friend groups or cliques, assigning a buddy rather than letting them choose may be more effective.

You don’t have to use the word “partner”; instead, pick a word that fits well with your class’s interests.

If you have a lot of young kids who aspire to become pilots, you can use the term “copilot.” If your classroom is an older one with a good sense of humor, you can say they’ll pair up with a “wingman” or “wingwoman.”

Whatever terminology you choose, the activity is the same—students will work with their partners and turn to their partners first when they need help.

For example, if a student missed a day of class and needs copies of handouts or lecture notes, she should first ask her partner.

Or, if a student is having trouble with a concept that’s being taught, he should first check in with his partner to see whether he or she can explain it before asking another person.

You’ve probably noticed a theme—whatever issue or problem a student is having (unless it’s an emergency), he or she should first work one-on-one with a partner to attempt to solve it. If that fails, the student can ask the teacher.

To make sure students get a chance to work on their relationship skills with a wide range of people and personalities, have them switch buddies regularly. They can find a new partner each week, every other week, every month, or any period of time that works for your class.

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It’s an international day of kindness recognized by countries around the world that encourages everyone to look beyond the boundaries of race, religion, and politics and to appreciate the humanity in all of us.

World Kindness Day is the perfect time to practice kindness, whether it’s toward family members, friends, coworkers, or strangers.

While many of the activities and exercises are perfect for World Kindness Day, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation also has a list of 10 easy activities you can do to celebrate the holiday.

The activities are:

• Compliment the first three people you talk to;
• Write a handwritten note to a teacher;
• Say “good morning” to the person next to you on the elevator (or bus, or subway, or street);
• Pick up litter. Spend 10 minutes cleaning a park or your neighborhood;
• Place uplifting notes in library books, on restroom mirrors, on someone’s locker, or on a coworker’s computer screen;
• Dedicate 24 hours to spreading positivity on social media;
• Hold up inspiring signs during rush hour;
• Leave a generous tip;
• Send flowers to a friend;
• Set an alarm to go off three times on World Kindness Day. When the alarm sounds, stop what you’re doing and call, text, or email someone simply to tell them how awesome they are (The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, 2013).

If that’s not enough for you, here are five more ideas from The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (2016):

• Positive Sticky Notes: Leave sticky notes with positive messages (i.e., “You are amazing, smart, and talented”) on your friends’ (or strangers!) lockers or your coworkers’ desks;
• Thank-You Letter: Write (and send!) an anonymous letter to someone you respect in your school, workplace, or other community space;
• RAK Bulletin Board: Create a bulletin board in your school or workplace and provide plenty of paper in fun shapes or designs on which people can write about the random acts of kindness they have received or benefitted from;
• RAK Calendar: Download the random acts of kindness calendar sheet here and share it with your students. Challenge students to complete all 30 acts of kindness or at least one in each of the five categories (On the Playground, In the Hallway, In the Classroom, Towards Adults, and Towards Kids);
• Custodian Appreciation: Have your students write letters and put up signs showing their appreciation for the people who keep the school clean and tidy. Encourage your students to make a special effort to keep the classroom clean to lighten the custodians’ workload.

For more ideas on how to celebrate World Kindness Day with random acts of kindness, take a look at the many ideas listed on the Random Acts of Kindness website .

How to Teach Empathy to Children and Adults

While kindness involves acts of goodwill, smiles, and positive words, empathy is about earnest listening, relating to one another, and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes (Hall, Schwartz, & Duong, 2021).

There are many ways to introduce, discuss, and encourage empathy in the classroom, including tackling empathy directly by including it in the curriculum (Crowley & Saide, 2016).

For example, if you teach language arts, have the class define empathy and identify characters in literature that demonstrate empathy. Or, if you teach public speaking, highlight the importance of empathizing with one’s audience—students should think about who their audience is and how to best relate to that audience before stepping to the podium.

You could also take some concrete steps to inject your classroom with a culture of empathy, steps like (Crowley & Saide, 2016):

• Reading stories from the perspective of characters similar to your students;
• Following a student schedule for a day;
• Surveying students frequently to help students understand what is in the minds of their peers.

Just as modeling kindness is vital to teaching the concept to students, so is modeling empathy. The most important thing you can do to encourage empathy in your students is to use empathy yourself, whether with your students, other teachers, or even with fictional characters.

Show your students how to be empathetic towards others, even if you don’t agree with that person or are not necessarily sympathetic towards them.

As noted earlier, it is vital to start teaching kindness and empathy early on, but adults are also capable of increasing their capacity for empathy. The following resource is a good source of information on teaching empathy to adults:

• This PDF from Dr. Lawrence J. Bookbinder and Jan Johnson makes an excellent handout for an empathy-building class or for clients in counseling who want to increase their empathy. It defines empathy, describes why it’s an important trait to have, and explains how to practice it, how it will benefit those you care about, and how it will benefit you personally.

While it’s important to instill kindness and empathy  as early as possible, it’s never too late to learn how to be more empathetic. There are many worksheets and activities for students, adolescents, and adults to enhance their capacity for empathy.

Below is a list of some worksheets and exercises that work well for students and adults.

Practicing empathic listening

This is a very useful exercise that can encourage empathy in people of all ages. Therapists are advised to begin with an explanation of what empathetic listening involves – use these main elements to give a good flavor for the approach as a whole:

• Keeping one’s comments and opinions to oneself – concentrate on not talking while the other person is talking;
• Maintaining good eye contact and pay attention while looking directly at them;
• Pausing where required;
• When the other person stops talking try to paraphrasing key words or translate what he or she said – this is reflecting what you believe you have heard to ensure a clear understanding exists;
• Remaining focused on the other person as they talk;
• Considering their perspective – that is, listening in order to fully understand what the other is saying rather than preparing your reply;
• Communicating non-verbally with encouraging body language (such as nodding), while being aware of their non-verbal cues; and
• Identifying or reflecting the speaker’s feelings, for example, you can say, “You sound angry,” or “You seem to be upset.”

Listening might sound like an easy thing to do, but there is a big difference between listening without paying much attention and active listening (Robertson, 2005). Active listening is the best way to connect with another person and is vital for healthy relationships.

The second part of this worksheet takes this general description of active listening and encourages you to apply it in your life.

Step One is Practicing Pausing/Wait Time , and it works well with subgroups of three people if you are working with a larger group. Once participants are in triads, each will have a distinct role:

• The Speaker receives a prompt: “ Something I’ve been thinking about recently… ” and gives a response.
• The Interviewer listens. Once the Speaker has finished, they pause. If the Speaker doesn’t say anything further, they will then share a paraphrased version of what they said, and pause again.
• The speaker may say something else – if not, the Interviewer should offer an open-ended question before pausing once more. All in all, the conversational exchange should go on for around a minute and a half.
• The third participant, the Observer, watches the interaction between the other two participants, taking in-depth notes to provide constructive feedback later. They should note the duration for each pause in seconds, and the worksheet provides a space for this.

