In a fun and friendly chat, actor Mark Ruffalo talks with his friend Murray about something called empathy. Empathy is a big word, but it means something really nice! It’s all about understanding how someone else feels and caring about them.
Mark explains that empathy is when you can imagine how someone else is feeling. But Murray finds it a bit tricky to understand at first. So, Mark gives him an example to help him out.
Mark pretends to hurt his toe and says, “Ouch!” Murray feels sorry for him and says, “Oh, you poor thing.” Mark tells Murray that when he tries to imagine how Mark feels, that’s empathy! Even though Murray still finds it a bit hard to get, Mark is patient and gives another example.
Mark shares a story about losing his favorite teddy bear, which made him feel sad. Murray listens and says he can imagine how sad Mark must feel. This shows that Murray is using empathy because he is trying to understand Mark’s feelings.
As they keep talking, Murray finally understands what empathy is all about! He feels happy, and Mark is happy too. They both celebrate by doing a little dance because understanding empathy is a wonderful thing!
Mark and Murray show us that empathy helps us connect with others. When we understand and share in the feelings of our friends and family, it makes our relationships stronger and more special. So, next time a friend is feeling happy or sad, try to imagine how they feel. That’s empathy!
Empathy Role Play: Pair up with a friend or family member and take turns acting out different scenarios. One person can pretend to be in a situation, like feeling sad because they lost a toy or happy because they got a new pet. The other person should try to express empathy by imagining how their partner feels and responding with kind words. After each role play, talk about how it felt to give and receive empathy.
Empathy Journal: Start an “Empathy Journal” where you draw or write about a time you showed empathy to someone or when someone showed empathy to you. Think about how it made you feel and why it was important. Share your journal with a parent or teacher and discuss how empathy can make a difference in everyday life.
Feelings Charades: Play a game of charades where you act out different emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, or surprise without using words. The other players have to guess the emotion and then talk about a time they felt that way. Discuss how understanding these emotions in others can help us be more empathetic friends.
