Empathy activities for kids, ages 2 to 8

Empathy is trying to understand how someone else feels. Young children practice it best through small, playful moments: guessing a feeling from a face, asking what a character in a story might need, or noticing who could use some help. Here are seven empathy activities for ages 2 to 8 that take a few minutes and need nothing but you, a book and sometimes a mirror. They’re also on a free printable set of cards.

Harvard’s Making Caring Common project puts it simply: empathy takes practice and guidance, much like learning a language or a sport. These activities are that practice.

Watch, don’t guess (ages 3 and up)

This one comes from Book One, A Light for Tavi, where Niko and Lira stop guessing what their crying baby brother wants and start watching him.

1. A grown-up acts out a feeling or a need without any words: yawning and rubbing their eyes, shivering, or looking all around for something.
2. Your child watches and guesses: “What do you think I need?”
3. Then ask what would help. A blanket? A nap? Help finding the lost thing?
4. Swap, and let your child act one out for you.

It slows everyone down, and the clues are in the watching.

Feelings detective at story time (ages 2 and up)

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) suggests stopping on a page where a character is showing a feeling and asking, “What do you think he is feeling?” and “Look at her face. How can you tell?” Ask once or twice per book, not on every page, and keep going while your child is interested.

Make a face (ages 2 to 5)

Another CSEFEL game. Say, “I’m going to make a face. Guess what I’m feeling.” Make a happy or a sad face. When your child guesses, say something simple that makes you feel that way (“Going to the park makes me happy”). Then it’s their turn to make a face for you to guess. With a mirror, the youngest can try the faces on themselves: “Mirror, mirror, what do I see? I see a happy Sam looking at me.”

What color is their pendant? (ages 3 to 8)

In Lumingrove, a pendant glows with how its wearer feels: gold for happy, blue for sad, red for angry, pink for love. While reading any book, ask, “If she had a pendant right now, what color would it be?” It gives a child a way to answer without needing the exact word. The feelings colors chart has all nine.

Spot the helper (ages 4 to 8)

Making Caring Common suggests noticing together when someone shows empathy, in real life or in a book or show. After a story, ask, “Who noticed how someone else was feeling? What did they do?” In A Light for Tavi, it’s Lira who says, “We keep guessing. Let’s watch him instead.”

Say what you notice (any age)

Children learn empathy both from watching us and from feeling our empathy for them, says Making Caring Common. So say your own noticing out loud, in small everyday ways: “Grandpa looks tired. I think I’ll bring him some water.” “Your friend looked sad when the game ended. What could we do?”

One small kind thing (ages 5 to 8)

Making Caring Common suggests giving children simple ideas for taking action, like comforting a classmate who was teased. Once a week, ask together, “Who might need a little kindness this week? What could we do?” Then do one small thing: a drawing for a neighbor, a turn on the swing for a younger child, a hello for the new kid.

When an activity doesn’t land

Some days a child just isn’t interested, and that’s fine. Stop and try again another day. Every one of these works best for a few minutes at a time, as part of an ordinary day.

For more to do with Book One, its questions and activities are free to print, and Pendant Feelings is a feelings game children can play on their own.