Some of the key benefits of this exercise are also found in reflecting on the activity after each participant has had a turn at each role. Prompts for discussion include:

• What is the purpose of waiting for 3-5 seconds before speaking?
• What did you notice about the average time Listeners waited before responding? and
• How did the speaker react when the listener waited?

There are a further two parts to this exercise – Practice Paraphrasing , and Reflecting Feelings. Together, they offer a valuable and comprehensive approach to honing the Empathic Techniques introduced above.

If this exercise interests you, here are a further five steps to practicing empathic listening in a real-life situation:

• Choose a person with whom you are having relationship difficulties or a person who holds different beliefs from your own, and really try to step into their shoes. For example, try to imagine you are doing someone else’s work. You can see whether your ability to empathize increases once you understand the other person’s point of view;
• Think about the conversations that you have had with that person. Consciously check your interpretations of what the person is saying;
• You can begin by focusing on the person, and before moving forward, think about what would happen if you framed the conversation with the question, “I just want to make sure I understand you. Can I clarify?” Rarely do people say no to this;
• Clarify what you’ve heard by reflecting the meanings and feelings of the other person. You can check if you fully understood the other by asking;
• When you are speaking, you can ask the other person if he or she wouldn’t mind sharing what they’ve heard you say. Then, if you feel misunderstood, you can consider how to correct his or her perception.

The full worksheet is available as part of a subscription to the Positive Psychology Toolkit© , however this shortened version – Listening Accurately Worksheet – is available for download.

Empathy bingo

Print out the handout found on the last page of this Empathy Bingo PDF, or copy the words to pieces of paper. The twelve squares should read:

• One-Upping;
• Storytelling;
• Shutting Down;
• Sympathizing;
• Interrogating;
• Explaining;
• Correcting;
• Fixing It; and
• Empathizing.

If you’re leading a group through this exercise, you can simply read through the dialogue between two people (labeled “A” and “B”) and instruct the group to decide which square corresponds with which conversation.

If you’re working through this worksheet on your own, have a friend write down the dialogues on a separate sheet of paper (so you don’t inadvertently see the correct pairings) and work through the activity by matching the reactions to the conversations.

The dialogues include back-and-forths such as:

A: I’m worried about having enough money to pay my bills this month.

B: I’ll loan you the money.

A: Look at my scar from the cycling accident.

B: That’s nothing, you should see the one I have on my knee.

A: I got caught in traffic for two hours in 100-degree weather and no air conditioning.

B: That reminds me of the time . . .

As you can see, each of these dialogues displays a reaction we may have when someone shares with us.

None of the three examples included here showcase empathy, but each dialogue models a particular type of reaction so that you have a chance to see them in action.

In case you’re wondering, the first dialogue corresponds to “Fixing It,” the second corresponds to “One-Upping,” and the third corresponds to “Storytelling.”

This exercise can help you or a group learn about the different ways we can respond to a friend in need of empathy, and why empathy is usually the best choice.

What is empathy? Worksheet

This empathy worksheet is great for students and younger children due to the simple language and child-oriented depictions of empathy, but the message of this worksheet can be useful for older students and adults as well.

Completing this worksheet will help students learn what empathy is, how to spot empathy, how to practice empathy, and why it’s important.

The handout offers the following description of empathy:

“Empathy is understanding and caring about what other people are feeling.

It is about putting yourself in their position so you can feel the same way as them. If another kid’s balloon blows away, you may empathize with him because you can understand his feeling of sadness.

Maybe, you might also feel a bit sad too. Feeling happy, sad, or another way because someone else does is empathy.”

After this definition of empathy, the second page provides space for the student to answer some prompts that will get him or her thinking about empathy.

These questions/prompts are:

• Write about a time when you felt happy or sad because you felt  what someone else was feeling;
• Do you think empathy is a good thing? and
• Write some ways you might strengthen your empathy by caring for others.

Responding to these prompts will encourage students to think of themselves as capable of empathizing with others, to think about how to practice empathy going forward, and to think critically about why empathy is so important.

How to raise kind children – Becky Goddard-Hill

Aside from all of the activities and exercises mentioned already, there are a few other fun exercises that can help your students build empathy.

Among them, an Empathy Race, Book Synopsis – and Storytelling .

Amazing empathy race

This activity involves the whole school, including staff members. Students are divided into teams and follow clues to activity stations that are set up throughout the school, with envelopes containing prompts and materials for the students to work with.

There are many different activities you could use here, but one good example activity is to provide students with a clue about a staff member. When they guess who the staff member is, they head to that person’s office to collect the next activity—conducting an interview and listening with compassion to the staff member.

This is a large-scale exercise, to be sure, but the payoff can be enormous in terms of enhancing empathy in the entire school.

Sculpting stories

This exercise involves students interviewing a person of their choice (inside or outside the school) and creating visual representations of what they learned. This will encourage students to practice active and compassionate listening, to put themselves in another’s shoes, and to share their stories with others.

Empathy book synopsis

Here’s another exercise that involves sharing stories: an Empathy Book Synopsis .

This involves instructing each student to select a character from a book they love (or one that you assign) and write a short book summary, or synopsis, focusing on this character and his or her experiences.

This activity will allow students to practice synthesizing events from a person’s life into feelings or needs—an important skill for any future literature and writing courses—as well as effectively relating to others in the real world.

If students have easy access to technology, a video can be substituted for the speech or write-up.

17 Exercises To Develop Emotional Intelligence

These 17 Emotional Intelligence Exercises [PDF] will help others strengthen their relationships, lower stress, and enhance their wellbeing through improved EQ.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

There are plenty of resources out there for helping children and students to become kinder, more empathetic people. Adults can also learn these traits. It’s never too late to focus on building empathy and kindness in ourselves and in our communities.

The challenge of helping students (and adults) build kindness and empathy can seem overwhelming at first, but there are many practical ways to do it, and the outcome can be enormously positive for all involved.

What are your thoughts on teaching kindness and empathy in the classroom? How do you teach your children or students to be kind, or how do you work on building those traits in yourself? Let us know in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Emotional Intelligence Exercises for free .

