Empathy Building Activities for Teens

When teens lack empathy it is difficult to communicate and relate with one another, even their own peers and family members. Empathy allows others to have an understanding of various situations without actually experiencing the situations themselves. Having empathy is important in different social situations throughout each day and to help others including relatives and loved ones who are .

Empathy is a person's ability to recognize and relate to the feelings of another. It is not surprising that empathy is a trait many teenagers need to learn. Empathy is not easy to teach, but the rewards of encouraging teens to develop this trait will benefit a school, a community and the students' lives forever.Empathy building activities for teens can take on many forms and must be carefully administered. Due to the fragile nature of the human psyche, it is important that the instructor be serious, committed and prepared for the emotional risks teens may feel compelled to accept. An individual with a background in psychology is the most prepared to teach empathy. Most teachers, school counselors and administrators have had some experience in developmental psychology and can be trusted to facilitate empathy-building exercises.A frequent starting point is to engage in sharing which reveals the similarities between teenagers. It is a good idea to start with topics that are not risky. For instance, a facilitator might ask a group to divide themselves up into groups depending on a preference for winter or summer. A preference for a particular season is not a high-risk preference; students will feel comfortable categorizing themselves by these types of preferences. The facilitator can slowly increase the risk while still asking teens to place themselves on a continuum. Perhaps the facilitator will ask students who think school is boring to go to the front of the room and students who like school to go to the back of the room. This type of preference involves slightly more risk. Eventually, facilitators will want to ask students high-risk questions. An example might be a personal experience with drugs or alcohol. A facilitator might ask students who have seen their parents use drugs to go to the front of the room and students who have not seen their parents use drugs to go to the back of the room. Because the teens have already categorized themselves carefully, they will feel less anxious to expose their vulnerability and less likely to judge each other.Facilitators should make sure to process the activity with students. Give them an opportunity to write about their experience with high-risk preferences and to share in large and small groups. When teens realize they are not so different from one another, they are able to see themselves in similar fashion and exhibit empathy.