Show care for others
6–12 monthsFamily ConnectionNo materials needed
When you're with your baby and someone else shows emotion, demonstrate empathy out loud. If a sibling is sad, you might say to your baby, "Your brother feels sad. Let's give him a gentle touch." Or if you hear someone laugh, "She's happy. That makes me smile too." Your baby watches how you respond to others' feelings and learns from your example.
Part of the Imprint developmental journey — personalized to your child.
How to Do This Activity
When you're with your baby and someone else shows emotion, demonstrate empathy out loud. If a sibling is sad, you might say to your baby, "Your brother feels sad. Let's give him a gentle touch." Or if you hear someone laugh, "She's happy. That makes me smile too." Your baby watches how you respond to others' feelings and learns from your example.
Why It Works
Babies learn empathy by watching empathetic caregivers. When you model empathy consistently, you demonstrate the compassionate responses your baby will later develop themselves (Hoffman, 2000). Research shows that parental cognitive empathy and positive family climate foster children's empathy abilities, leading to better social competence (Sánchez-Pérez et al., 2018). Even though babies can't yet understand perspectives, they're building emotional templates through observation.
Tips for Parents
Keep your explanations very simple since your baby is still learning.
Your actions teach more than words at this age.
This can happen naturally during family time or when you're out together.
Materials Needed
None
Learning Methods
Responsive InteractionSensory Exploration
Loved this activity? Let us do the planning for you.
Imprint personalizes every activity to your child — their interests, their stage, the traits they're building — so playtime is more fun and every moment counts.
Science-backed. Private by design. No spam.