Making a Difference With Empathy

Maria Dismondy, author of Pink Tiara Cookies for Three and Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun, just kicked off "Make a Difference Monday" on her blog.On the first Monday of every month, Maria will host a linky party related to a different character trait. This month's trait is empathy.

What is empathy? Empathy is when one try's to understand someone else's feelings from their own perspective and then has a desire to help that person.

It is important to teach empathy because research has shown that children who do not show empathy are more prone to violent behavior as well as other negative actions and aggressively acting out. On the other hand, children who are empathetic are more likely to share with others, have better social skills, and are compassionate to others. 

Here are a few great picture books for teaching young children about empathy. 

To read about other books and tips for teaching empathy, to link up and add your own ideas, and to enter to win a bag from Thirty-one Gifts, go to Maria's post Make a Difference Monday- Empathy.