How To Develop Empathy Towards Animals In Children
Empathy is the ability we have to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes or be, getting to understand him and know how he feels. It has a very important function, and that is, thanks to it, we can relate better to others and thus promote social relationships.
Being empathetic is not only beneficial for the people around us, it also benefits ourselves, as it helps us in our adaptation to the environment and emotional development. That is why we can say that it is the basis of many other skills, such as social skills, emotional intelligence, etc.
Although human beings are born with the ability to be empathetic, this is a quality that develops as we grow. It is because of that People close to the child’s environment are essential for the development of empathy to occur properly.
We all agree that children should develop good empathy with their peers, but nevertheless many people do not show interest in the relationship that children have with animals However, we must consider whether connecting emotionally with other living beings is also beneficial for child development, since there are studies that have observed the relationship between violence and animal abuse, such as Ascione (1997-1998), who observed significant scores in his studies on the relationship between domestic violence and animal abuse.
Naturally, the child is attracted to animals, this is what is called biophilia; However, education and the environment make children behave in one way or another towards other species; It can be respectful, indifferent or aggressive. On the other hand, there are studies that lead us to think that instilling respect and relationships with animals helps us also maintain positive relationships with others. Authors such as Serpell (1999) state that the presence of animals enhances in us the attitude of attention, care, companionship, security, comfort and fun.
What is clear is that the child and animal relationship creates an opportunity for emotional expression without any negative consequences.
Do you want to encourage empathy towards animals in your children?
If you like animals and want to share your home with them, great, but it is not necessary to have a pet for your children to develop a love for them. And it is not enough to have them at home either, you must teach them. The simple fact of having them at home does not guarantee that they will be cared for by your children. If you are interested you can follow these steps:
1. Be their model
This is the most important. Always remember that children have a great capacity to learn everything that happens in their daily lives. You have to be their model in this as in all important things in life. Just as they see you treat animals, they will do the same Speak well in their presence, do not yell or punish the animals. Your children should see that you respect them.
Encouraging reading in children is very beneficial, and if we use books about animals we will achieve two valuable objectives: that they read and that they learn about them. It is important to choose the book that suits their age and share the moment with them. Reading the book together is important, as many questions may arise that you need to be able to answer.
I leave you some examples of books: Animal Rescue (Patrick George), Save the Animals (Frances Barry), One Thing (Celeste Sánchez Demare).
3. Visit a nearby shelter
You probably have shelters nearby in your area. You can make an appointment for the little ones to see the shelter and observe how the abandoned animals live. You can also attend talks offered by the protectors or suggest that they explain to your children some topics in which you think they have the most doubts.
4. Share talks with them
The animal world is very extensive and has many things to know Choose a specific topic to start talking to them. The needs of pets, abandonment, how shelters, zoos help…etc. If there are topics that you are not aware of, it is important that you inform yourself first so that you can answer their questions well.
