10 Storytime Tips to Teach Children Empathy Through Stories
A gentle, practical guide for parents to turn everyday reading into heartwarming empathy moments, with questions you can use tonight.
If you’ve ever tried to squeeze storytime into a busy day, you’re not alone. Between dinner, bath time, and sleepy eyes asking for “just one more book,” there often isn’t much energy left for big lessons.
The good news? You don’t need to plan anything special. It can begin right where you are — sitting together, holding a book, and pausing for one small question.
Here are some ideas to help children notice feelings, understand others, and make kind choices all through the cosy routine of reading together.
How Do Stories Teach Empathy
Stories help children build empathy for children in a few simple, powerful ways: -
· Naming emotions for kids: Characters show emotions that children can learn to recognise, such as happy, worried, or left out.
· Perspective-taking: Children learn that people can think and feel differently.
· Cause and effect: They see how choices can help or hurt others.
· Safe rehearsal: Children can explore big feelings through characters, allowing them to see how it happens, from a distance.
· Reflection and repair: Many stories include saying sorry, fixing mistakes, and trying again. These actions provide a model for the children to follow in a similar situation.
How To Teach Kids Empathy Through Stories: 10 Storytime Tips
These tips are designed for everyday reading. Each one includes storytime questions to build empathy you can use right in the moment.
1) Choose stories with clear feelings and consequences
When emotions are easy to spot, children can connect and understand how an action could affect others. This is the foundation of teaching empathy through stories.
Suggested questions to ask while reading to build empathy:
· “What feeling do you think they have right now?”
· “How do you think they feel right now?”
· “What happened that made them feel that way?”
Try this tonight: Pick a story where a character faces a problem and makes a choice that affects a friend.
2) Say the feeling out loud to build their feelings vocabulary
Children often feel deeply before they have the words to explain it. When you explain and name the emotion, you help them recognise feelings in themselves and others.
Suggested questions:
· “Is that face saying sad, angry, or disappointed?”
· “What do you think they might be feeling right now?”
Try this tonight: Use a simple phrase: “I notice they look… (worried/excited).”
3) Pause and predict: “What might happen next?”
Prediction slows the story just enough to invite reflection. It also helps children think about consequences, an important part of kindness and empathy.
Suggested questions:
· “What do you think will happen next?”
· “What choice could they make that would help?”
Try this tonight: Pause once per story. And have a quick chat or as a question for your child to answer.
4) Ask perspective-taking questions
Perspective-taking questions help children step into someone else’s shoes — even if they don’t fully agree.
Suggested questions:
· “How do you think they see what’s happening?”
· “What might they be hoping for?”
Try this tonight: Have a discussion on what the characters need, e.g. “What do you think they need right now?”
5) Connect to real life
This is where empathy steps off the page and into everyday life. Children begin to notice that feelings are shared, and that care matters.
Suggested questions:
· “Have you ever felt like that?”
· “What helped you when you felt that way?”
Try this tonight: If they say “no”, try: “What do you think might help someone who feels that way?”
6) Spotlight kind choices - Small, everyday kindness
Empathy grows through small moments — including someone, sharing, checking in, using gentle words.
Suggested questions:
· “What was the kind choice here?”
· How do you think that made the other character feel?”
Try this tonight: After the kind moment, ask your child how they could help a similar person in their life in like that to let them imagine who and how they can help.
7) Talk about repair after mistakes - Apologies, making amends
Empathy isn’t about getting it right every time. It’s about noticing impact and learning how to fit it. Stories offer beautiful examples to children of what comes next.
Suggested questions:
· “What could they say to make it better?”
· “What could they do to help repair the hurt?”
Try this tonight: Offer a simple script: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Can I help?”
8) Compare characters’ feelings - Same event, different feelings
Two characters can experience the same moment differently. This helps children learn that feelings aren’t “right” or “wrong”. We all have different reactions and feelings.
Suggested questions:
· “How does this feel for Character A? How about Character B?”
· “Why might they feel different?”
Try this tonight: Recap a moment/event that happened recently and ask your child to share their feelings on it. You continue by sharing your feelings on it to showcase the difference.
9) Role-play a scene
A little role-play turns empathy into practice. It’s also a fun way to keep children engaged.
Suggested questions:
“Can you show me the face that you think they are feeling?”
· “What could we say if we were the friend in this scene?”
Try this tonight: Act out one scene with silly voices, then switch roles.
10) Plan for a kindness mission - tomorrow
End storytime with one small act of kindness.
Suggested questions:
- “What’s one kind thing we could do today/tomorrow?”
- “Who might need extra care?”
Try this tonight: Pick something simple to aim for tomorrow. A hug, sharing a toy, or saying a kind word to a family member or friend.
Storytime doesn’t have to be perfect. Even just 5 minutes together can make a difference. When you read with your child and talk about feelings, you are helping your child grow a caring heart. Empathy grows slowly, in small everyday moments such as on the sofa, under a blanket, with a book in hand.
And those little moments? They stay with our children long after the story ends.