• Crowley, B., & Saide, B. (2016). Building empathy in classrooms and schools. Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2016/01/20/building-empathy-in-classrooms-and-schools.html
• Dirks, K. T., Cummings, L. L., & Pierce, J. L. (1996). Psychological ownership in organizations: Conditions under which individuals promote and resist change. Research in Organizational Change and Development , 9, 1-23.
• Hall, J. A., Schwartz, R., & Duong, F. (2021). How do laypeople define empathy? The Journal of Social Psychology , 161(1), 5-24.
• Inspire Kindness. (2020). World Kindness Day 2020: Your complete guide . Retrieved from https://inspirekindness.com/blog/world-kindness-day
• Proud to Be Primary. (2017, May 8). Teaching kindness in the classroom. Proud to Be Primary. Retrieved from https://proudtobeprimary.com/teaching-kindness-classroom/
• Radke-Yarrow, M., & Zahn-Waxler, C. (1984). Roots, motives, and patterns in children’s prosocial behavior. In E. Staub, D. Bar-Tal, J. Karylowski, & J. Reykowski (Eds.), Development and Maintenance of Prosocial Behavior. Critical Issues in Social Justice (Vol. 31, pp. 81-99). Boston, MA: Springer.
• Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. (2013, November 13). 10 fun ways to celebrate World Kindness Day. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/the-kindness-blog/2766-10-fun-ways-to-celebrate-world-kindness-day
• Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. (2016, December 1). 5 simple classroom activities to celebrate World Kindness Day. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/the-kindness-blog/1-5-simple-classroom-activities-to-celebrate-world-kindness-day
• Robertson, K. (2005). Active listening: more than just paying attention. Australian Family Physician, 34(12), 1053-1055.

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Thank you very helpful information.

Very useful information. These tools will help you have a success group of people on your team.

Such great activities and fun challenges for kids. I will try some of these with my kids. I think you could make those in a kind of a scratch-board where kids could scratch out the things they have done and see their progress over time. Thanks for the idea! I also have something to add to your list. At the end of the thirty-day marathon, kids could read a book about kindness. I have just the one here aliciaortego.com/kindness-is-my-superpower/. Hope you’ll like it.

Excellent and very helpful!

It is a great source of knowledge upon the kindness activities empathy worksheets. I am really happy to come across this exceptionally well written content. I love this article, thanks for producing such great contents. I love your posts always. Thanks for sharing and look for more in future!!

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Empathy Building Activities: 49 Activities for Students and Adults

• 1 What is Empathy?
• 2 Why is Empathy Important?
• 3 Empathy Building Activities
• 4 Conclusion

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the thoughts and feelings of others. It is an important skill that can greatly benefit both children and adults. Building empathy can help improve social skills, foster kindness, and encourage a greater understanding of others. In this blog post, we will explore 49 empathy building activities that are suitable for students and adults alike.

What is Empathy?

Before we dive into the activities, let’s first understand what empathy is. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the thoughts and feelings of others. It involves putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and seeing the world from their perspective. Empathy allows us to connect with others on a deeper level and build stronger relationships .

Why is Empathy Important?

Empathy is an essential skill for building positive relationships and fostering kindness. When we are able to empathize with others, we are more likely to show empathy and kindness towards them. This can help create a more supportive and inclusive environment, both at school and in our personal lives. Additionally, empathy can improve our communication skills and help us resolve conflicts more effectively.

Empathy Building Activities

Random acts of kindness.

Encourage individuals to perform gestures of kindness towards others without specific intention or expectation. This can involve actions like holding doors, complimenting others, or offering assistance. Random acts of kindness help promote empathy by cultivating a habit of considering and meeting the needs of others.

Perspective Taking

Promote empathy by asking individuals to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and consider their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This activity encourages individuals to broaden their perspective and understand varying viewpoints, fostering empathy and understanding.

Facial Expressions Activity

Engage in exercises that focus on recognizing and interpreting different facial expressions to understand the emotions someone may be experiencing. By becoming more attentive to facial cues, individuals can develop better empathy skills, enhancing their ability to respond empathetically to others.

Writing Letters of Appreciation

Encourage individuals to write letters expressing gratitude and appreciation to someone who has positively impacted their lives. This activity helps individuals cultivate empathy by putting themselves in someone else’s shoes and acknowledging the impact of kindness and support.

Role-Playing

Engage in role-playing scenarios where individuals take on different perspectives and act out how they would respond in specific situations. This activity allows individuals to practice empathy by considering different viewpoints, fostering understanding and compassion.

Discussing Emotions

Create a safe space for individuals to openly discuss and share their emotions. By promoting open dialogue about feelings and experiences, this activity helps build empathy by encouraging individuals to listen, understand, and support one another.

Mindfulness Exercises

Practice mindfulness exercises that focus on being present, observing one’s own thoughts and emotions, and developing self-awareness. These exercises can enhance empathy by increasing individuals’ ability to understand and connect with their own emotions, leading to better understanding of others.

Volunteering in the Community

Engage in community service projects or volunteer work that allows individuals to actively contribute and make a positive difference in other people’s lives. Volunteering helps individuals develop empathy by immersing them in different situations and nurturing a sense of compassion for those in need.

Hosting a Charity Event

Organize an event to raise funds and awareness for a cause, providing opportunities for individuals to contribute to a larger cause and understand the needs of others. Hosting a charity event can foster empathy by encouraging individuals to come together and support a common goal, promoting empathy and compassion for those being helped.

Participating in a Compassion Meditation

Engage in guided or self-directed meditation practices that focus on cultivating compassion and empathy towards oneself and others. Compassion meditation can help individuals develop a deeper understanding and empathy for the emotions and struggles of others.

Reading Non-Fiction Books about People from Different Backgrounds

Explore literature that tells the real-life stories and experiences of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Reading non-fiction books can expand individuals’ perspectives and deepen their empathy by providing insights into the challenges and triumphs of others.

Having a Cultural Potluck or Sharing Traditions

Organize an event where individuals can share and celebrate their cultural heritage, traditions, and cuisines. This activity promotes empathy by encouraging participants to appreciate and respect different cultures and gain a better understanding of the experiences and values of others.

Partnering with a Pen Pal from Another Country

Connect with someone from a different country or culture through pen pal exchanges. This activity allows individuals to develop empathy by learning about each other’s lives, traditions, and perspectives, fostering cross-cultural understanding and empathy.

Empathy Walk

Organize a group walk in a local community or nature setting, and encourage participants to observe, reflect, and discuss their surroundings and the experiences of others they encounter. An empathy walk can help individuals develop empathy by promoting awareness and a deeper connection with the people and environments around them.

Watching Documentaries on Social Issues

Watch documentaries that shed light on social justice and inequality issues. Documentaries offer insights into different perspectives and experiences, fostering empathy by encouraging individuals to understand social issues through various lenses.

