Student Wellbeing

🌟 Building Empathy at POPS 

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It helps children form strong friendships, resolve conflicts peacefully, and grow into compassionate, caring people.

At POPS, empathy is more than just kindness, it’s about seeing the world through someone else’s eyes, recognising how others feel, and responding in thoughtful, respectful ways.

🧠 How We Teach Empathy at School

Restorative Practices 

Rather than focusing solely on consequences, we use restorative approaches to help students reflect on their actions, understand how others are affected, and make things right. This encourages accountability and a deeper understanding of others' feelings.

Across the Curriculum 

Empathy is woven into our everyday teaching. In Reading, students explore how characters think and feel. In History, they look at how historical events affected different groups of people. These activities help students see situations from multiple points of view.

Wellbeing 

Our Wellbeing lessons, including the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships and The Resilience Project, teach students how to manage their own emotions and understand others'. These programs are supported by the Personal and Social Capabilities in the Victorian Curriculum.

Whole-School Programs 

Empathy is also fostered through our Buddy Program, lunchtime clubs, and leadership roles. These give older students the opportunity to support younger students, building a culture of care and responsibility across year levels.

When children learn to recognise and respect others' feelings, they help create a kinder, safer and more inclusive school environment.

💬 What Can Parents Do?

You play a powerful role in nurturing empathy at home. Here are five simple ways to help:

1. Show Empathy to Your Child and Others Children learn empathy by experiencing it. When you tune into your child’s emotions, take an interest in their world, and respond with care, you build a strong foundation. They also notice how you treat others, whether it’s welcoming a new family, thanking a teacher, or showing kindness to a neighbour.

2. Make Caring a Priority 

Talk to your child about the importance of being kind, respectful, and thoughtful, just as important as doing well in school or enjoying their hobbies.

3. Give Them Opportunities to Practise 

Like any skill, empathy grows with practice. Encourage your child to think about others’ feelings, volunteer to help, or simply ask how a classmate is doing. These little moments build emotional awareness and confidence.

4. Widen Their Circle of Concern 

Support your child to care not only about friends and family, but also about people from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Reading diverse books, watching inclusive media, and talking about current events can open up valuable conversations.

5. Help Them Manage Big Emotions Sometimes children struggle to show empathy because they’re overwhelmed by their own feelings. Helping them understand and name emotions like anger, frustration, or jealousy can “unlock” their ability to care for others.

At POPS, we believe empathy is at the heart of being human. It's essential for strong relationships, ethical choices, and a positive community. Together, at school and at home, we can help our children become thoughtful, compassionate citizens of the world.

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