Additional Empathy Activities
Teaching Kindness With Wonder
Wonder is a powerful young adult novel by R.J. Palacio and a perfect read-aloud book that leads students to naturally reflect on topics such as bullying, kindness, and inclusion. Ask students to read the novel and then think about the story from an individual character’s viewpoint as he or she practices empathy in the novel. The author’s website offers useful discussion questions to prompt discussions about the themes raised in the book.
If I Had _______ Dollars I Would Buy You…
Teaching empathy by way of giving is a powerful exercise that students enjoy. This helps students to hone in on another person’s likes, needs, and dislikes. Encourage students to think beyond what they would want and engage in the mental exercise of considering what someone else would enjoy. This seemingly small exercise can build empathy and inspire our students to look beyond their own wants toward the desires and needs of others.
Teachers tell students that they have just received a certain amount of money. The only condition is that the student is only allowed to spend the money on others. They have to purchase something for every person in their family, and any money left over must be given back. The students make a list of everyone in their family and then brainstorm possible things each person likes and dislikes and would want and need. Then students need to “shop” (search online) to find the approximate prices for each item. Once students have prices, they decide on what they can afford within their budget. Last, they create a shopping list consisting of each of the items they are purchasing for each family member and how much each item costs. In addition to teaching empathy, this exercise would fulfill several core standards.
Three Moments in Time
As medium, movies easily evoke emotions and empathy. Students also readily relate to characters on film. Ask students to select one of their favorite movies and evaluate three moments in the movie where they can empathize with one of the characters.
Students can present their Three Moments project in a variety of ways (poster, digital slide show, Prezi, or video).
Students must include:
Wonder is a powerful young adult novel by R.J. Palacio and a perfect read-aloud book that leads students to naturally reflect on topics such as bullying, kindness, and inclusion. Ask students to read the novel and then think about the story from an individual character’s viewpoint as he or she practices empathy in the novel. The author’s website offers useful discussion questions to prompt discussions about the themes raised in the book.
If I Had _______ Dollars I Would Buy You…
Teaching empathy by way of giving is a powerful exercise that students enjoy. This helps students to hone in on another person’s likes, needs, and dislikes. Encourage students to think beyond what they would want and engage in the mental exercise of considering what someone else would enjoy. This seemingly small exercise can build empathy and inspire our students to look beyond their own wants toward the desires and needs of others.
Teachers tell students that they have just received a certain amount of money. The only condition is that the student is only allowed to spend the money on others. They have to purchase something for every person in their family, and any money left over must be given back. The students make a list of everyone in their family and then brainstorm possible things each person likes and dislikes and would want and need. Then students need to “shop” (search online) to find the approximate prices for each item. Once students have prices, they decide on what they can afford within their budget. Last, they create a shopping list consisting of each of the items they are purchasing for each family member and how much each item costs. In addition to teaching empathy, this exercise would fulfill several core standards.
Three Moments in Time
As medium, movies easily evoke emotions and empathy. Students also readily relate to characters on film. Ask students to select one of their favorite movies and evaluate three moments in the movie where they can empathize with one of the characters.
Students can present their Three Moments project in a variety of ways (poster, digital slide show, Prezi, or video).
Students must include:
- Why this movie was chosen
- Each of the three moments
- Why the student identifies with the scenes chosen
- How it must feel to be that character