Scholar Star Skill: Compassion & Empathy
Understanding Other People’s Feelings
For the month of December, our Scholar Star Skill is Compassion and Empathy. To help students practice these important skills, our Kinder and 1st graders participated in a lesson focused on understanding other people’s feelings.
Compassion means wanting to help someone who is having a hard time.
Empathy means understanding how someone else feels, even if we don’t feel the same way.
To build these skills, we began with three guiding questions:
How can you tell what someone is feeling?
When was a time you felt differently than a friend?
What can you do to understand someone else’s feelings better?
Students shared thoughtful examples about how people can feel differently in the same situation, and how paying attention helps us be more caring friends.
We used Feelings Cards to help students practice reading emotions.
Students took turns:
Looking closely at a card
Identifying how the person might be feeling
Sharing clues they noticed (eyes, mouth, body language)
Discussing what we could do to show compassion
Examples students shared:
“She looks sad; I could give her a hug or ask if she wants to play.”
“He looks angry; I could give him some space.”
“She looks excited; I could celebrate with her!”
This activity helped students slow down, observe others, and think about how to respond with kindness.
Students practiced:
Recognizing feelings in others
Understanding that people may feel differently than they do
Responding with compassion and empathy
Taking caring actions to support classmates, family, and friends
These skills help students build stronger friendships and create a more caring classroom environment.
Ask your child:
“How can you tell when someone needs kindness?”
or
“What can you do to show compassion when someone feels sad, mad, or worried?”
These conversations help reinforce empathy and caring behaviors at home.