Empathy Day
From EmpathyLab
Resource type: Event
Price band: Free
Key stage: KS1, KS2, KS3
Region(s): All of UK
Empathy Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the importance of empathy and the vital role that books and reading play in helping young people develop key empathy skills. It is designed to inspire children and young people to learn more about empathy, build their empathy skills and put them into action to help build a kinder, less divided world. Empathy Day 2023 will take place on Thursday 8th June. The theme for this year is ‘Mission Empathy’.
Schools can get involved by:
- Exploring the Read for Empathy Book Collection – a collection of 65 titles for 3-16 year-olds chosen by experts to encourage young readers to see the world through somebody else’s eyes.
- Taking part in the Mission Empathy Challenge – a menu of five creative, empathy-boosting activities for young people to complete.
- Joining in with Empathy Day Live! – a festival of online events with leading authors and illustrators, including an assembly with Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho.
Register to download free teacher toolkits for EYFS, Primary and Secondary.
Cost: Free with registration.
About EmpathyLab: EmpathyLab was founded in 2014 by Miranda McKearney OBE, Sarah Mears MBE, Craig Hill and Caroline Scott. Its aim is to develop children’s empathy and social activism through stories in order to build a more caring world.
Further resources:
- Watch the recording of award-winning author SF Said and fellow guests Tom Percival, Nicola Davies, Polly Ho Yen and Stewart Foster talking about the importance of empathy in their books in an empathy-themed Mr Dilly Meets author event for KS2 pupils.
- Cath Howe, author of Ella on the Outside and How to Be Me will be talking about her latest title My Life on Fire on Thursday 8th June in a free Empathy Day online event with the National Literacy Trust for pupils aged 8-12.
- Watch the recordings of two CPD events exploring the connection between reading and empathy. Reading and Empathy in Scottish Education featured experts from Scottish Book Trust, EmpathyLab, Strathclyde University and author Maisie Chan, while Reading for Pleasure and Empathy was organised by World Book and Empathy Lab.
- Put empathy into action by running a Readathon sponsored read that will raise money to provide books and storytelling events for seriously ill children in hospital while also promoting reading for pleasure.
- Other events in the literacy calendar that provide an opportunity to explore empathy further include Empathy Week, World Kindness Day, Anti-Bullying Week, Children’s Mental Health Week and A Day of Welcome.
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