Value of the Month: Empathy

Posted August 28, 2024

We’re working with Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) to empower McMeen students to grow into leaders. As a part of this work, every month we focus on a specific value here at McMeen. For the rest of August and all of September, we will be focusing on empathy.

As we promote empathy here at school, we encourage you to promote empathy at home with your student. You can help your child practice empathy by:

• Involving them in helping others. Engage your child in activities that involve helping others, such as volunteering or helping a neighbor. These activities provide practical experiences of empathy in action.
• Praising empathetic behavior. When your child show empathy, acknowledge and praise their actions. This reinforcement helps them understand the value of empathy and encourages them to continue acting kindly.
• Discussing feelings openly. Encourage your child to talk about their own feelings and listen to theirs with empathy. Ask questions like, “How do you think that made them feel?” or “How would you feel if you were in their situation?”
• Reading books with your child or telling stories that illustrate empathy.
• Modeling empathy in action. Children learn a lot from observing adults. Show empathy in your own interactions, and talk about how you’re considering others’ feelings in your decisions or actions.

Learn more about CKH here. (Click here for Spanish.)