I know, you’ve got your hands full with tiny humans who are still figuring out how to take turns, use their words, and NOT lick their friends (seriously, why is that a thing?). But among the ABCs and 123s, there’s something just as important to teach—empathy. And these activities on empathy are exactly what you need to get started!
Yep, that superpower that helps little ones understand and care about others. So, let’s dive into why empathy matters and how you can sprinkle it into your preschool day with some fun and engaging activities!
Before I jump in any further, have you downloaded my Kindness FREEBIE yet? Click on the image below to download this resource today. It will get your students thinking about ways they can sprinkle kindness into any situation.
Why Teach Children Empathy?
Imagine a classroom where kids help each other, share without prompting, and say “Are you okay?” when a friend falls instead of, you know, stepping over them to get to the puzzle table. That’s the magic of empathy! Teaching empathy helps kids:
- Build stronger friendships – When children understand how others feel, they’re more likely to play cooperatively, share, and resolve conflicts peacefully.
- Develop emotional intelligence – Recognizing and understanding emotions (both their own and others’) helps kids communicate better and navigate social situations with confidence.
- Learn to regulate their own feelings – Empathy teaches kids to manage their emotions and respond thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively.
- Reduce bullying behaviors later on – When kids are taught to consider others’ feelings, they are less likely to engage in aggressive or unkind behaviors.
- Become kind and compassionate humans (which the world desperately needs!) – Let’s be real—our world could use more kindness, and it starts with the littlest learners!
And the best part? Preschoolers are little sponges, eager to learn these social-emotional skills—you just need the right activities to bring it to life!
Develop Empathy Skills by Teaching Emotions
Before children can understand others’ feelings, they need to recognize their own! Emotional awareness is the foundation of empathy, so giving preschoolers the tools to express their own emotions is key.
Introduce the vocabulary around emotions and encourage your students to label their feelings and emotions. Label them, highlight what is happening in their bodies, ask why they felt that way. Finally, you want to support your students with developing self-control & emotional regulation.
Here are some other ways to help your students identify and express emotions:
- Emotion Charts: Use pictures of different emotions and have kids point to how they’re feeling each day.
- Feelings Flashcards: Show kids a card with a facial expression and ask, “What do you think this person is feeling?”
- Emotion Storytelling: Tell a short story and pause to ask, “How do you think the character feels right now?”
Fun Empathy Activities
Preschoolers learn best through play, so why not make empathy a hands-on experience? These activities are simple, engaging, and effective at helping kids recognize and respond to emotions in others.
Mirror, Mirror
Get kids to mimic each other’s facial expressions! This simple activity helps them recognize emotions in others and connect those feelings to real-life experiences. You can take turns making happy, sad, excited, or frustrated faces and have them guess the emotion.
Kindness Jar
Have a jar in your classroom where kids drop in a pom-pom or sticker whenever they see or do an act of kindness. At the end of the week, celebrate their kindness by reading out some of the acts they’ve noticed in each other.
Role-Playing with Puppets
Use puppets to act out common preschool conflicts (like grabbing toys or not sharing) and guide the kids through how to handle these situations with kindness. Let them take turns being the problem-solver!
Group Activities on Empathy
Empathy is all about connection, so group activities can be a great way to practice it together. These activities encourage kids to see different perspectives and develop compassion for their peers.
Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes
Literally! Have a variety of shoes (grown-up sizes are fun!) and let kids try them on while discussing how different people might feel in different situations. Ask questions like, “How do you think a firefighter feels when they rescue someone?”
Pass the Feeling
Sit in a circle and pass around a toy or talking stick. Each child shares a time they felt happy, sad, scared, or excited. This builds emotional awareness and helps them see that others have feelings just like they do.
The Compliment Train
Sit the kids in a line and have them give a compliment to the person next to them. Even simple ones like “I like your shirt” or “You’re good at puzzles” can help them learn to appreciate others and express kindness.
Role-Playing Different Scenarios
Kids love pretend play, and role-playing different social situations helps them practice empathy in a safe and fun way. Create simple, real-life scenarios and have your preschoolers act them out while discussing ways to show empathy. Some examples:
- A friend is sad because they lost their toy—how can we help?
- Someone is new to the classroom and doesn’t know anyone—what can we do to make them feel welcome?
- A classmate fell down and is crying—what should we say or do?
Encourage your students to think about how they would feel in each situation and brainstorm kind responses together. If you are looking for scenarios you can use in the classroom, check these out.
Children’s Books to Read on Empathy
Reading is one of the easiest ways to help children step into someone else’s shoes—literally and figuratively! Stories spark conversations about feelings and different perspectives in a way that’s easy for preschoolers to understand.
Here are some must-reads:
- “The Rabbit Listened” by Cori Doerrfeld – A beautiful story about being there for someone when they need comfort.
- “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud – Teaches kids how kindness makes others (and themselves!) feel good.
- “Strictly No Elephants” by Lisa Mantchev – A heartwarming story about inclusion and friendship.
- “A Sick Day for Amos McGee” by Philip C. Stead – Shows kids how caring for others comes full circle.
Wrapping It Up: Activities on Empathy
Teaching empathy in preschool isn’t just about making the classroom a more peaceful place (although, let’s be honest, that’s a big win!). It’s about giving your students the tools to navigate relationships, understand emotions, and grow into kind, compassionate adults. stead of running to you every two seconds!
Want to Read More? Check out these blog posts below:
12 Cool Kindness Books for Preschool and Other Kindness Activities for Kids
8 Ways to Help Preschoolers Identify Feelings and Manage Them
Why empathy is important: Even in the preschool classroom
13 Brilliant Books to Teach and Develop Empathy in your classroom
Updated: Feb 2025
