Teaching kids empathy alongside critical thinking
TEACHING CHILDREN EMPATHY AND CRITICAL THINKING WHILE STRENGTHENING IDENTITY AND RESPECT FOR PARENTS Teaching children empathy alongside critical thinking while strengthening their identity and respect for parents requires an integrated, developmentally sensitive approach based on social and developmental psychology. The aim is to help children understand both themselves and others, including parents, as multidimensional human beings. 1. TEACH PERSPECTIVE-TAKING AS A THINKING SKILL Empathy and critical thinking both depend on seeing the world from another point of view while maintaining independent thought. Activity: Use role play or family storytelling. Ask the child to retell a recent disagreement from your perspective. Follow with questions like "why do you think I felt that way?" or "what might I have been afraid of or hoping for?" This strengthens intellectual empathy—the capacity to analyze emotions and motives without blind agreement. Tip: Invite "why...