Empathy Resolutions

Activity Objectives

Students will learn about empathy, and how they can understand others’ feelings, perspectives, and needs
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Students will discuss how they can foster their own individual wellbeing, which supports them in becoming more empathetic individuals
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Students will set resolutions for the upcoming year and share how they want to practice empathy toward others

This activity supports the development of the following social-emotional skills: relationship skills, responsible decision-making, self-awareness, and social awareness.

Introduce

Introduce students to the concept of empathy by explaining: “Practicing empathy consists of 1) considering another person’s point-of-view by “putting ourselves in their shoes,” 2) understanding and relating to their feelings, and 3) taking action to help them based on our understanding!”

Discuss

Engage students in a discussion about practicing empathy. You might ask:

Can you think of a time when you practiced empathy for a classmate or family member? What did you do, and how did they respond?
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What can be challenging about practicing empathy? For example, is it difficult to understand someone else’s perspective when we have a very different experience, or share the feelings of someone who we disagree with?
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What are some ways to overcome these challenges?
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Sometimes, it can also be difficult to practice empathy if we are feeling frustrated, worried, or sad ourselves. To be more empathetic individuals, it’s important that we practice kindness towards ourselves. This might include sharing about our feelings with others, doing something relaxing or fun, or asking for help. Can you think of other ways to practice kindness to yourself, especially when you are experiencing challenging emotions or situations?
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Why is it important to practice all three parts of empathy when trying to decide how to help another person?
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What is one way that you want to show empathy to others in this upcoming year?

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Invite students to create and share their empathy resolutions for the upcoming year. If you feel comfortable, invite them to post their resolutions in the community Flipgrid below (password: Empathy2022). Alternatively, you can post a private activity in your classroom’s space.

After students post their resolutions, encourage them to view others’ videos and leave supportive comments!