WHAT IS EMPATHY?

Nico’s Big Questions: What Is Empathy? Video Companion Resource for Ages 7–14

A thoughtful, academically grounded companion resource that helps students explore empathy beyond the phrase “put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”

Designed for ages 7–14, this resource introduces key ideas such as perspective-taking, emotional empathy, compassion, curiosity, listening, projection, humility, and fairness.

Youtube Video:[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ74DYrlLaA&t=19s]

Students learn that empathy does not mean knowing exactly how someone else feels. Instead, it means trying to understand while recognizing that another person’s experience is still their own.

Includes:

• Teacher overview
• Discussion questions
• Film comprehension activities
• Fact vs. assumption exercises
• Perspective-taking tasks
• Empathy vs. projection
• Curiosity, compassion, and fairness activities
• Philosophy questions
• Writing prompts
• Differentiated activities for ages 7–9 and 10–14
• Exit ticket, rubric, and answer guide

Ideal for SEL, ELA, Philosophy for Children, Character Education, Counseling, Homeschool, and Grades 2–8.

Core idea:
Empathy is not certainty about another person. It is the willingness to notice, wonder, ask, listen, and care.