Do your kids or students struggle to notice when a friend is hurting, or freeze when they don't know what to say to someone who is upset? Helping Kids Care About Others is a Building Character workbook for ages 8 to 12 that helps kids understand what empathy means, how it differs from sympathy, and how to see a situation from another person's point of view and respond with compassion.
This workbook is printed and shipped by Amazon. Order the paperback on Amazon.
The workbook was written by Tammy Roose, an upper elementary teacher and the creator of Tarheelstate Teacher, and is adapted from her Empathy & Perspective Taking SEL Unit for upper elementary classrooms.
NOTE: This 95-page paperback is written for kids to work through on their own or alongside a parent or teacher. If you are teaching empathy to a whole class, the Empathy & Perspective Taking SEL Unit covers the same topic with 20 days of lesson plans and Google Slides (digital download only).
Through real-life scenarios, short stories, sorting activities, and journal prompts, kids practice what to say and do when someone is having a hard time, including how to notice body language with See, Think, Feel, how to rewrite a story from another character's perspective, and how to turn an unhelpful response into a caring one.
WHY PARENTS LOVE THIS WORKBOOK
- A Variety of Engaging Activities in One Book: Reading passages, sorts, perspective-taking scenarios, Venn diagrams, quote reflections, and creative projects like My Empathy Inspiration Board, the Keep Perspective Acrostic Poem, My Empathy Symbol, and My Empathy Time Capsule.
- Kids Can Work On Their Own or With an Adult: Directions are written for kids ages 8 to 12, so they can complete the activities independently or alongside a parent, teacher, or counselor. Children can work from the first page to the last, or skip to the sections that fit what they need right now. The Growing More Empathetic Action Tracker follows a monthly calendar for kids who want to track their caring actions over several weeks.
- Start with How Empathy Develops: The workbook opens with pages for adults on how empathy grows from early childhood through the upper elementary years, why empathy matters, and simple ways to encourage empathy in daily life.
- Setting Empathy Goals that Can Continue After the Workbook: A Growing More Empathetic Action Tracker, a Personal Empathy Post Reflection & Action Plan, a Personal Empathy Weekly Goal Reflection, and a Declaration of My Commitment to Empathy help kids keep practicing caring habits.
- No Right or Wrong Answers: The activities focus on reflection, discussion, and real-world application.
WHAT'S INSIDE THE EMPATHY WORKBOOK
✨ Section 1: What It Means to Care: What Is Empathy?, important vocabulary, Reflecting on My Empathy, reflection questions, the Empathy Word Cloud, and When Someone Cared for Me
✨ Section 2: What Empathy Looks & Sounds Like: Two Ways to Show You Care, Empathy vs. Sympathy with a Venn diagram, the Empathetic vs. Sympathetic Statements Sort, The Four Qualities of Empathy, The Forgotten Lunch story, and Understanding Others: See, Think, Feel
✨ Section 3: Building Your Empathy Toolbox: Switch the Perspective, Complex Emotions Detective, Say It With Empathy, Choosing the Caring Response, Two Paths, Two Outcomes, additional real-life social situations, The Empathy Switch, and Empathy Tools
✨ Section 4: Empathy in Action: The Challenge That Changed Everything story, Empathy in Action: Who Inspires You?, Empathy in the Wild, ABC's of Empathetic Deeds, the Growing More Empathetic Action Tracker, My Empathy Inspiration Board, the Keep Perspective Acrostic Poem, My Empathy Symbol, and The Compassion Coach Advice Column
✨ Section 5: Carrying Empathy Forward: The Experience of Empathy, A Recipe for Empathy, Empathy Can Be Challenging!, The Power of Truly Seeing Someone, an Empathy & Compassion Choice Board, My Empathy Time Capsule, and a Declaration of My Commitment to Empathy
✨ Appendix: Recommended picture books about empathy and compassion and reproducible templates
Showing empathy isn't always easy, especially when someone's feelings or situation are different from our own. Helping Kids Care About Others helps kids pause and notice how others feel, listen with care, and respond with kindness at home, at school, and with friends.
THIS WORKBOOK IS PERFECT FOR
- Parents and caregivers supporting social emotional learning at home
- Teachers and school counselors leading character education lessons
- Homeschool families and after-school programs
CASEL STANDARDS ALIGNMENT
Self-Awareness
- Identifying one’s emotions
- Linking feelings, values, and thoughts
Self-Management
- Managing one’s emotions
- Setting personal and collective goals
Social Awareness
- Taking others’ perspectives
- Demonstrating empathy and compassion
- Showing concern for the feelings of others
Relationship Skills
- Communicating effectively
- Developing positive relationships
- Seeking or offering support and help when needed
Responsible Decision-Making
- Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one’s actions
- Reflecting on one’s role to promote personal, family, and community well-being
MORE BUILDING CHARACTER WORKBOOKS
Each workbook in the series follows a similar layout, so kids know what to expect from one topic to the next:
- Telling the Truth & Integrity
- Being & Getting Motivated
- Being Yourself
- Having Courage
- Making & Keeping Friends
- Setting Goals
- Showing Responsibility & Making Good Choices
- Growing in Gratitude
- Developing a Growth Mindset
- Conflict Resolution
BOOK DETAILS
- Paperback, 95 pages, 8.5 x 11 inches
- Ages 8 to 12 (grades 3 to 6)
- Author: Tammy Roose
- Publisher: Tarheelstate Teacher Publishing
- ISBN: 978-1968882082
- Available on Amazon: order the paperback here
Copyright © Tammy Roose, Tarheelstate Teacher LLC. The purchase of this workbook gives the buyer permission to reproduce pages for single classroom, home, or small group use only.
