Winner of the Professional Books category in the 2018 Nursery World Awards.Empathy is an essential part of being human: it allows us to connect with others, which in turn opens doors for us to happiness and success. Though everyone is born with an inherent capacity for empathy, children have the power to grow and re-build their natural supply, and even 'learn' to be more understanding towards others.This pithy and practical guide provides early years professionals with the tools to make empathy the foundation for their work. It reveals where the roots of empathy lie, how to prioritise it in practice, and how it manifests itself in young developing brains. It includes simple teaching strategies and creative ideas for empathy-building games and activities, enabling you to help children grow up as happier, friendlier, more thoughtful individuals. This book is an essential resource for anyone working with small children.

Helen Garnett is a teacher with thirty years' experience. After running her own preschool for ten years, she became an educational consultant to Riverston Group Ltd and Think Equal. Helen is based near Brighton, England.

Introduction. 1. Empathy in the 21st Century. 2. Affective and Cognitive Empathy. 3. Empathy and Theory of Mind - Jackie Harland. 4. Establishing Empathy in our Pedagogy. 5. Exploring the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Empathy. 6. How Conflict and Conflict Resolution Produce Empathetic Children. 7. The Power of Positive Communication. 8. The Significance of Pretend Play in Developing Empathy. 9. Fostering Empathy through the Process of Narrative - Helen Lumgair. 10. How Social Cognition Creates Engaged Children - Valerie Lovegreen. 11. Empathy and Autism. Afterword.