Topic

I am you, you are me

What Stimulates: Empathy, Imagination

Preparation and materials:

  • Paper or your regular notebook
  • Crayons or pencils

OR

  • A piece of paper or cardboard (large enough to lie on and draw around the body of an adult and a child)
  • Crayons or pencils
  • Or if you prefer, you can draw on the ground (sand, earth, sidewalk) using a stick, your finger, chalk, charcoal, etc.

Recommended ages:

  • 5-8 years

Why is this activity important?

Developing empathy in children is important as it helps them to relate emotionally to others and respond appropriately to situations. This helps them understand how other people are feeling, what might have upset someone, and how best to support them. By putting themselves in the other person's shoes, a child imagines what the lives of others are like and this helps them to act with compassion.


How to do it:

FOR CHILDREN FROM 5 TO 8 YEARS:

1 - Draw your child's hand on paper or the outline of his body on larger paper or on the floor. Also draw his hand or body. Together, draw or write on each finger or each part of the body:

  • Heart: A moment with me that made you feel loved, cared for, protected, happy and confident.
  • Head: Something you did to me that hurt you or made you feel sad.
  • Stomach: Something you really needed to say and never had the courage.
  • Hands: Something you like to do together.
  • Legs: Something you found out about me that you didn't know.

2 - After you're done, you can share what you've drawn with each other.

3 - Now lie down in each other's silhouettes or put your hand in each other's hands. Close your eyes, if you are comfortable, and imagine that you are the other person.

4 - Talk to each other about how you feel and how the activity was. End the activity by talking about how important it is to try to understand each other's experiences without judging, just listening and understanding.


Tip for doing this group activity:


To do this group activity, you could ask the children to work in pairs and draw around each other's hands. Inside each finger, draw or write different answers. For example:

  • Finger 1: Share a moment with your partner that made you feel happy.
  • Finger 2: Share a moment with your partner that made you feel sad.
  • Finger 3: Share something with your partner that makes you feel scared.
  • Finger 4: Share something with your partner that you enjoy doing. Finger
  • 5: Share something with your partner that you would like to try.

Then ask the kids to switch hands, this could even be swapping with other kids in the group, not just their partner. As a group, spend some time talking about the answer to your questions.

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