Empathy for Others: Even Little Ones Can Learn to Care

Empathy for Others: Even Little Ones Can Learn to Care


You have probably noticed your baby copying some of your actions and behaviors, but as he approaches six months of age you will start to see him responding emotionally in ways that mirror your own and others. Yes! He is starting to build his Empathy for Others, a “capacity to observe the feelings of another and to respond with care and concern for that other [person].”1 Although empathy is largely a learned response which develops primarily at a later age, there is some evidence that infants possess an inherent sense of sharing feelings with others. Most notably, it has been observed that babies are more likely to cry if they are located in a room with other crying babies rather than in a silent room. According to research by Martin and Clark (1982), “(a)s early as 18 to 72 hours following birth, newborns who were exposed to the sound of another infant crying often displayed distress reactions, a phenomenon referred to as reflexive or reactive crying, or emotional contagion.”2

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What sets off this emotional contagion which causes him to copy your every move and emotion? It has to do with how his brain is built! When a baby sees a person performing an action, brain cells called mirror neurons fire electrical impulses in the same part of his brain that would cause the same movement in the child.3 That is, the part of his brain in charge of that type of motion is stimulated, even if he’s not doing that action or even capable of the action at this point! Similarly, if your baby sees you express a particular feeling, his brain will also fire off mirror neurons for those feelings.4 Mirror neurons are the basis for your baby’s developing Empathy for Others skills.3

Due to this neural response, don’t be surprised if you notice him reacting to your emotions by seeming worried if you look upset, startling if you yell, or copying your joy and laughter.5 And as he spends more time with other children, he may become so tuned in to them that he may show concern for a crying and upset friend in need.6

Keep in mind that the same abilities that allow your baby to show empathy will also allow him to become easily overwhelmed by his emotions at this time. Whenever possible, stay calm and positive when you are with him because he has limits as to how much emotional input he can take in and handle at any given time.

Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your baby’s development of these Empathy for Others skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

  1. Help your baby identify his emotions.5 Simply naming his feelings will help your baby build his emotional vocabulary. Because empathy is simply a sharing of emotions, knowing what to label such emotions will help him relate to the feelings of others. A few words of acknowledgement, such as “I can see you are upset” or “You are having such a happy day,” will help confirm how he feels and let him understand and share more of his emotions in the future.
  2. Show your baby picture books with babies’ faces. At this age, your baby enjoys looking at faces, especially those of other babies. There are a number of picture books out there which focus on babies and their emotions. Look at one with your baby, and talk to him about the other babies. Name the babies’ emotions, and tell him how you can tell how the baby is feeling. For example, you could say “Look at that baby’s big smile. She must be happy!”

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Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Empathy for Others developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

  • Responds to others’ emotions and often seems happy.

Sources:

1Quann, Valerie, and Wien, Carol Anne (2006). The Visible Empathy of Infants and Toddlers. Beyond the Journal – Young Children on the Web. Retrieved November 7, 2013, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200607/Quann709BTJ.pdf.

2Martin, G. B., and Clark, R. D. (1982). Distress crying in neonates: Species and peer specificity. Developmental Psychology, 18(1), 3-9.

3Perry, Susan (2008). Mirror Neurons. Brain Facts. Retrieved January 22, 2014, from http://www.brainfacts.org/Brain-Basics/Neuroanatomy/Articles/2008/Mirror-Neurons.

4Mind Matters (2008). The Mirror Neuron Revolution: Explaining What Makes Humans Social. Scientific American: Mind Matters. Retrieved on January 22, 2014, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-mirror-neuron-revolut/.

5Washington State Department of Early Learning (2012). Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines: Birth through 3rd Grade.

6Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

 

Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee
Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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