Teaching empathy

[anais]

I'm sure this has been discussed before but I've just searched and can't find it. How do you encourage children to be empathetic towards others or is it just something that comes with time and life experience?

Probably time, experience and a few gentle nudges in the right direction (eg "How would you feel if X did that/said that to you?" inresponse to something wrong). I'm not sure it's something you can teach but is more something you encourage.

DS1 (4) is, I think, pretty clueless about this. I'm not sure at what age they learn.

The method that SoupDragon suggests is pretty much what they follow at DD's school. I'm not sure whether they did it at nursery but definitely from Reception the teacher would ask 'How would you feel...' 'How do you think So-and-so feels when....'

Anais I'm sure you could get the message across with reading the right books and discussing it afterwards with them.Or are you religious at all to maybe read some of the simple bible stories which show kindness to others.Not that any books spring to mind,I'll have a think.Keeping a pet is another good one,if practical.I'm sure they just learn by example though,by seeing you looking after them when they are ill etc.Unless people are complete psycopaths I'm sure it's natural and develops as they learn