15 empathy books and videos for the classroom to teach kids empathy skills, such as compassion, inclusion, and community.
Teaching Empathy Skills to Students
Help students develop empathy and social awareness at school using books and videos. Children will relate to the characters in these stories and movies, making it easier for them to learn how they can be more empathetic. Here are 10 books and five videos that will highlight these characteristics for students.
One of the most effective ways to teach empathy and social awareness to children is to use educational materials they’ll enjoy. Grab a copy of a few of the 10 books and set up your access to these five videos to teach and illustrate to children how to be more empathetic.
Table of Contents
- Teaching Empathy Skills to Students
- Books that Teach Empathy Skills
- 1. Everyone by Christopher Silas Neal
- 2. The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
- 3. Chocolate Milk, Por Favor by Maria Dismondy
- 4. Stand in My Shoes by Bob Sornson
- 5. Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
- 6. We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
- 7. You, Me, and Empathy by Jayneen Sanders
- 8. The Feelings Book by Todd Parr
- 9. Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
- 10. Red Cat, Blue Cat by Jenni Desmond
- Books that Teach Empathy Skills
- Videos that Teach Empathy Skills
- Empathy Classroom Resources
- Read More about Teaching Empathy Skills
Books that Teach Empathy Skills
You can use stories to teach kids about empathy. Here are 10 books that teach empathy in a fun and positive way.
1. Everyone by Christopher Silas Neal
Everyone experiences the same range of emotions, including happiness, sadness, and anger. This book helps students understand their own emotions, providing them with a way to recognize and understand their feelings and the reasons behind them.
Once students understand their own feelings, they can begin to empathize with others when they realize that their friends and neighbors share the same feelings. With this book, children will have the opportunity to see that everyone shares similar feelings.
Teach kids that words and actions have consequences and that they can impact how another person feels. Teach the wrinkled heart poem and activity by giving each child a heart. Practice folding parts of the heart each time something negative is said. They will quickly realize that words and actions can last a lifetime. Get the FREE wrinkled heart activity below!
2. The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
What would it feel like to be invisible? While kids might think that being invisible is fun and engaging at first, they’ll soon realize that it can also hurt. In this book, the main character feels invisible. He’s left out of games and parties and is never invited into a group.
This changes when a new student arrives and is shown kindness. Children will get the chance to see how even a small kindness can make a world of difference in another person’s life.
3. Chocolate Milk, Por Favor by Maria Dismondy
It can be hard for kids to understand others who are different. Whether it is someone of a different gender or ethnicity, kids can struggle to understand those differences.
With this book, you can help students understand that just because someone is different doesn’t mean they don’t have feelings. Johnny, the main character, learns how to celebrate these differences instead of being afraid of them.
4. Stand in My Shoes by Bob Sornson
With this book, kids will learn that it’s easier than they think to feel empathy towards others. They will learn how to stand in a friend’s shoes to learn what they’re feeling. When you consider someone else’s feelings, you’ll get the chance to develop a deeper and more meaningful relationship.
Teach kids what it means to put themselves in someone else’s shoes through role-playing and classroom discussions. Read a book and make a shoe craft to pledge to act with compassion. Click here to check it out.
5. Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
All kids can understand the feeling of wanting something they can’t have. In this story, they get the chance to follow along with Jeremy, who desperately wants a pair of those shoes, shoes that all of his friends have. Throughout the story, Jeremy learns that there are things more important than the latest fashion trends, such as family, friendship, and helping others.
6. We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
This book is based on the popular movie Wonder. In this story, students have the opportunity to learn about how everyone wants to belong and be loved for who they are. Students will learn to empathize with others as they recognize that everyone shares the exact wants and emotions they do.
7. You, Me, and Empathy by Jayneen Sanders
Children will learn about the various emotions associated with empathy and how they can utilize empathy and their own feelings to help others. Jayneen Sanders, the author of “You, Me, and Empathy,” does an exceptional job of assisting kids to understand these emotions.
8. The Feelings Book by Todd Parr
As children grow, they need to learn that it’s okay to experience a range of emotions. The Feelings Book explores various emotions that children may experience, allowing you to discuss them with your child.
Once they understand their own feelings, they can work on understanding others’ feelings, helping them to develop empathy.
Share scenarios that kids can relate to, or read books where the characters go through various experiences, both good and bad. Ask them to hold up a feeling stick to show how that person or character might be feeling. Click here to check it out.
9. Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
To develop emotional awareness, children need to learn that it’s okay to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, including adults. What’s important is that you learn from your mistakes and try to transform your problem into something beautiful! Kids will know not to get upset about their errors or to judge others for theirs.
10. Red Cat, Blue Cat by Jenni Desmond
If you ask your students, they will probably tell you that they’ve wanted to be someone else at some point. It’s so easy to look at a friend who seems to have everything and feel like you want to be like them instead. In this book, kids will learn that the best person to be is themselves.
It is essential to provide children with opportunities to practice empathy when they are young. Have pairs stand up and act out a scenario from a scenario card. Ask the class for suggestions on ways to show empathy. Click here to check it out.
Videos that Teach Empathy Skills
1. The Present Short Film by Jacob Frey
In this video, a mom brings home a new dog for her son. As kids watch the video, they’ll see that the dog is missing a leg. At first, the boy tries to ignore the dog, pushing him away. As the movie progresses, the dog wins over the boy for one huge reason. You can use this video to discuss why the boy was initially upset, as well as how the dog ultimately helps the boy.
2. Singa and the Kindness Cubbies (Ep 2) – Empathy
Kids will enjoy watching this video as they see how compassion and understanding can make you a better friend. In the video, Tosh is mean to Tomeo about a test they all take. Tosh’s friends walk him through why his words hurt Tomeo and help him figure out what he can do to make things right.
Encourage kids to identify ways that they show compassion to others at school, at home, or in the community. They can create a pennant to join in a classroom compassion banner. Click here to check it out.
3. Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood – Someone Else’s Feelings/Empathy at School
Daniel Tiger is a popular character that kids love. In this episode of Daniel Tiger, children will learn how to empathize with others’ feelings. This will teach them to be better friends not only at school, but also at home and in the neighborhood.
4. Sesame Street: Mark Ruffalo: Empathy
Kids will get the chance to learn all about empathy from a favorite show — Sesame Street! In this video, Mark Ruffalo joins Murray from Sesame Street to learn about the word empathy. Mark and Murray do an excellent job of explaining empathy in a way that kids will understand.
5. Start With Sorry: Children’s Empathy Story, Read Aloud
In this read-aloud, Luna gets jealous of her older brother because he can do more than she can. She reacts in anger, but this hurts her brother’s feelings and makes him sad. Luna then has to rectify this situation, learning that saying sorry is an effective way to do so.
These empathy books and videos will help you teach students about social awareness in the classroom. They will help kids learn these important topics in a fun way that they can understand.
Empathy Classroom Resources
FREE Wrinkled Heart Poem & Activity
Give one of our engaging digital SEL activities a try! Get a FREE copy of the Wrinkled Heart activity. This activity includes a poem and an online read-aloud formatted for Google Slides, plus a printable heart template for your empathy lesson.
Click the image below to grab a copy.
Social Awareness Curriculum for K-2
The Complete Empathy and Social Awareness Unit includes numerous helpful lessons and activities designed to help children learn about empathy, compassion, inclusion, and community. Click HERE to see everything included.
Read More about Teaching Empathy Skills
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