Creative Writing Prompts about Empathy

Engage individuals in writing exercises that encourage them to explore different scenarios and perspectives related to empathy. Creative writing prompts can help individuals develop a deeper understanding of others’ emotions and experiences, nurturing empathy and compassion.

Creating a Kindness Jar

Designate a jar where individuals can write and share acts of kindness done for them or witnessed. This activity helps individuals focus on and appreciate the kindness of others, building empathy and encouraging a culture of compassion and gratitude.

Active Listening Exercises

Engage in activities that promote active listening skills, such as practicing reflective listening or holding structured conversations. Active listening exercises help individuals become more attentive to others’ needs, emotions, and perspectives, fostering empathy in their interactions.

Holding a Mock Trial or Debate

Organize a mock trial or debate where individuals take on different roles and argue different perspectives. This activity encourages participants to understand and consider opposing viewpoints, fostering empathy by challenging assumptions and promoting open-mindedness.

Organizing a Community Service Project

Gather a group of individuals to plan and execute a community service project that aims to address a specific need or issue in your local area. This activity fosters empathy by promoting active engagement and understanding of the challenges faced by others, while also providing an opportunity to make a positive impact.

Reducing Negative Self-Talk

Engage in exercises and techniques to recognize and challenge negative self-talk. By promoting self-compassion and developing a more positive internal dialogue, this activity can enhance empathy by encouraging individuals to approach themselves and others with kindness and understanding.

Joining a Social Club

Become a member of a social club or organization that aligns with your interests or passions. Being part of a community of like-minded individuals provides opportunities to develop empathy by building relationships, understanding diverse perspectives, and collaborating on shared goals.

Performing in a Theater Production or Role Play

Participate in theater productions or role-play activities that require individuals to portray characters with different experiences, emotions, and perspectives. This activity fosters empathy by immersing individuals in the lives of others, enhancing their understanding and compassion.

Empathy Map Activity

Engage in empathy mapping exercises where individuals visualize and analyze the needs, thoughts, emotions, and experiences of others. This activity fosters empathy by encouraging individuals to actively consider multiple perspectives and develop a deeper understanding of others’ feelings and needs.

Active Reading and Writing about Diverse Perspectives

Read books, articles, and other written materials that showcase diverse perspectives and experiences. Engage in reflective writing exercises to process and express empathy towards the characters or authors, deepening understanding and cultivating empathy.

Group Counseling Sessions with a School Counselor

Participate in group counseling sessions led by a school counselor or mental health professional. These sessions provide a safe space for individuals to share their experiences, emotions, and challenges, fostering empathy by encouraging active listening, understanding, and support among participants.

Journaling about Empathy

Engage in regular journaling exercises focused specifically on empathy. By reflecting on their own experiences and interactions, individuals can develop a greater understanding of empathy and its importance in their lives and relationships.

Board Games that Encourage Empathy and Cooperation

Play board games that emphasize teamwork, cooperation, and empathy. These games provide opportunities for participants to collaborate, communicate, and consider the perspectives and needs of others, fostering empathy and strengthening interpersonal skills.

Using Empathy-Themed Conversation Starters

Engage in conversations with others using empathy-themed conversation starters. These prompts encourage individuals to discuss emotions, experiences, and perspectives in a supportive and empathetic manner, deepening connections and understanding.

Learning about Different Religions and Beliefs

Take the time to study and understand various religions and belief systems different from your own. This activity promotes empathy by fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of diverse perspectives and religious practices.

Outdoor Team-Building Activities

Engage in team-building activities that take place outdoors, such as ropes courses, hiking, or sports. These activities encourage individuals to work together, communicate effectively, and develop empathy by understanding and supporting their teammates’ strengths and challenges.

Volunteer at a Nursing Home or Hospice

Volunteer your time at a nursing home or hospice facility to support and engage with elderly or terminally ill individuals. This hands-on activity promotes empathy by providing an opportunity to connect with people facing different life circumstances and actively contribute to their well-being.

Role Reversal Activity

Engage in a role reversal exercise where individuals take on the perspective and experiences of someone different from themselves. This activity promotes empathy by allowing individuals to step into someone else’s shoes and gain a deeper understanding of their struggles and emotions.

Empathy Interviews with Family and Friends

Conduct empathy interviews with family members or friends, asking open-ended questions about their experiences, feelings, and challenges. This activity promotes empathy by fostering empathetic listening skills and deepening understanding of others’ perspectives.

Mindful Listening Exercises

Participate in mindful listening exercises where individuals practice giving their full attention to a speaker without interruption or judgment. This activity enhances empathy by allowing individuals to fully understand and appreciate the thoughts, emotions, and experiences being shared.

Emotion-Focused Drawing or Painting

Engage in art-focused activities, such as drawing or painting, that emphasize expressing and exploring different emotions. This activity encourages empathy by providing a creative outlet to reflect on and better understand the emotions experienced by oneself and others.

Gratitude Journals

Keep a gratitude journal and write down things you are grateful for each day. This activity cultivates empathy by fostering a positive mindset and encouraging individuals to appreciate and empathize with the experiences, kindness, and support they receive from others.

Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes Challenge

Participate in a challenge where individuals spend a designated amount of time adopting the lifestyle and routines of someone different from themselves. This activity promotes empathy by immersing individuals in the experiences of others, fostering understanding and compassion.

Active Reflection on Our Personal Biases

Engage in regular reflection and self-examination to identify personal biases and prejudices. This activity promotes empathy by encouraging individuals to challenge their own assumptions, expand their perspectives, and strive for greater understanding and acceptance of others.

Participating in a Protest or March

Engage in a peaceful protest or march to advocate for social justice or raise awareness about important issues. This activity promotes empathy by coming together with others to support a cause and demonstrate solidarity with individuals who are marginalized or facing injustice.

Creating a Public Art Installation that Promotes Empathy

Collaborate on a public art installation that aims to evoke empathy and understanding among viewers. Through visual or interactive art, this activity encourages individuals to reflect on diverse perspectives, emotions, and experiences, fostering a sense of connection and compassion.

Storytelling about Personal Struggles and Challenges

Share personal stories of struggles and challenges with others in a safe and supportive environment. This activity promotes empathy by creating a space for individuals to listen, empathize, and learn from each other’s experiences, fostering understanding and connection.

Therapy Sessions that Focus on Empathy Skills

Participate in therapy sessions that specifically focus on developing empathy skills and emotional intelligence. Through guided exercises and discussions, individuals can enhance their ability to understand and empathize with others, leading to healthier relationships and improved communication.

Building Empathy into the Curriculum Across Subjects

Integrate empathy-building activities and discussions into various academic subjects and educational curricula. By incorporating empathy as a core value, this activity promotes a culture of understanding, compassion, and kindness among students and educators.

