Empathy

Empathy is a skill ― one that we can cultivate and strengthen with practice. Empathy means that we can imagine what someone else is thinking or feeling and then respond in a caring manner. Most four-year-olds understand that other people have thoughts, feelings, likes, and dislikes that are different than their own. They are also beginning to understand that their actions affect the emotions of others (e.g., "If I scribble on my friend's paper, she will feel mad or sad").