Introduction

Empathy is a crucial skill for students to develop, as it helps them understand and connect with others. In this blog post, we will introduce a game called Two Sides, which focuses on comparing situations where empathy is shown and not shown. The game aims to teach students the importance of empathy, perspective-taking, and demonstrating care for others. By participating in this activity, students will learn to recognize empathetic behavior and develop their own empathetic skills.

No-Prep Activity: Two Sides Game

The Two Sides game is an engaging activity that requires no preparation or materials from the educator. To play the game, simply present different scenarios to your students, each with two contrasting responses that either show empathy or do not show empathy. Here’s how the game works:

1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Present a scenario to the groups, describing a situation where someone is experiencing a problem or feeling upset.
3. Ask the groups to discuss and decide on two different responses: one that demonstrates empathy and one that does not.
4. Have the groups share their responses with the class and discuss the differences between the empathetic and non-empathetic reactions.
5. Repeat the process with different scenarios to provide students with multiple opportunities to practice empathy and perspective-taking.

Discussion Questions

After playing the Two Sides game, use the following discussion questions to stimulate further conversation and reflection on empathy:

• Why is it important to show empathy towards others?
• How does showing empathy affect our relationships with others?
• What are some ways we can practice empathy in our everyday lives?
• Can you think of a time when someone showed empathy towards you? How did it make you feel?
• Why might it be difficult for some people to show empathy? How can we support them in developing this skill?

Related Skills

Teaching empathy is just one aspect of fostering social-emotional learning in students. Other related skills that can enhance empathy and overall emotional well-being include:

• Active listening: Encouraging students to pay close attention to what others are saying and respond appropriately.
• Conflict resolution: Teaching students how to navigate disagreements and find solutions that benefit all parties involved.
• Emotion regulation: Helping students understand and manage their feelings in healthy and constructive ways.
• Communication: Developing effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills to express oneself and understand others.

Next Steps

The Two Sides game is an excellent starting point for teaching empathy and perspective-taking to students. If you’re looking for more resources and activities to further develop these skills, consider signing up for free samples of social-emotional learning materials at Everyday Speech. By incorporating these resources into your curriculum, you can help students build strong social-emotional foundations that will benefit them throughout their lives.