Sharing Stories of Struggle and Triumph

Create opportunities for individuals to share stories of both struggle and triumph in their lives. This activity promotes empathy by highlighting the resilience, courage, and vulnerabilities of others, fostering connections based on shared human experiences.

Reflecting on Personal Experiences of Exclusion or Feeling Different

Encourage individuals to reflect on moments when they have felt excluded or different from others. This introspective activity promotes empathy by deepening understanding of the impact of social dynamics and fostering compassion toward those who may face similar challenges.

Hosting a Cultural Exhibition

Organize a cultural exhibition or event that celebrates diverse traditions, heritage, and identities. This activity promotes empathy by showcasing and appreciating the richness of different cultures, fostering mutual respect, understanding, and unity.

Peer Counseling on Empathy Building

Establish peer counseling programs where individuals can support each other in developing empathy skills and emotional awareness. This activity promotes empathy by providing a safe space for empathetic listening, sharing experiences, and offering support and guidance.

Virtual or In-Person Empathy Workshops

Participate in empathy workshops that offer a combination of virtual or in-person sessions focused on developing empathy skills and enhancing emotional intelligence. These workshops provide practical strategies, tools, and exercises to promote empathy in personal and professional interactions.

In conclusion, the above list showcases a variety of empathy-building activities that can be beneficial for both students and adults. By engaging in these activities, individuals can develop a deeper understanding of different perspectives, enhance their ability to empathize with others and cultivate a more compassionate and inclusive mindset. Whether through volunteering, artistic expression, storytelling, or self-reflection, these activities offer opportunities to foster empathy, promote social connection, and contribute to a more empathetic and understanding society.

Empathy Walk

An Empathy Walk develops your capacity to “hold space” for someone who is very different from you and establish a relationship across a significant boundary. It is adapted from the work of MIT Professor Emeritus Ed Schein, who has shaped the field of organizational culture, learning, and leadership over the past 50 years.

Application

The Empathy Walk can be useful in preparing for a presencing process, as it allows participants to experience the perspective of someone different from them.

• Suspend judgment and engage in empathic listening. (Refer to the Listening Learning Module.)
• Step into the perspective of someone else and let go of established mental models and assumptions.
• Practice stillness to encourage spaciousness throughout the conversation.

The u-school for Transformation and the Presencing Institute use a  Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike    3.0 Unported License for all materials on our websites. Learn more here .

Empathy Superpower Challenge

Empathy Walk

• Empathy Walks were launched as an activity for Empathy Day 2021 when we asked everyone to walk in someone else’s shoes – since then we’ve built up a lovely bank of exemplar Walks from authors, children and teachers – watch below !
• Empathy Walks give us all the opportunity to think about our communities in a very different way.
• For Empathy Day 2023 you could do one as part of Empathy 360° , one of the five powerful activities in Mission Empathy .
• In the FREE online Empathy Day Live! festival , you can watch authors Jen Carney and James Sellick explore how their Empathy 360° activity helped them see through other people’s eyes, and decide what they can do to make a difference.

Empathy Walks video gallery

*Manon Steffan Ros' walks available in both English & Welsh

Empathy & Compassion Activities-Walk a Day in My Shoes {PDF & DIGITAL}

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Description.

Teaching empathy, compassion and kindness is an integral part of education, and it is also an integral part of a teenager’s life.  Teaching a student to “walk in another’s shoes” is an essential part of perspective and character.

In this DIGITAL & PDF activity, “Walk a Day in my Shoes”, students will complete journal entries, watch a few short videos on empathy, compassion, and kindness, and complete a shoe activity.  This activity will change their mindset and how they look at others.  They will learn what it is like to “walk in someone else’s shoes”.

In this product, you will receive:

1. Pre-Assignment Activity (Digital & PDF) - Journal Entry & 3 Videos with Response Questions

2. Walk a Day in My Shoes Activity - Directions, 4 Shoe Templates & an Example

3. Teacher Suggestions - 4 PDF Shoes for Paper Activity

**Because part of this is DIGITAL, you can add questions or edit the questions on the Google Slides.**

☆The students are to write down ten things their teacher would never know about him/her unless they told you. These items can be funny, hobbies, serious, interesting facts, family items, etc.

☆ Following, the students choose a shoe (wedge or sneaker) they would like to write down 10 of their items on, decorate and cut out!

These look awesome when they are hung up for Parent/Teacher Conferences and Open House!

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Teaching Kindness, Empathy & Compassion

Teaching empathy, compassion and kindness are three of the most important character qualities I try to instill in my students during the school year. I want to share an engaging and important lesson and activity that I teach to 8th graders that is on empathy and compassion.

 In my school district’s English department, our entire English Language Arts theme for the 8th graders is empathy.  The literature we read are To Kill a Mockingbird , “Flowers for Algernon”, and The Diary of Anne Frank. They all link to the theme of empathy. We constantly connect the theme into the short stories and articles that we read.

I have to be honest; I love having the theme of empathy and compassion in 8th grade. As a middle school teacher, this age group often lacks compassion and empathy for one another, their peers and others. I don’t entirely blame it on them either. We know this is a pivotal time in their adolescence. Teenagers are immersed in their friends, social media and “their” world. Nevertheless, we do know the video games, social media and other things help desensitize them from reality and the real world. This is a perfect theme to have resonate throughout the year.

Activities to Teach Empathy, Compassion & Kindness

The first activity my students start with is an article called, “Are You Empathetic? 3 Types of Empathy”. Th is is a great introduction into the theme, and it helps my students understand the different types of empathy and what category they fall into as a maturing, young adult.

Secondly, I show them an empathy video clip. I have a few that I have in my teacher toolbox, and depending on how much time I have, all depends on how many I use; however, I always show “Empathy: The Human Connection. 

I came across this video on accident. I was searching for activities to complete with my students when introducing empathy, and I found this gem! It is amazing! It is very hard to show students to see through others’ eyes, and this video does just this! What I love about the video is there is no talking or speaking, but just the thoughts of the people. It gives an excellent perspective to others. If we knew what others were thinking or feeling, would we have more compassion and empathy for them?

Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes Activity

The culminating activity I give my students in order to introduce the theme of empathy and compassion is, “Walking in My Shoes.”  I introduce the infamous Atticus quotation from To Kill a Mockingbird, “ You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”  Here, I teach “Perspective-Taking Empathy”, which is the ability to put oneself into a person’s “shoes” and see things from his/her perspective.  

From there, I introduce my shoe activity.  On the front side of the shoe, my students write down ten things that people would not know about them unless they told you or could get into their mind.  This ranges from sports, passions, interests, favorite movies, broken bones, hardships, obstacles, successes, and other interesting facts.  

