Understanding others is crucial to developing empathy; that is, knowing how others feel about things. Compassion comes when empathy develops. Young children can learn to identify feelings by looking at pictures that reveal happiness, anger, sadness, etc. The parent or caregiver can point these out and also comment on the child's feelings as they arise. "You look sad. Is it because you have to stop playing and take a nap now?" natural structure for socialization and formation of good character is the story. Children need exposure to stories with moral messages -- in books, video, and from a parent's own life. When I was 12 I read a book called "The Secret Garden" that was full of good ideas for development of moral character. These ideas were not "preachy-teachy" but built into the fabric of the story. Young children still love "The Little Engine that Could," and the lesson of...
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