Home » ExchangeEveryDay » Nurturing Children’s Innate Compassion



ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues


<< Previous Issue | View Past Issues | | Next Issue >> ExchangeEveryDay
Nurturing Children’s Innate Compassion
March 16, 2021
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Wendy Hinrichs Sanders, in an article that forms the basis for an Out of the Box Training Kit, "Cultivating Compassionate Classrooms," urges educators to help support children's expression of their own innate compassion. She writes:

"Empower children to respond with compassion. When we walk alongside children and build upon their ideas, we can help them with incidental, day-to-day acts of compassion and special projects. Children want to contribute. In my research they spoke of helping, giving comfort, and praying for those in need.”

An article on the Greater Good magazine website discusses the ways children can be supported in their compassion in this time of pandemic:

“Even though children are inclined to help, it can be hard for them to know exactly what they can do. Children can start with small acts of compassion as a family— sending kind thoughts to essential workers...helping gather canned goods for the local food pantry.”

But here’s an interesting caution: “Research suggests that small differences in language matter when we’re encouraging our kids to help. Parents can nurture young children’s motivation by inviting them to ‘be a helper’ can instill in them a compassionate self-identity. But there’s a catch: When tasks are too difficult and children experience a setback, those who were asked to ‘be a helper’ are less likely to try to help again compared to children who were simply asked ‘to help.’ So, in circumstances when children might not succeed at helping with something, it’s better to just ask them ‘to help.’”

Source: “How the Pandemic Can Teach Kids About Compassion,” by Maryam Abdullah, greatergood.berkeley.edu, June 29, 2021





Out of the Box Training

Use coupon code RESPECT at checkout
for buy one, get one free on
ALL Out of the Box Trainings

Out of the Box Training Kits are ready-to-use professional development programs on a variety of contemporary topics to support and improve the skills and pedagogy of those who work with young children.



May not be combined with any other offer. Not applicable on past purchases. Sale expires March 30, 2022 at 11:59 pm PST.

ExchangeEveryDay

Delivered five days a week containing news, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.

What is ExchangeEveryDay?

ExchangeEveryDay is the official electronic newsletter for Exchange Press. It is delivered five days a week containing news stories, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.



Comments (2)

Displaying All 2 Comments
Tiffany Peckham · March 18, 2021
Lincoln, NE, United States


Thank you for your comment and agreed!

-Exchange

Sarker Javed Iqbal · March 16, 2021
Self employed
Dhaka, Bangladesh


Excellent! This practice of asking help from children is very important at all times to develop their self-esteem. But, in this pandemic it is doubly important to give them a feeling of togetherness.



Post a Comment

Have an account? to submit your comment.


required

Your e-mail address will not be visible to other website visitors.
required
required
required

Check the box below, to help verify that you are not a bot. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this form.



Disclaimer: Exchange reserves the right to remove any comments at its discretion or reprint posted comments in other Exchange materials.