On the back of the shoe, my students choose a line from a song that best represents him/her (I assign this as a homework assignment I instruct the students to bring in the song lyrics to school, so they are able to write.)  You would be amazed at the lyrics the students use to represent themselves.  They range from popular pop songs to 70’s rock!   In addition to them choosing a line, the students have to explain why they chose the line.  The students have to give a detailed and thorough analysis of the line and relate it to their life.  I am usually blown away by the amount of perseverance and strength many of the students have and how much they are willing to share with me regarding some of their struggles, obstacles and future goals.

For the final presentation of the two-part activity, the students get to choose their shoe template on which they want to complete their final piece. I have a variety of shoes from heels to Converse to sneakers. On one side of the shoe, the students write their ten facts about themselves, and on the other side of the shoe, they write their song lyric paragraph.  The students love coloring in the shoe, and they are usually very creative with them.  As you can see from above, the shoes come out a-mazzzzzzing! You can grab this activity below!

After I grade the shoes, I hang them up in my room in a “walking” pattern.   I absolutely love this activity, and I hope you do too!  The students really enjoy this activity, and they are always awfully proud of their shoes.

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What Is Empathy?

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Verywell / Bailey Mariner

Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially, it is putting yourself in someone else's position and feeling what they are feeling.

Empathy means that when you see another person suffering, such as after they've lost a loved one , you are able to instantly envision yourself going through that same experience and feel what they are going through.

While people can be well-attuned to their own feelings and emotions, getting into someone else's head can be a bit more difficult. The ability to feel empathy allows people to "walk a mile in another's shoes," so to speak. It permits people to understand the emotions that others are feeling.

Press Play for Advice on Empathy

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast , featuring empathy expert Dr. Kelsey Crowe, shares how you can show empathy to someone who is going through a hard time. Click below to listen now.

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Signs of Empathy

For many, seeing another person in pain and responding with indifference or even outright hostility seems utterly incomprehensible. But the fact that some people do respond in such a way clearly demonstrates that empathy is not necessarily a universal response to the suffering of others.

If you are wondering whether you are an empathetic person, here are some signs that show that you have this tendency:

• You are good at really listening to what others have to say.
• People often tell you about their problems.
• You are good at picking up on how other people are feeling.
• You often think about how other people feel.
• Other people come to you for advice.
• You often feel overwhelmed by tragic events.
• You try to help others who are suffering.
• You are good at telling when people aren't being honest .
• You sometimes feel drained or overwhelmed in social situations.
• You care deeply about other people.
• You find it difficult to set boundaries in your relationships.

Are You an Empath? Take the Quiz!

Our fast and free empath quiz will let you know if your feelings and behaviors indicate high levels of traits commonly associated with empaths.

Types of Empathy

There are several types of empathy that a person may experience. The three types of empathy are:

• Affective empathy involves the ability to understand another person's emotions and respond appropriately. Such emotional understanding may lead to someone feeling concerned for another person's well-being, or it may lead to feelings of personal distress.
• Somatic empathy involves having a physical reaction in response to what someone else is experiencing. People sometimes physically experience what another person is feeling. When you see someone else feeling embarrassed, for example, you might start to blush or have an upset stomach.
• Cognitive empathy involves being able to understand another person's mental state and what they might be thinking in response to the situation. This is related to what psychologists refer to as the theory of mind or thinking about what other people are thinking.

Empathy vs. Sympathy vs. Compassion

While sympathy and compassion are related to empathy, there are important differences. Compassion and sympathy are often thought to be more of a passive connection, while empathy generally involves a much more active attempt to understand another person.

Uses for Empathy

Being able to experience empathy has many beneficial uses.

• Empathy allows you to build social connections with others . By understanding what people are thinking and feeling, you are able to respond appropriately in social situations. Research has shown that having social connections is important for both physical and psychological well-being.
• Empathizing with others helps you learn to regulate your own emotions . Emotional regulation is important in that it allows you to manage what you are feeling, even in times of great stress, without becoming overwhelmed.
• Empathy promotes helping behaviors . Not only are you more likely to engage in helpful behaviors when you feel empathy for other people, but other people are also more likely to help you when they experience empathy.

Potential Pitfalls of Empathy

Having a great deal of empathy makes you concerned for the well-being and happiness of others. It also means, however, that you can sometimes get overwhelmed, burned out , or even overstimulated from always thinking about other people's emotions. This can lead to empathy fatigue.

Empathy fatigue refers to the exhaustion you might feel both emotionally and physically after repeatedly being exposed to stressful or traumatic events . You might also feel numb or powerless, isolate yourself, and have a lack of energy.

Empathy fatigue is a concern in certain situations, such as when acting as a caregiver . Studies also show that if healthcare workers can't balance their feelings of empathy (affective empathy, in particular), it can result in compassion fatigue as well.

Other research has linked higher levels of empathy with a tendency toward emotional negativity , potentially increasing your risk of empathic distress. It can even affect your judgment, causing you to go against your morals based on the empathy you feel for someone else.

Impact of Empathy

Your ability to experience empathy can impact your relationships. Studies involving siblings have found that when empathy is high, siblings have less conflict and more warmth toward each other. In romantic relationships, having empathy increases your ability to extend forgiveness .

Not everyone experiences empathy in every situation. Some people may be more naturally empathetic in general, but people also tend to feel more empathetic toward some people and less so toward others. Some of the factors that play a role in this tendency include:

• How you perceive the other person
• How you attribute the other individual's behaviors
• What you blame for the other person's predicament
• Your past experiences and expectations

Research has found that there are gender differences in the experience and expression of empathy, although these findings are somewhat mixed. Women score higher on empathy tests, and studies suggest that women tend to feel more cognitive empathy than men.  

At the most basic level, there appear to be two main factors that contribute to the ability to experience empathy: genetics and socialization. Essentially, it boils down to the age-old relative contributions of nature and nurture .

Parents pass down genes that contribute to overall personality, including the propensity toward sympathy, empathy, and compassion. On the other hand, people are also socialized by their parents, peers, communities, and society. How people treat others, as well as how they feel about others, is often a reflection of the beliefs and values that were instilled at a very young age. 

Barriers to Empathy

Some people lack empathy and, therefore, aren't able to understand what another person may be experiencing or feeling. This can result in behaviors that seem uncaring or sometimes even hurtful. For instance, people with low affective empathy have higher rates of cyberbullying .

A lack of empathy is also one of the defining characteristics of narcissistic personality disorder . Though, it is unclear whether this is due to a person with this disorder having no empathy at all or having more of a dysfunctional response to others.

