Listen: Getting kids helping others in the community, experiencing the 'high' associated with helping out, builds empathy.
By Salt 106.5 TeamThursday 16 May 2024The Morning Wake-up with JordanaParentingReading Time: 2 minutes
Kim Conicella, Owner and Founder of ‘The Courage Edition’ caught up with Salt 106.5’s Jordana for their regular chat about parenting.
Key points
- “Empathy doesn’t come naturally until kids are over seven,” Kim said.
- Kids learn empathy by acknowledging the ‘high’ that comes from helping.
- Hear the whole conversation in the player above.
This time, they tackled something which is vitally important: teaching kids how to be empathetic.
“Empathy doesn’t come naturally to a lot of kids,” Kim explained.
“In fact, empathy doesn’t come naturally until kids are over seven.
“It’s really important to be putting strategies in place before seven, to get them to understand what empathy is.”
“Empathy doesn’t come naturally until kids are over seven,” Kim said.
Kim uses a strategy called the ‘helpers high’ which involves getting kids out in the community, helping someone, and therefore getting the ‘high’ which is associated with helping out.
Tweens may help out at a homeless shelter or retirement village, while kids might like to do some work at a community garden. Kim suggests choosing something which will help them “come alive… and can see that what they’re doing to help makes a difference.
Kim from The Courage Edition regularly pops in for a chat with Jordana.
“That helps to build empathy,” Kim said and encourages parents to acknowledge the ‘helpers high’ with their children, when they come to them, excited about the fact that they’ve helped someone.
“You can see it on their face and how proud they are of that.
Kids learn empathy by acknowledging the ‘high’ that comes from helping.
“When they do come to you with that emotion… it’s about pin pointing that and saying, ‘See that? Hold onto that feeling because that’s empathy and that’s amazing! Great job.'”
“That’s a growth mindset that forms the positive mindset.”
Hear the full conversation in the listener above.
Feature image: All photos supplied. Header image by CanvaPro