empathy: 5 Articles

Change the World with Kindness

Friendship February 17, 2022 10:00 am

Today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. In observance, we're highlighting books about the power of kindness. What do we do to change the world? One random act of kindness at a time. Morgan Freeman Grow Kind by Jon Lasser, PhD and Sage Foster-Lasser Kiko grows and cultivates her garden, harvesting and sharing the fruits and veggies with her friends, neighbors, and family. This delightful tale serves as a metaphor of nurturing relationships and community, while sharing kindness with others. Grow Kind is a gentle narrative based on positive psychology and choice theory, essentially about cultivating kindness. “Grow Kind is a wonderful book that helps teach children the importance of kindness and how small acts of kindness make a difference for others.” —Talking About Books for Kids Jon Lasser reads Grow Kind aloud in Magination Press Story Time. I See You by Michael Genhart, PhD I See You is an award-winning, wordless picture book that depicts a homeless woman who is not seen by everyone around her — except for a little boy. Over the course of a year, the boy is witness to all that she endures. Ultimately, in a gesture of compassion, the boy acknowledges her in an exchange in which he sees her and she experiences being seen. This book opens the door for kids and parents to begin a conversation about homelessness. In a “Note for Parents, Educators, and Neighbors,” there are discussion questions and additional resources about helping the homeless. “About heart, compassion and connecting with others…the emotion and candor captured by this story are beautifully brought to life”. —Children’s Books Heal Big Brave Bold Sergio by Debbie Wegenbach Swimming with the Snappers makes Sergio feel BIG, BRAVE, and BOLD. But sometimes the Snappers’ idea of fun gives Sergio “squishy” feelings. He doesn’t like it when they start picking on a minnow named Gil…but it’s hard to stand up to your friends! Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers by Julia Martin Burch, PhD, on bullying, friendship, fitting in, and ways to discuss these issues with your child. Read interviews with the author and illustrator: Meet Magination Press Author Debbie Wagenbach From Sketch to Book at Magination Press: Jamie Tablason Red, Yellow, Blue by Lysa Mullady Red loves being red! Apples, wagons, fire trucks — he thinks all the best things are red! Yellow admires Red’s roses, but Red just wants to be left to mind his own business — why can’t Yellow mind hers? But when Yellow and Blue go off to make frogs, shamrocks, and caterpillars, Red realizes that he may be missing out. The possibilities are endless when the colors work together! Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers with more information on encouraging empathy and cooperation. This is a wonderful book about teamwork, acceptance, kindness, forgiveness, self-esteem and emotions. —Storywraps Read an excerpt from the Note to Parents and Caregivers. Kindness comes in many forms: sharing, acknowledging others’ experiences, standing up to bullies for a friend, or forgiving people. Talk with your child about what kindness