A few reasons why people sometimes lack empathy include cognitive biases, dehumanization, and victim-blaming.

Cognitive Biases

Sometimes the way people perceive the world around them is influenced by cognitive biases . For example, people often attribute other people's failures to internal characteristics, while blaming their own shortcomings on external factors.

These biases can make it difficult to see all the factors that contribute to a situation. They also make it less likely that people will be able to see a situation from the perspective of another.

Dehumanization

Many also fall victim to the trap of thinking that people who are different from them don't feel and behave the same as they do. This is particularly common in cases when other people are physically distant.

For example, when they watch reports of a disaster or conflict in a foreign land, people might be less likely to feel empathy if they think that those who are suffering are fundamentally different from themselves.

Victim Blaming

Sometimes, when another person has suffered a terrible experience, people make the mistake of blaming the victim for their circumstances. This is the reason that victims of crimes are often asked what they might have done differently to prevent the crime.

This tendency stems from the need to believe that the world is a fair and just place. It is the desire to believe that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get—and it can fool you into thinking that such terrible things could never happen to you.

Causes of Empathy

Human beings are certainly capable of selfish, even cruel, behavior. A quick scan of the news quickly reveals numerous unkind, selfish, and heinous actions. The question, then, is why don't we all engage in such self-serving behavior all the time? What is it that causes us to feel another's pain and respond with kindness ?

The term empathy was first introduced in 1909 by psychologist Edward B. Titchener as a translation of the German term einfühlung (meaning "feeling into"). Several different theories have been proposed to explain empathy.

Neuroscientific Explanations

Studies have shown that specific areas of the brain play a role in how empathy is experienced. More recent approaches focus on the cognitive and neurological processes that lie behind empathy. Researchers have found that different regions of the brain play an important role in empathy, including the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula.

Research suggests that there are important neurobiological components to the experience of empathy.   The activation of mirror neurons in the brain plays a part in the ability to mirror and mimic the emotional responses that people would feel if they were in similar situations.

Functional MRI research also indicates that an area of the brain known as the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) plays a critical role in the experience of empathy. Studies have found that people who have damage to this area of the brain often have difficulty recognizing emotions conveyed through facial expressions .  

Emotional Explanations

Some of the earliest explorations into the topic of empathy centered on how feeling what others feel allows people to have a variety of emotional experiences. The philosopher Adam Smith suggested that it allows us to experience things that we might never otherwise be able to fully feel.

This can involve feeling empathy for both real people and imaginary characters. Experiencing empathy for fictional characters, for example, allows people to have a range of emotional experiences that might otherwise be impossible.

Prosocial Explanations

Sociologist Herbert Spencer proposed that empathy served an adaptive function and aided in the survival of the species. Empathy leads to helping behavior, which benefits social relationships. Humans are naturally social creatures. Things that aid in our relationships with other people benefit us as well.

When people experience empathy, they are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors that benefit other people. Things such as altruism and heroism are also connected to feeling empathy for others.

Tips for Practicing Empathy

Fortunately, empathy is a skill that you can learn and strengthen. If you would like to build your empathy skills, there are a few things that you can do:

• Work on listening to people without interrupting
• Pay attention to body language and other types of nonverbal communication
• Try to understand people, even when you don't agree with them
• Ask people questions to learn more about them and their lives
• Imagine yourself in another person's shoes
• Strengthen your connection with others to learn more about how they feel
• Seek to identify biases you may have and how they affect your empathy for others
• Look for ways in which you are similar to others versus focusing on differences
• Be willing to be vulnerable, opening up about how you feel
• Engage in new experiences, giving you better insight into how others in that situation may feel
• Get involved in organizations that push for social change

A Word From Verywell

While empathy might be lacking in some, most people are able to empathize with others in a variety of situations. This ability to see things from another person's perspective and empathize with another's emotions plays an important role in our social lives. Empathy allows us to understand others and, quite often, compels us to take action to relieve another person's suffering.

Reblin M, Uchino BN. Social and emotional support and its implication for health .  Curr Opin Psychiatry . 2008;21(2):201‐205. doi:10.1097/YCO.0b013e3282f3ad89

Cleveland Clinic. Empathy fatigue: How stress and trauma can take a toll on you .

Duarte J, Pinto-Bouveia J, Cruz B. Relationships between nurses' empathy, self-compassion and dimensions of professional quality of life: A cross-sectional study . Int J Nursing Stud . 2016;60:1-11. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2016.02.015

Chikovani G, Babuadze L, Iashvili N, Gvalia T, Surguladze S. Empathy costs: Negative emotional bias in high empathisers . Psychiatry Res . 2015;229(1-2):340-346. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.07.001

Lam CB, Solmeyer AR, McHale SM. Sibling relationships and empathy across the transition to adolescence . J Youth Adolescen . 2012;41:1657-1670. doi:10.1007/s10964-012-9781-8

Kimmes JG, Durtschi JA. Forgiveness in romantic relationships: The roles of attachment, empathy, and attributions . J Marital Family Ther . 2016;42(4):645-658. doi:10.1111/jmft.12171

Kret ME, De Gelder B. A review on sex difference in processing emotional signals . Neuropsychologia . 2012; 50(7):1211-1221. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.12.022

Schultze-Krumbholz A, Scheithauer H. Is cyberbullying related to lack of empathy and social-emotional problems? Int J Develop Sci . 2013;7(3-4):161-166. doi:10.3233/DEV-130124

Baskin-Sommers A, Krusemark E, Ronningstam E. Empathy in narcissistic personality disorder: From clinical and empirical perspectives . Personal Dis Theory Res Treat . 2014;5(3):323-333. doi:10.1037/per0000061

Decety, J. Dissecting the neural mechanisms mediating empathy . Emotion Review . 2011; 3(1): 92-108. doi:10.1177/1754073910374662

Shamay-Tsoory SG, Aharon-Peretz J, Perry D. Two systems for empathy: A double dissociation between emotional and cognitive empathy in inferior frontal gyrus versus ventromedial prefrontal lesions . Brain . 2009;132(PT3): 617-627. doi:10.1093/brain/awn279

Hillis AE. Inability to empathize: Brain lesions that disrupt sharing and understanding another's emotions . Brain . 2014;137(4):981-997. doi:10.1093/brain/awt317

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

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Article • 10 min read

Empathy at Work

Developing Skills to Understand Other People

By the Mind Tools Content Team

"Empathy is like a universal solvent. Any problem immersed in empathy becomes soluble."

– Simon Baron-Cohen, British clinical psychologist, and professor of developmental psychopathology, University of Cambridge.

Understanding other people's emotions is a key skill in the workplace. It can enable us to resolve conflicts, to build more productive teams, and to improve our relationships with co-workers, clients and customers.

