One afternoon, educators Natalie and Katrina shared with the school-agers that they were having a bit of a rough day. As educators, we try to remain open and honest with the children, not only to let them know what to expect from us on days that we aren’t 100% but also so we can teach and model that it is okay to experience all kinds of emotions, it’s what we do with those emotions that matter.
As soon as we shared this, we were met with questions of why we were down, which showed signs of empathy from our children! We shared that our friend had to say goodbye to their furry friend and that we were sad for her. The children right away asked if they could make something for our friend to help her feel a little better. They started brainstorming about what they could do – maybe a card, maybe some kind words, maybe some pictures. One child asked if he could sketch a picture of a cat for our friend and others agreed that they wanted to make a picture of a cat as well.
First, we looked on google for a picture of a cat and our little sketch artist began his drawing. The other children asked for something a bit more structured, so we found an outline of a cat and printed copies for everyone. The children got busy creating cat pictures. The following day they asked to finish up their artwork and we said we made a great big envelope to put all the art together for our friend. We asked one of our school agers to write a message on the envelope, and later she asked if she could get everyone to sign it. Once everyone had finished, a few of us went down to the child care centre to give our gift to our friend. All on their own, the children told her they hope she feels better soon.
This experience came entirely from the children. They listened to our concerns, empathized with our friend’s situation, and wanted to do something to let her know they care. They came up with a plan and carried it out all the way to the end. They created a sense of belonging and well-being for another person, one whom most of them do not even know.
We are so proud of our thoughtful group and they should all be proud of themselves! We wonder if we can encourage other acts of kindness and foster that developing sense of empathy within our amazing group of young humans.
