WANT TO RAISE EMPATHETIC KIDS?
Get them in touch with nature
Earlier this year, I wrote about what kids should do if they found a baby bird on the ground. The idea for the story came from an experience I had with my sons last summer, when we discovered a robin’s nest in a holly bush.
We watched the parents deliver dangling worms to the babies, snapped pictures from a distance, fretted through heavy rainstorms and, when they finally grew feathers and disappeared, wondered whether the little birds would make it to adulthood.
When writing the story a year later, I interviewed David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation.
He shared advice for kids who encounter a baby bird. He also talked about how ordinary backyard wildlife — from birds to bunnies — provides valuable context for teaching kids to care about others.
“All of these are fellow creatures who need a happy and safe habitat, even if it’s in the backyard,” he said at the time. “And ... giving your kids the exposure to nature is just the right thing to do.”
Kevin Coyle, the NWF’s vicepresident of education, says: “The research tends to show that even very young kids can develop a real sense of caring about things other than themselves, like wild animals. They develop tolerance toward other things and develop a sense of empathy. That’s a good thing overall.”
Following are three strategies for using the natural world to raise empathetic children.
CREATE AN AWARENESS OF BACKYARD WILDLIFE
Why? Learning about and observing nature can contribute to your child’s sense of empathy.
How? Coyle advises parents to think about teaching kids empathy with the help of nature as they would any other learning experience.
The first stage is awareness. Give your child something to focus on, such as a mother raccoon you might come across if you’re out early, a bird’s nest or even ordinary insects.
Talk about how the wild animals living around us deserve respect and understanding as they care for themselves and their young, just as many humans do.
Try this: Start a birding journal and make notes about birds you observe during neighbourhood walks. Grab a magnifying glass and head outside for a game of bug bingo, a fantastic way to make outdoor learning fun.
HELP BACKYARD WILDLIFE
Why? When a child contemplates what raccoons, butterflies or native songbirds need to survive, the thought process builds empathy, according to Coyle.
How? Kids need help from parents to put what they know into action and make the connection between something they do and the benefits to someone else.
Try this: Set up a bird feeder. Let your child help refill the feeder. Talk about how birds need to eat just as we do.
Plant a caterpillar host plant, such as milkweed. You might end up with monarch butterflies to observe. Plant parsley, dill or fennel to attract black swallowtails.
Clean up litter in your neighbourhood to help keep wildlife safe from eating, sticking to or getting entangled in human trash.
PLAN MEANINGFUL OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES
Why? It might not sound like a big deal, but spending time in nature with your child can be hugely significant in how your child ends up relating to the natural world, and to others.
How? Focus on interpreting nature together and enabling your child to learn about things outside him or herself.
Try this: Spend time on a regular basis in a natural setting. Discuss changes in the environment and how wild animals cope.
Get in the habit of pointing out relationships that animals have to nature and what’s involved in their survival, such as where an opossum sleeps or where a mother fox might build a den.
Help kids discover, observe and identify different types of grasshoppers and woodpeckers.