But, while most of us are confident about learning new technical skills, we may feel ill-equipped to develop our interpersonal skills. And many people are self-conscious about discussing their own feelings, never mind anyone else's!

Are you able to see things from someone else's point of view?

In this article, we explore what it really means to show empathy. We'll look at how a few simple actions can help us to create stronger connections, to build a culture of honesty and openness, and to make a real difference to the emotional well-being, and productivity, of our colleagues.

What Is Empathy?

In its simplest form, empathy is the ability to recognize emotions in others, and to understand other people's perspectives on a situation. At its most developed, empathy enables you to use that insight to improve someone else's mood and to support them through challenging situations.

Empathy is often confused with sympathy, but they are not the same thing. Sympathy is a feeling of concern for someone, and a sense that they could be happier. Unlike empathy, sympathy doesn't involve shared perspective or emotions.

You can feel sympathy for someone you see in tears in the street, for example, without knowing anything about their situation. Sympathy may develop into empathy, but doesn't necessarily do so.

According to influential psychologist Daniel Goleman, empathy is one of the five key components of emotional intelligence – a vital leadership skill. It develops through three stages: cognitive empathy, emotional empathy and compassionate empathy. We discuss each stage in turn, below.

Find out how emotionally intelligent you are by taking our emotional intelligence quiz .

And Mind Tools Premium club members and Corporate users can listen to our exclusive interview with Daniel Goleman .

Cognitive Empathy

Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand what another person might be thinking or feeling. It need not involve any emotional engagement by the observer.

Managers may find cognitive empathy useful in understanding how their team members are feeling, and therefore what style of leadership would get the best from them today. Similarly, sales executives can use it to gage the mood of a customer, helping them to choose the most effective tone for a conversation.

Cognitive empathy is a mostly rational, intellectual, and emotionally neutral ability. This means that some people use it for negative purposes. For example, those with a Machiavellian personality trait may use cognitive empathy to manipulate people who are emotionally vulnerable.

Emotional Empathy

Emotional empathy is the ability to share the feelings of another person, and so to understand that person on a deeper level. It's sometimes called "affective empathy" because it affects or changes you. It's not just a matter of knowing how someone feels, but of creating genuine rapport with them.

For some of us, this kind of empathy can be overwhelming. People with strong empathic tendencies can become immersed in other people's problems or pain, sometimes damaging their own emotional well-being. This is particularly true if they don't feel able to resolve the situation.

You can avoid this kind of emotional generosity burnout by taking breaks, checking your boundaries , and strengthening your ability to cope in such a demanding role .

Anyone leading a team will benefit from developing at least some emotional empathy. It helps to build trust between managers and team members, and to develop honesty and openness. But empathy is most valuable when it's combined with action .

Compassionate Empathy

Compassionate empathy is the most active form of empathy. It involves not only having concern for another person, and sharing their emotional pain, but also taking practical steps to reduce it.

For example, imagine that one of your team members is upset and angry because he or she delivered an important presentation badly. Acknowledging their hurt is valuable, and affirming their reaction by showing signs of those feelings yourself even more so. But best of all is putting aside some time for them, and offering practical support or guidance on getting through the situation and preparing for next time.

What Does an Empathic Workplace Look Like?

You may struggle to show empathy initially – you could be nervous about committing yourself emotionally, or feel unable to do so. But this doesn't mean that you're doomed to fail!

To use empathy effectively, you need to put aside your own viewpoint and see things from the other person's perspective. Then, you can recognize behavior that appears at first sight to be over emotional, stubborn, or unreasonable as simply a reaction based on a person's prior knowledge and experiences.

Practice the following techniques frequently so that they start to become second nature.

Give Your Full Attention

Listen carefully to what someone is trying to tell you. Use your ears, eyes and "gut instincts" to understand the entire message that they're communicating.

Start with listening out for the key words and phrases that they use, particularly if they use them repeatedly. Then think about how as well as what they're saying. What's their tone or body language telling you? Are they angry, ashamed or scared, for example?

Take this a stage further by listening empathically . Avoid asking direct questions, arguing with what is being said, or disputing facts at this stage. And be flexible – prepare for the conversation to change direction as the other person's thoughts and feelings also change.

See our article, Mindful Listening , to find out how you can keep your focus on the other person despite the "noise" of your own thoughts and feelings.

Consider Other People's Perspectives

You're likely familiar with the saying, "Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes." Examine your own attitude, and keep an open mind. Placing too much emphasis on your own assumptions and beliefs doesn't leave much space for empathy!

Once you "see" why others believe what they believe, you can acknowledge it. This doesn't mean you have to agree with it, but this is not the time for a debate. Instead, be sure to show respect and to keep listening.

When in doubt, invite the person to describe their position some more, and ask how they think they might resolve the issue. Asking the right questions is probably the simplest and most direct way to understand the other person.

You can explore a powerful five-step approach for seeing other points of view with our article, Perceptual Positions .

Take Action: Examples of Empathy in the Workplace

There's no one "right way" to demonstrate your compassionate empathy. It will depend on the situation, the individual, and their dominant emotion at the time. Remember, empathy is not about what you want, but what the other person wants and needs, so any action you take or suggest must benefit them.

For example, you might have a team member who's unable to focus on their work because of a problem at home. It may seem the kind thing to do to tell them they can work from home until the situation is resolved, but work may in fact give them a welcome respite from thinking about something painful. So ask them which approach they would prefer.

And remember that empathy is not just for crises! Seeing the world from a variety of perspectives is a great talent – and it's one that you can use all of the time, in any situation. And random acts of kindness brighten anyone's day.

For example, you likely smile and take the trouble to remember people's names: that's empathy in action. Giving people your full attention in meetings, being curious about their lives and interests, and offering constructive feedback are all empathic behaviors, too.

Practice these skills often. When you take an interest in what others think, feel and experience, you'll develop a reputation for being caring, trustworthy and approachable - and be a great asset to your team and your organization.

Empathy is the ability to recognize emotions and to share perspectives with other people. It's one of the five key components of emotional intelligence, and it helps to build trust and strengthen relationships.

There are three stages of empathy:

• Cognitive empathy is being aware of the emotional state of another person.
• Emotional empathy is engaging with and sharing those emotions.
• Compassionate empathy involves taking action to support other people.

To use empathy effectively, give your co-worker your full attention, looking out for verbal and nonverbal clues to help you fully understand their situation. Set aside your own assumptions, acknowledge your colleague's feelings, allow an emotional connection, then take positive action that will improve their well-being.

Goleman, D. (2005). ' Emotional Intelligence ,' New York: Bantam Books.

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