Change the World with Kindness Eileen Hanning 2022-02-15T14:19:28-05:00

My Story Friend: Interview with the Author

Identity May 18, 2021 10:30 am By Kalli Dakos

There is the person who tells the story. This is the storyteller. And there is the person who listens to the story. This is the story friend. Kalli Dakos' My Story Friend shows the journey of a child looking for his story friend. Magination Press interviewed Ms. Dakos about creating this beautiful picture book. Magination Press: What inspired you to write My Story Friend? Kalli Dakos: I’ve worked with students for over thirty years and have written over 3,000 poems about life in our classrooms and our schools. In order to write these poems, I had to listen carefully to the students’ stories. I became a “listener” at a very deep level. For example, when I found a child “hiding in the bathroom,” I listened carefully to the story behind his decision to hide there and to the feelings that he expressed. Then I was able to write a poem that all students would understand. Children want someone to really listen to them. We are a very busy society and there are so many expectations put upon parents and teachers. But I believe that taking the time to encourage our children to share their stories and their feelings is a form of the greatest love. MP: Why is it important for people to be able to tell their stories? KD: To be heard, to be understood at a deep level, is something we all crave. It helps us to feel that we are not alone in this world and that our Story Friend really has our best interests at heart. The child in my book went looking for this experience and found it with the old woman who had both the time and the heart to really listen to his story and the feelings behind them. He was amazed at how much the simple act of telling his story helped him to understand his problems at a deep level where the solutions could also be found. He learned the value of “listening” at this level and became a Story Friend himself. MP: Why is it important for people to listen to other people’s stories? KD: Storytelling was used long ago before psychology and psychiatry as healing medicine, and the storyteller was often the most honored member of the tribe or society. It is this healing quality of storytelling that makes it so important through all of time. MP: The boy in the book struggles to find someone to listen to his story. He doesn’t feel he can tell his family, and two other grown-ups tell him they don’t want to listen to his story. What does it take to be a Story Friend? How can someone become a Story Friend if they are not one? KD: It takes a great deal of practice to listen deeply to a child’s story. Adults want to jump in and either tell the child what to do or move on to something else that they think is more important. Their

My Story Friend: Interview with the Author Kalli Dakos 2021-05-17T23:24:35-04:00

Nurturing Strong Emotional Skills in Children: Why and How

Social Emotional Learning January 8, 2020 9:30 am By Elizabeth McCallum, PhD.

Humans grow and develop quickly, both physically and emotionally, throughout childhood and adolescence. In addition to physical changes, children are also developing at a rapid pace emotionally, intellectually, and socially. Helping your child develop their emotional intelligence can provide them with skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. Magination Press book, A Box of Butterflies, by Jo Rooks, explores emotions and the situations that may cause them. Psychologist Elizabeth McCallum, PhD, provides a Note to Parents and Caregivers in the book, exploring the whys and hows of supporting emotional development. Why support emotional skill development? Research on emotional development has shown a correlation between certain skills and positive outcomes such as strong relationships, high-self esteem, and overall happiness. Some of these skills are self-regulation, emotional self-awareness, and the ability to identify emotions in others. Self-Regulation: the ability to monitor and manage one’s own emotional state and behavior. Emotional Self-awareness: the ability to understand one’s own emotions and how they impact one’s behavior. This knowledge allows people to reliably predict how they will respond to certain environmental circumstances. Identifying Emotions in Others: this skill has been linked to success in social relationships, academics, and the workforce. Individuals with this ability tend to be more empathetic. How to support emotional skill development Each child develops their emotional skills differently. Some may have strong emotional skills fairly young and others make take longer to develop. Other factors like individual temperament and cultural differences can also impact development. Regardless of the developmental level of a child’s emotional skills, parents and caregivers can support a child’s emotional skill development using these evidence-based strategies. Learn to Recognize Your Child’s Emotional Responses Some of your child’s emotions may be easier to recognize than others. Joy or anger may be more obvious than shame, guilt, or embarrassment. Particularly when your child’s emotions are hidden, it is especially important to pay attention to their words, body language, and behavior as they may provide clues as to how your child is feeling. Help Your Child Learn to Identify Their Own Emotional Responses When your child seems to be feeling a particular emotion, help them label that emotion and discuss the possible events that may have contributed to that feeling. This will help them learn to predict the types of situations and events that are linked to certain emotional reactions in themselves. Help Your Child Develop Empathy You can promote empathy by talking to your child about how others in distress (in real life, in books, on TV, etc.) may be feeling. Another way to encourage empathy is to help children see what they have in common with others. Meeting and learning about people from diverse backgrounds has been shown to increase empathy and overall emotional skills. Model Appropriate Emotional Skills Demonstrate appropriate emotional skills and discuss how you manage your emotions even when it is difficult. For example, when someone cuts in front of you and your child in line at the grocery store, take a moment

Nurturing Strong Emotional Skills in Children: Why and How Elizabeth McCallum, PhD. 2021-02-11T17:00:06-05:00

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