How to Raise a Compassionate Child – Compassion is the process of supporting people and going out of their way to support a person, group of people or a cause. It involves identifying emotions and working with a person (or people) to find a solution, alongside paying attention and addressing their emotional or physical needs.
It’s a good way to help your child understand how they can help others in real life situations, as well as learning to offer a helping hand both at home and at school. Here are some ways you can raise a compassionate child, as recommended by this 13+ school in London.
Raise a Compassionate Child – Believe in your child
It may sound like a small thing, but having the trust and faith in your child goes a long way in helping with their ability to pick up all kinds of skills. Show them how you would want to express compassion in their everyday lives by encouraging them to be kind towards others. Don’t doubt that they can do these things, just let them learn from you and see how they respond.
Raise a Compassionate Child – Give your child pointers on how to see different emotions
When we’re sad we are often unresponsive or refusing to smile, but when we are joyous we laugh, smile and are more likely to pick up an activity or follow through with a plan. Show your child what they could spot in other people’s reactions and see how they feel. It’s important to show them a different perspective when it comes down to every person’s feelings. While some people might be smiling there may be something else worrying them; it’s important to highlight these elements to children.
Raise a Compassionate Child – Be patient with your child’s growth
Your child isn’t going to know how to be compassionate towards others straight away. It’s important that you are aware of that just as much as your child will be learning lots of other skills all at the same time.
This is where you will find your child will make plenty of mistakes, where you can step in and correct their behaviour or provide them with a good opportunity for a lesson. Then, you can gradually tweak this as your child begins to pick up new skills and explore new areas of development. That is why you should always be patient – when we were children we had to do the same thing!
To help your child with their understanding of compassion we recommend exploring lots of different activities and experiences together. It’s a great part of your child’s overall learning development, so lean into these opportunities as much as you can.
*Collaborative post