Categories
Parents Zone

Essay on Values Education (Empathy)

Parenting Tips

December 2024

by Dr. Cheuk Wong Wing Sze

 

Recently, with the unstable weather and frequent rain, I encountered a group of high school students waiting in line for the bus. To my surprise, one female student was without an umbrella, looking very disheveled. Quickly, I shared my umbrella with her. They were all in the same school uniform, possibly not well-acquainted with each other, yet seeing a fellow student in such a state, I wondered why no one else was willing to share their umbrella with her. This incident reminded me of the importance of fostering empathy from a young age.  

 

1.  Empathy as the Foundation

American psychologist Daniel Goleman, in his book “Working with Emotional Intelligence,” points out that the ability to handle interpersonal relationships is based on empathy. By trying to perceive the needs of others and caring about their perspectives, one can understand their viewpoints, recognize their emotions, respond to their feelings, and enhance their own empathy. In essence, stronger empathy leads to better interpersonal relationships, and vice versa.

 

2.  Recognizing Others’ Emotions

Through perspective-taking, understanding others’ emotions and thoughts is essential for empathizing and problem-solving from their standpoint. It is crucial to educate children from a young age to first recognize their own emotions. In Asian communities, emotions are often more reserved, with a wide range beyond just happy or sad. Teaching children that emotions are neither good nor bad but have appropriate and inappropriate ways of handling them is vital. For instance, it’s okay to feel angry, and when angry, expressing it to someone is acceptable, but resorting to violence is not. Understanding one’s emotions from a young age facilitates empathy towards others and gradually nurtures empathy.

3.  Perceiving Others’ Needs

In the bustling city of Hong Kong, where everyone is occupied, people often have their heads down engrossed in their phones, paying less attention to those around them. Teaching children to recognize their emotions and those of others from a young age helps them become more sensitive to the needs of others as they grow up.

 

I firmly believe that cultivating empathy in children from a young age is crucial. Recently, the Education Bureau has been advocating values education, which includes empathy. By fostering understanding of others’ feelings and needs from a young age, empathizing with others and putting oneself in their shoes, the world can become a better place.

 

Reference:

Daniel Goleman (1998). “Working with Emotional Intelligence.” Times Publishing Limited.

Categories
Parents Zone

Storytelling Aids Language Development: How to Enhance Children’s Narrative Skills?

Parenting Tips

December 2024

Written by: Speech Therapist Wong Nga Yan

Children learn to organize the vocabulary they have acquired into sentences through storytelling, which also promotes their cognitive and language development. However, many parents often find it challenging to guide their children in storytelling. Here are some tips to help enhance children’s narrative abilities.  

 

1.  Choose Appropriate Stories

As the saying goes, “To do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools.” If you want your child to tell stories well, the first step for parents is to select books that are suitable for their children. According to the “Guidelines on the Pre-primary Education Curriculum” published by the Curriculum Development Council in 2006, the content of books for young children should be healthy and interesting, with vivid character portrayals and illustrations that clearly display the theme.


When selecting books, parents should pay attention to whether the content aligns with the child’s interests and experiences. Additionally, parents should start with books that have simple plots and more repetitive sentences, helping children grasp and use the sentences within the stories. As children grow older, parents can choose books with more complex storylines. The themes of the stories can be diverse to enhance children’s exploration of the outside world.

2.  Learn Through Imitation

Most children not only enjoy listening to others tell stories but also like to tell stories themselves. However, some parents may be too eager and, after purchasing books, hurry their children to tell stories, which can lead to the child losing interest in storytelling. If a child has not yet mastered narrative structure, no amount of urging from the parent will result in a good story. Therefore, parents should first allow their children to learn through imitation. After reading a story to the child, parents can let the child know it’s their turn to tell the story and remind them to recount the events in order.

When the child is telling a story, parents should encourage them to use complete sentences and respond to their narrative. For instance, if the child uses a shorter sentence to tell the story, parents can extend the sentence by adding new content and encourage them to repeat it. For example, if the child says, “Bing Bing took the big apple,” the parent can try to expand the sentence to “Bing Bing took the biggest apple” and ask the child to repeat it.

If the child struggles to remember the details of the story, parents can provide appropriate prompts, such as pointing to pictures for reminders or using questions to guide them. After the child finishes telling the story, parents should praise their efforts. If the child still cannot recount the story content after prompting, the parent can help them recall the forgotten part and encourage them to continue.

Categories
Parents Zone

Children Love to Sleep with Their Parents: 5 Tips to Help Them Transition to Sleeping Alone

Parenting Tips

December 2024

Written by: Family Dynamics Marriage and Family Therapist, Ms. Elaine Fong

As the weather begins to warm up and summer approaches, this is not only a good time for children to potty train but also an excellent opportunity to prepare them for sleeping alone. Many new parents often feel uneasy about letting their young children sleep alone in their rooms. As a result, children end up sleeping with their parents or sharing a room from birth. Over time, the child’s bedroom becomes a storage room or a place where Dad sleeps alone.

 

Of course, parents also experience the “struggles” of sharing a room with their children, including not being able to chat casually in the room or being hesitant to turn over while sleeping, which prevents everyone from having their own space to rest well.

 

Encouraging Independence in Sleep

 

As children grow older, parents start discussing whether to allow their children to sleep alone. What age is appropriate for a child to sleep independently? I have seen many families where some children have slept alone since birth, while others are 12 years old and still share a bed with their mothers, with the father having slept alone for over ten years.

 

Every family’s situation is different, and there are various reasons for arranging for children to share a room or bed with their parents. Does long-term co-sleeping with children affect the couple’s relationship? Regardless of your family’s situation, if children can sleep independently, it positively contributes to their confidence, independence, and sense of responsibility.

 

Here are a few methods that may assist children in transitioning smoothly from sleeping with their parents to sleeping alone:

 

1.  Involve the Child in Designing Their Room

Allowing children to participate in selecting their favorite bed, bedding, wall patterns, or lighting can make them excited about this change and help them approach the separation from their parents with a positive attitude.

 

2.  Let the Child Choose a Comfort Object

Children’s desire to sleep with their parents often reflects their emotional attachment to them. Everyone has emotional attachment needs at different stages. If some of that emotional need for parents can be transferred to comfort objects, it can reduce the child’s anxiety about sleeping alone. Allowing the child to choose a comfort object, such as a stuffed animal, handkerchief, or pillow, can help them feel more secure while sleeping alone.

 

3.  Nap in the Child’s Room

In the early stages, allow the child to take naps in their own room to help them get accustomed to the new environment. Gradually, they will find it easier to accept this space as their own.

 

4.  Consistent Parental Action

Sometimes, it’s not that children are unwilling to sleep alone; rather, it’s the parents who are reluctant to separate. If both parents agree to arrange for the child to sleep alone, they need to support each other and act consistently.

 

5.  Persevere and Persist

Getting a child to sleep alone is not only a new experience for them but also requires adjustment from the parents. There will inevitably be challenges or moments when one might want to give up. As long as parents understand that this is a natural process, they can support each other and persist. If parents approach this transition with a positive attitude and a calm mindset, the child will gladly accept this change, which is beneficial for their growth and development.