How do help my son with empathy?!

[midnightblue12]

My son is 6 and despite being such a lovely little boy he really struggles with feeling jealous and showing empathy and I don't know how to support him with this.

He isnt in any way spoilt at home, and he is very much loved. Those two things are absolute.

He just hates to share, he hates to loose, and he worn compromise when playing etc.

Has anyone else been through this with a 6 year old? How can I help him?

Studies show that reading increases empathy. So read to him, get him reading,and listen to audiobooks. We had a lot of conversations with child where we asked him "when someone does this, how do you think it makes the other person feel? Does it make things harder or easier for them?" not being judgemental about answers, just getting him thinking.

Be careful not to worry about this too much, he's only six. Most kids are pretty selfish when young.

Parents need to model empathy. Make sure to be a good loser and good sharer yourself. Don't be overly competitive, don't talk too much about winning. Point out your own mistakes and let him go first.

Is his dad an empathetic type?

Agree reading and talking about how other people feel can help.

Model it yourself especially with other people in your home so he can see it in action. Also play lots of board games. Too many monkeys is a great game for that age . Also kersplat and frustration. Just make sure you genuinely play to win yourself and don’t just let him win. Let him feel the full range of emotions without criticising him. He’ll learn to self regulate if he can have free rein in a safe and loving home environment. Children can usually feel genuine emotion till they’re heading for their teens, which means what you’re looking for at this age is for them not learn how to not be overwhelmed by their own emotions and self regulate. I once had the parenting role described to me as the parent helps hold onto the emotions that are too big for the child and give them back in bite sized chunks that the child can manage. That way It’s ok to feel big emotions. It’s safe to have them.