Sophie was a kind and thoughtful girl who loved to play with her friends. She was always happy, but sometimes she didn’t understand when others were sad. Sophie loved to talk and tell jokes, but she didn’t always stop to listen when others needed to talk.
Mrs. Green spoke softly, "Empathy is when you understand how someone else feels. It means that when your friend is sad, happy, or angry, you try to imagine what it's like to be in their shoes. Empathy helps us care for others." Sophie listened, her mind buzzing with new ideas.
One day, Sophie saw her friend Tom sitting alone by the wall. His head was down, and he looked sad. Sophie wanted to play with him, but she didn’t understand why he was upset.
Sophie decided to walk over to Tom. "Hi Tom," she said gently. "You look sad. What’s wrong?" Tom looked up with tears in his eyes. "I lost my favorite toy," he whispered. Sophie smiled and said, "I’m sorry you’re feeling sad, Tom. Let’s look for your toy together!"
Sophie helped Tom search for the toy. As they searched, Sophie talked to Tom about how it feels when something important is lost. Tom felt better knowing that Sophie cared about his feelings.
The next day, Tom was still feeling sad, but Sophie didn’t notice. She was too busy running around playing tag. She ran right past Tom without even looking at him. Tom sat alone, wishing someone would understand how he felt.
Sophie didn’t stop to ask Tom how he was doing. She didn’t realize that he was feeling even worse because no one seemed to care.
Sophie remembered what Mrs. Green had said about empathy. The next day, she saw Tom sitting by himself again. This time, Sophie stopped and asked, "Tom, how are you feeling today? Do you want to talk?" Tom smiled a little and said, "I’m still sad about losing my toy, but I’m glad you’re here with me, Sophie."
Sophie and Tom spent the rest of the afternoon talking and laughing. Sophie was happy because she had listened to Tom's feelings and had been a good friend. She knew that showing empathy helped everyone feel better.
