A Walk In Someone Else's Shoes

<---Watch this video "Empathy with Mark and Murray" 

• Give each student this image of a shoe (LINK), have them decorate it.

• Bring students together in a circle, standing.

• Explain to students that they will be participating in an activity called "In These Shoes."

• Tell them that in this activity, they will take their photo of a shoe and say "These are the shoes of someone who..." Then, they will make a true statement about themselves that others possibly don't know, and place their shoe in the center of the circle.

• Demonstrate for the class how to complete the activity. Take your shoe, hold it, and state, "These are the shoes of someone who...(make a personal statement)," then place your shoes in the center of the circle.

• Tell students that it's important for them to use their listening skills and remember each of their classmate's statements. After everyone has placed their shoe in the center, one person at a time will voluntarily go into the middle of the circle, pick up one of the shoes, bring them back to the person it belongs to and repeat that person's "These are the shoes of someone who..." statement.

• Begin the activity and continue until everyone has shared a statement and received their shoe.

• Ask the class what they noticed during this activity. How do they feel? Did they learn something about one of their classmates that they hadn't known before?

• Explain that it is important to take time to understand others and the "shoes they walk in."

• Ask, "Does anyone know what this practice is called?" Tell them that it is called practicing empathy.

Conversation with Class

• Follow the guided meditation, then watch the video of Jon Pritikin's story followed by the "All About Empathy for Kids" video, if you have not already. Have the students identify how Jon is feeling using facial expressions and body language. 

• Ask the students to think about a time when they may have felt that way. If they have not experienced this, ask them to think about how they would feel if they did?

• Tell the students to think about how they would want to be treated in that situation. It's also important to remind the students that in each situation we should ask others what they may want or need as that can be different from one person to another.