{"id":26672,"date":"2019-11-20T22:04:31","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T22:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/ftf\/?post_type=first-things&p=26672"},"modified":"2019-11-21T01:35:30","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T01:35:30","slug":"encouraging-young-kids-to-consider-the-needs-and-feelings-of-others","status":"publish","type":"first-things","link":"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/first-things\/encouraging-young-kids-to-consider-the-needs-and-feelings-of-others\/","title":{"rendered":"Encouraging young kids to consider the needs and feelings of others"},"content":{"rendered":"

The holidays naturally offer opportunities to spend quality time with toddlers and preschoolers. This holiday season, First Things First encourages pare<\/span>nts t<\/span>o start plant<\/span>ing the seeds of service early with toddlers and preschoolers by involving them in family volunteer<\/span>ing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Babies start to learn on the day they are born. Everything they see and experience, especially positive interactions with the adults in their lives, shapes them. By the time they are 5, their brains are almost fully <\/span>grown<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

For very young children, helping them understand empathy and what it means to help others can start with sharing. Research shows that children aren\u2019t able to understand the concept of sharing until they are about 3 or 4 years old because they haven\u2019t developed theory of mind, which is the ability to tell that what you want is sometimes different than what others want.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean that caring adults can\u2019t help a young child develop perspective by talking them through different scenarios. This helps them build a picture in their mind that their way is not the only way. <\/span><\/p>\n

For example, parents can read books with familiar experiences that the child has had, for example, <\/span>a story about how food grows in a garden can turn into a talk about how fruits and vegetables can be distributed to neighbors and people in need. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some ways to involve toddlers and preschoolers in acts of service:<\/span><\/p>\n