How to Raise a Compassionate Child

How to raise an optimistic child with 2 children walking up a track with one putting an arm around the other.

Having compassion for others not only makes the world a better place but also has a range of health benefits too. It is reported that showing compassion to someone else can lower a person’s heart rate and in turn reduce anxiety. In the act, the chemical oxytocin is released into the brain which gives a warm, soothing feeling.A private school in London shares how to raise a compassionate child.

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Create a Body Language Dictionary

From an early age, you can teach your child how to recognise and respond to emotions. This may be to highlight that someone is sad when crying or covering their face. You can teach your child to be compassionate by offering a hug or asking a person if they’re okay.

Acknowledge Kind Behaviour

Verbalising when someone does something nice and how that makes you feel can teach your child how to show compassion. This might be saying ‘thank you, that’s so kind of you’ to someone that opens the door for you when your hands are full or to your partner when they wash the dishes.

Demonstrate Kindness to Others

Children look up to their parents as role models and naturally imitate their behaviour. To help your child grow into a compassionate young person, display kindness to others. This could be to offer your neighbours a hand or to allow someone with fewer items to go ahead of you at the checkout of a supermarket. Refrain from being unkind to others in their presence and try to deal with any conflicts maturely.

Think About How You Would Like to Be Treated

The feeling of compassion comes from putting ourselves in the shoes of others. To teach your child compassion, get your child to think about this and how they would like to be treated if they were in someone else’s position by practising empathy.

I would love to hear your tips and experiences of how to raise compassionate child. Please do share in the comments box below.