Children watch us for cues on how to behave. To foster empathy in children it helps for them to see their parents embody generosity and be big hearted.

Markus Paulus, a professor of developmental psychology at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, says we must help children explore their “inner world of feelings,” and he recommends we start by embodying generosity in our family lives.

“Before they even start school, children begin building their moral identities. A 4-year-old shown pictorial representations of inequality will distribute more resources to the person pictured with less and fewer to the person with more. Cultivate that nascent drive to make the world a more equitable place. Find small, daily ways to practice sharing.”

Read More at The New York Times
Photo Credit: Green Meadow Waldorf School